Pros
A great place to strengthen your customer service skills. If you work in-store, you have a lot of face to face interaction with members of your community.
Cons
Make no mistake, this company doesn't care what you know, how hard you work, or how well you do your job. There is no such thing as merit in the eyes of Associated Foods. This is a good ol'boy company where who you know means more to your success than what you contribute to the company as an employee. I was shuffled around various locations, and exceeded the goals given to me by the company. I arrived at my last location as a result of a promotion. Within one month, I had tripled the customer loyalty numbers, corrected legal compliance issues that had been neglected, and increased both customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction significantly. I found myself working 60+ hours and 7 days a week for months on end, and regularly working 6 am to midnight due to demands of the particular location. After getting into a serious car accident during my long commute to work one day, I requested a change of location. I was urged to stick it out for a couple of months. Every time I requested some help or relocation, I was pacified with promises of Store Leadership in my future. 7 months later, and still no promotion or relocation, I was told that I hadn't been moved because they were unable to fill my position if I left. Meanwhile, they hired a Store Director from outside the company who was very good friends with one of the big wigs in Corporate. This man spent his days at work flirting with the baristas at the coffee bar and sitting outside smoking. After about 3 hours into the work day he would go home, instructing me to tell anyone from Corporate who might come in or call that he was on lunch and then to text him so he could come back. In the 3 months that this man was our Store Director, he drove out 4 department heads (including me) as well as countless non-management employees. This man was then promoted to Corporate.