Does Smart & Final pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Smart & Final employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Smart & Final. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Smart & Final?

38% of Smart & Final employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smart & Final 2.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.8 for culture and values and 2.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smart & Final?

Cashier (106) , Sales Associate/Cashier (47) , Sales Associate (24) , Service Clerk (23) , Associate (19) , Assistant Manager (14) , Store Manager (12) , Front End Cashier (11) , Load Crew (11) , PIC (Person In Charge) (11) , Key Carrier (10) , Supervisor (10) , Grocery Clerk (9) , Overnight Stocker (9) , Store Associate (9)

What are the pros of working at Smart & Final according to real employee reviews?

"I have bee working as a cashier for 2 years and we have great customer service and hours are flexible." ((in 39 reviews)); "They will give you hours and you’ll meet some great people but the company doesn’t know what they are doing." ((in 36 reviews)); "Benefits are good." ((in 31 reviews)); "The customers are great and coworkers can be fun!" ((in 22 reviews)); "Employer has a flexible schedules." ((in 15 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Smart & Final according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and vary hard to move upward in the company." ((in 56 reviews)); "One manager was terrible at managing" ((in 27 reviews)); "Blatant favoritism with certain employees, over looking poor work and moral ethics by management." ((in 23 reviews)); "No work life balance at all" ((in 14 reviews)); "30 cent raise when you know you deserver more than triple that." ((in 10 reviews))

What are employees saying about Smart & Final layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Smart & Final layoffs and their outlook for job security at Smart & Final in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Smart & Final locations?

Los Angeles , Commerce , San Diego , Riverside , San Jose , Sacramento , San Francisco , Huntington Beach , Long Beach , Las Vegas , Palmdale , Chula Vista , Phoenix , Bakersfield , Visalia , Fresno , La Habra , Lakewood , North Hollywood , Pasadena , Modesto , Simi Valley , Salinas , Seaside , Encinitas , Fullerton , Northridge , Santa Ana , Danville , Oakland

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Smart & Final

Smart & Final reviews

3.1

38% would recommend to a friend

(772 total reviews)

David G. Hirz

36% approve of CEO

25% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.2

Diversity & inclusion

2.8

Culture & values

2.8

Work/Life balance

2.8

Compensation and benefits

2.8

Career opportunities

2.6

Senior management

Smart & Final has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 772 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Smart & Final employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

772 reviews

4.0

Jul 12, 2016

Cashier

Sales associate/cashier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-flexible hours, great for students -managers are more than happy to give you more hours if you ask

Cons

-some days are better than others (retail life) -some customers are just really rude -you may lose faith in humanity

2.0

Jul 9, 2016

Company sucks

Part-time associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Easy to move up and be in charge of the area of the store or become a P.I.C (person in charge)

Cons

Reason it is easy to become a person in charge is because the company has hardly any expectations other than to show up pretty much and not call out of work was hired with the company twice both times offered a key care position and completed shrink one! Both times got a different manager unexpectedly which completely changes things up and can be difficult it seems like managers change stories every few months once employees and managers get settled in new manager comes in and changes everything employees quit employees get hired and it's a continuous rotation! The pay is minimum-wage and not very big of a raise to become a person in charge they give an extremely out of work to complete in such little time and then ask why you didn't get it done? Lol seriously ? How about managers get out of the office once in a while and help out with work around the store and the whole company would be awesome falls back again on easy promotion which is why more than half of these managers suck!

4.0

Jul 1, 2016

Service Clerk

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

it's a great place to work at. You gain hours if you truly deserve them and management will recognize your hard work.

Cons

There is sometimes a short amount of staff. Resulting to a lot of responsibilities and it could be overwhelming.

Viewing 646 - 648 of 772 Reviews

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