Ask Our Team!
Read what a few of our team members have to say about working at The Fresh Market, how to land a job here, and what it takes to advance your career.
JaMilia Stewart
Corporate Office (Store Support)
Greensboro, NC
I started as a cashier in the Ridgeland, Mississippi store in March 2020. I immediately realized that it was better than any job I’ve ever had in retail (I used to work at Sam’s Club). So, I learned from other Team Members how to be the best Team Member I could. My manager recognized my hard work and within 2 months I was promoted to a Scan Coordinator, responsible for ensuring we were stocked with everything our guests wanted. Because I love interacting with guests, 6 months later I was promoted to Guest Services where I helped guests with all of their needs.
I was a Business major in college, and started working on my Masters Degree in International Business Management right as the pandemic began. My dad is in the Air Force, stationed in Greensboro so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me and my cat to move closer to him and for me (not my cat) to apply for a role at the Corporate office there. I applied for the Merchandise Data Integrity Specialist role and was offered the role! My manager was totally supportive and excited about the new opportunity for me!
Definitely the ease of getting additional training and learning new things and having new experiences – anything you want to learn you just have to ask - while at other companies you have to figure it out on your own.
I’d say someone who is willing and able to listen, learn, keep an open mind, and SMILE!
Being a people person, I love to interact with people…I really miss talking to guests and making them happy. Learning new corporate systems have also been a challenge, but I love a good challenge and know that all of these new experiences will be beneficial to my career.
Jim Healy
Store Manager
Suwanee, GA
I was in the grocery and retail business for almost 40 years and was looking for a new opportunity with a company smaller than what I was used to. I started at TFM 11 years ago, and even before I started, it felt like a family-owned business. TFM is much more personal than the large stores I had worked at in the past. I manage nearly 60 people, and they all feel like family.
I look for someone who is friendly, has an outgoing personality, and exudes an energy that makes others feel comfortable and happy to be talking to you. You really have to like people – if you don’t, this is definitely not the place for you.
Our guests appreciate and expect high-quality food and produce, and they are willing to spend more money on keeping their families satisfied and healthy. They seem happier in general than guests at other retailers and big box stores. There are less complaints also, but even when there are issues, the guests at TFM are much nicer about it than at other places I’ve worked. Our guests – the way they are and the way they treat us – definitely gives us all less stress than a typical retail job.
I love that I can stand at the back of my store and see the entire store – every department, every display, every Team Member. It’s a great feeling to me to know that the place I work has so many great products, in such a clean, well-maintained, comfortable environment.
Jesse Randall
Store Manager
Cary, NC
Yes, we offer a 12-week PAID Internship Program that focuses on store and corporate education & training, including trailing a Store Manager a few days a week. You’ll learn all aspects of running the store and get hands on experience in our Bakery, our Floral Department, the Deli, our Meat & Seafood department – really, just every part of the store. It’s a great program for a student who really wants to learn about not just grocery store management and operations, but retail as a whole.
They’ve got to be hard-working, know what they want to do, and have attention to detail. A positive attitude, knowing how to prioritize tasks, and working well with a team are important things as well. Of course, they have to like interacting with guests too!
I take pride in moving people up and giving them acknowledgement for a job well-done. When someone works hard for a promotion or a raise and they let me know that they have a specific goal in mind, I’m always more likely to help them achieve that goal.
At TFM, we want employees to be themselves. Yes, you can have a nose ring. Yes, you can have tattoos. If you want to wear a PRIDE flag on your vest for the entire month of June – or every single day – that’s OK too. Our Team Members also love to create new displays for their departments - I love walking into my store and seeing the care and creativity our team members put into making the store look fresh and beautiful!
We have employee resource groups like our Diversity Group, our LGBTQ group, and our Women’s Council that are open for anyone to join.
David Amore
Store Manager
Orlando, FL
I'm fortunate to have an amazing Guest Service Manager, Elena. She handles the onboarding process from start to finish. Any support she needs, she goes to my Assistant, Tariq.
Team member development occurs daily in my store. Whether it's coaching through a situation or handing out some "good jobs", development is constant. Someone a lot smarter than I am once told me "Every time I talk to someone, I'm interviewing them." I've carried that mantra with me and we have had a lot of upward mobility in my store due to that. It's like chess. I think ahead with moves that I'd like to maybe see in the future. Keeping an open line of communication with team members and making mental notes of actions that team members take, makes our people seem to fit into place when they are promoted.
It starts with being approachable. I say good morning to everyone every day and check in with everyone. We have collaborative huddles and department manager meetings where everyone is encouraged to say what they'd like to say. If a team member disagrees, great. Let's talk through it. I also don't take myself too seriously. When it's time for business, it's time for business. But, the more fun we have when we are all in this building together all week long, the better we perform as a team and the more comfortable we all are talking to one another.
My most impactful moment with The Fresh Market came at my current store #38. On Thanksgiving eve 2 years ago, I met Mrs. Galloway. She is 91 years young and has been shopping at our store for 21 years! My meat manager pointed her out to me in a big line of guests waiting to pick up their holiday orders. I went up an introduced myself and handed her a bouquet of sunflowers. She still talks about how busy I was and that I took the time to say "hi". I then learned her favorite flowers were yellow roses and I make sure we deliver arrangements with yellow tulips to her house once a month. Sometimes we chat for a little while, sometimes we just miss her and she calls the store saying "what did you do?!" Her energy brings joy to this whole store. I've never seen a guest that literally every team member in the store absolutely adores.