Wakefern Foods

Most guards are guards because they are too dumb to be anything else. Just consider the source. When I was working local for a major LTL carrier, I stood at the gate of a poultry plant one day while the guard tried to figure out where the drum of chemical that I had went. Finally, after 15 minutes, I left with the drum of chemical and before I got 2 miles up the road, my dispatcher was calling me and telling me that they needed the chemical and for me to go back. Needless to say, I did not go back and told the dispatcher that they would get it the next day.

Guards love to exert authority that they don't have.

 

Usually your First time in Any Place of delivery , can be confusing and uncertainty.
That's the downfall of being a driver, and putting up with the headaches., but you seemed to have worked it out.

Now the second time, if you go there, you'll know what to do and where to go!

You're gosh darn lucky, RoadWarrior, that you got in and out of there pretty fast. At Wakefern, it's sometimes Not the Case.

 

first time i went there it was with a paper load and i went to the reefer side but the guard told me right away i was at the wrong entrance after that it was easy but i know what your saying about the guards most of them are from jamaica or some other country

 

Hey, I wonder if they're the same dudes from that movie , "Cool Runnings"!

Ha, Ha, Funny Movie!

 

Hurry up get in line and park !!!!!!!! Wakefern ... what a void in space !!!!!

 

I've been there too.The place is a nightmare.The fun starts with the surly guards who suck their teeth at you and look at you like you just farted in front of them.

Then the check in process on the perishables side has you standing in a line where you get to meet the rude Korean lady and then the freindly lumpers.After all that then you have to wait for a ''redcoat'' to check the load ,then get back in line and reverse the process..

I spent all day there once,other times it was 5-6 hours. I hate the place.I'd rather eat cat litter than go there again..

 

I accepted the load because the weather forecast was good. Then, I checked this forum and found this thread. I was shook all weekend based on these horror stories. However, my load was going to Jamesburg, NJ, not Elizabeth.

Being a decent trucker, I tried calling ahead and learned the number I was given was for their HQ, not the Jamesburg warehouse. When I called, the genius night guard kept transferring me to Receiving, then Customer Service. During my third call, the genius told me that both facilities were closed. I asked why did he transfer me knowing they weren't there, and he advised he was just giving me what I asked for. (Silly foreigner.) So, I called later that day and spoke to Elizabeth's receiving and got a number to the Jamesburg facility. I later found out the Jamesburg outfit is aka "general merchandise" which is an option on the HQ's phone line. So..., their guards are Einsteins, and obviously the phone line was organized by Nobel Prize winners. I was just hoping all the idiots were in Elizabeth and not Jamesburg.

Since I couldn't reach a human in advance, I just threw caution to the wind and decided to roll out at 4:30 AM to be sure I'd beat NJ turnpike traffic, and I should arrive around 5 AM for my 10 AM appointment. I made it with clear directions at 5 AM and reported to the guard house like the sign said, and the guards were actually friendly and knew what they were doing. (I laughed at the posted flyers advising the guards don't know how long your wait will be, so don't ask.) I returned to the guard shack at 6:30 like they asked, and I was told to go to Dock 72.

I docked and got in line with the other drivers to go to the window with my paperwork. What a surly woman who couldn't manage to reply "Good Morning" when I greeted her, but I'd be Debbie Downer if I looked like her, too. Then , I went to the lumpers desk to get set up for unloading. Most of the lumpers were Latino including the two lead guys, but all of them were on point from what I could see. They knew what they were doing and didn't spend all day chatting it up with each other. I was unloaded in about 2.5 hours, and even after talking with other drivers (including a 46 year vet ), I got inspected at the gate and left that place at 9:45 AM! Only 4:45 of my time, and it went pretty smoothly.

Now, I know I can go back there again in the future..., but I'm sure I'll still avoid Elizabeth.

PS This was my first visit to NJ. I met nice folks, but I still can't shake this feeling of gloom that washed over me as soon as I crossed into NJ. Even with the beautiful sunshine in this pre-Spring weather.

 

i used to go in there at least 3 times a week, i KNOW who you're talking about. the one and only time i said hello, she turned and walked away. once she actually spoke to me, to say that Jose (the day clerk) would be right back, i stared at her like she was from outer space. i hate to say it but it felt good to give it back to her.

avoid elizabeth like the plague, the bathroom in the guard shack hasn't been cleaned in years, and the inside clerks look at you like you're going to steal their air freshner if you ask to use the one in the warehouse. at least the one in monroe twp's guard shack and dock are clean.

 

the location in jamesburg/ south brunswick is night and day compared to elizabeth. that entire area around wakefern in elizabeth is overcrowded and confusing. south brunswick is blooming with warehouses but its a lot more wide open. one way in one way out.