What food distribution companies/warehouses are the worst?

For overall being exceedingly slow and showing little to no respect for truck drivers, considering ALL their US DC's. Walmart food DC's are hands down the worst. However they are the cheapest in terms of lumper cost. Some are not quite as bad as others. But the best still sucks.

Costco is the best to work with and no lumper costs

 

Save-a-lot would throw produce on the same pallet as raw meat. One time I picked up a loaded reefer that was running at 70+ degrees (engine was taxed) . Produce, meat, ICE cream in the freezer box.. dispatch asked me what store I was going to and assured me they dont check the reefer temp.
Never ever ever ever shop there. top that

 

For me, Walmart isn't that bad. My experience is any Kroger facility is awful! Slow, tight backing, rude employees. You know, typical stuff.

 

I don't know if any of the east coast grocerys are still with us. The facilities made in the 1920's onwards.

Union Warehouses were particularly snooty. Non union warehouses had a element of physical danger. Never mind the dirty and grime.

You could never build a list of such places without half of them pushing back against you. Personally Im happy I don't deal with the #### things anymore. I disliked what I had to become to deal with some of those worst places. (And Walmart was not the monster it was in my area at the time)

Finally but not least, The major Markets is where you might find some really bad things. However they have managed to clean up to a certain degree in several areas over the years.

 

I think you're giving AWG, Supervalu, and a couple of the worse C&S locations a huge pass calling Walmart the worst. Agree 100% about Costco.

 

Walmart is nationwide and EVERY D.C. will hold you a minimum of 2 hours past your appointment time, no matter how much freight. Also every dc will have receiving clerks chatting amongst themselves behind the plexiglass as they have zero regard for the 10 drivers crammed into a tiny room waiting 15-45 minutes for them to stop gossiping and do their simple job as your late time clicks closer.

At least the others are hit and miss and are plenty that are typically bad. We do them all and I'd rather take my chances with any of them then a Walmart if I'm pressed for time.

 

Ok Regarding walmart. Find a carrier with drop hook account with walmart. That way you sail in, drop, hook and go. 15 minutes done. One of my big walmart carriers Ronnie Dowdy not too long ago had that with Walmart. Once in a while there was a docking to endure. But compared to my east coasting it was not half bad. Thinking of Pauls Valley OK, Denver etc.

 

Drop and hook is not fair to include in the context of this thread. And thank you but no, I'm not going to work for a mega so I can do drop and hooks at a handful of grocery warehouses. Besides, d/h has it's own host of problems associated with it.

Also, often when you go into Walmart with a 17:00 appointment, you and the other 15 trucks with the same 17:00 appointment time arrive to find that the Walmart trailers have not been pulled from the slotted docks assignment yet. (17:00 is first incoming wave of the day for live temp controlled)

So after waiting through the gate line, then they have to go in and find a place to park, then it's like vultures waiting to pounce on the door that becomes available first ... fighting over who has first option.

Then you get to go inside and play the next wait game (third) to check in with the receiving clerk.

Then, when they call you with bills ready, you get to go inside again and get in line behind the 5-15 20:00 arrival check ins and wait the fourth time.