NEW YORK -- Convenience-store retailers QuikTrip and Sheetz were named among the 20 Best Workplaces in Retail in a recent Fortune magazine survey.
From awards and discounts to 12-foot-high skate ramps, these retail companies have created great work environments for their teams of customer-facing employees, according to the report.
To create the list, Fortune partnered with Great Places to Work, the consulting and research firm behind Fortune’s annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, to determine the best workplaces in the retail industry. Among the patterns that emerged while researching the list were:
- Generous medical coverages
- Awesome office discounts
- A parade of onsite benefits to keep workers happy and healthy
There are also examples of companies that strive to stand out from the rest with higher-than-normal minimum wages to creative ways of fostering an internal work culture of encouragement.
Here’s Fortune’s second-annual list, with highlights from QT and Sheetz:
- Build a Bear
- Nugget Market
- CustomInk
- Wegmans Food Markets
- RevZilla.com
- The Container Store
- MOD Pizza
- Sheetz Inc.
- QuikTrip
- CarMax
- Publix Super Markets
- Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI)
- Trend Nation
- L.L. Bean
- Sphero
- 1-800 Contacts
- Whole Foods Markets
- Nordstrom
- IKEA Holding U.S.
- Zappos.com
About Sheetz Inc., Fortune wrote:
The convenience-store chain, with over 500 stores in six mid-Atlantic states, offers generous bonus schemes. There are quarterly bonuses for all team members, and 35 to 40% of the company’s pre-tax profits usually go towards these bonuses; in 2013, the company gave out around $40 million in bonus money. … The company also gives employees a 50% discount on prepared foods purchased in-store, and during work hours, coffee and fountain drinks are free.
About its recognition, Sheetz president and CEO Joe Sheetz said, “It is our dream for our employees to tell us that they are happier clocking in than clocking out. Recognition like this proves that a companywide effort to build and nurture a positive culture truly pays off. We couldn't have done it without the favorable opinion of our employees and the supportive work environment they create."
About QuikTrip, Fortune wrote:
The convenience store’s founder and CEO Chet Cadieux meets with his employees every year and leaves them with a special gift and a chance to win either $500 or a week’s vacation. The company also honors employees on their work anniversaries: those that hit the one-year mark get a special jacket, while those that work for 20 years at QuikTrip receive $300 spending money and $5,000 in cash or stock in their retirement plan. There are also on-site health benefits that include breast cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer and blood pressure screenings.
Click here to read Fortune’s complete 20 Best Workplaces in Retail report.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.