Thinking about applying to work at Ingles? There’s more to it than just submitting an Ingles resume to your local store. Here are the things you should know about the company, the application process, the careers, and the jobs waiting for you.
All About Ingles
Ingles (or, more formally, Ingles Markets, Inc.) is a regional supermarket store based out of their main warehouse in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Most of its stores are in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, with a handful of other locations scattered in other states.
Altogether, the company operates more than 200 supermarket locations, as well as some gas stations, a milk processing plant (Milkco, Inc.), and the Sav-More Foods chain. The company employs about 19,000 people in total and has revenue around $3.8 billion.
In compliance with the law, Ingles is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively supports minorities, women, protected veterans, and disabled individuals.
Ingles Careers
Ingles currently supports four major career tracks, which are described below.
Store Careers
Often considered the ‘main’ career, this category features most positions in Ingles stores. It’s important to note that the various positions in the store require a wide variety of talents and expertise, ranging from understanding different cuts of meat to decorating cakes, making suggestions to customers, or managing employees in an in-house Starbucks.
Store Jobs
Here are some of the store-based jobs. Not every location is hiring for every position, so you may need to travel if there’s a particular role you’re set on.
- Bakery Department: The bakery department is the perfect place for people who love making all sorts of bread-based products. This ranges from simple French bread to elaborately-decorated cakes and donuts, so there’s plenty of variety.
- Deli Department: This job focuses on interacting with customers, providing suggestions about meals, and quickly serving meals. Speed is a must, as are interpersonal skills so customers walk away feeling satisfied and informed.
- Meat Department: Ingles wants to be known as the place with the best meat in town – so they’re always on the lookout for people who know about different cuts of meat and how to best prepare them. Positions here range from entry-level to manager, and promotions are possible.
- Video Clerk: Do you love movies? If so, you may be a good candidate for the Video Clerk position, which involves dealing with customers, keeping track of rented movies, and multitasking to support the rental section of the store. Familiarity with movies the store stocks is vital to success.
Distribution Center Careers
Stores are the face of the company, but Ingles’ distribution center is the heart of its operation. As such, you can expect an Ingles application for a career here to be scrutinized, no matter how simple you think the position may be.
Ingles may eventually add another warehouse – in fact, that’s probably inevitable if the company keeps growing – but for now, expect all of these careers to be limited to their warehouse in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Distribution Center Jobs
Here are some of the jobs you can find in Ingles’ warehouse.
- Diesel Mechanic: As a diesel mechanic for Ingles, you’ll be responsible for maintaining its fleet of tractors and trailers. This often includes welding work, and on occasion, replacing entire diesel brake systems. Skills with fixing air conditioning, fuel systems, suspension, drive trains, electronics, and refrigerated trailers are also highly desirable.
- Forklift Operator: Ingles moves far too many products for everything to be carried by hand. This is where forklift operators come in. In this job, you’ll have an assigned area and be expected to retrieve products quickly and efficiently whenever an order comes in.
- Regional Driver: Regional drivers are one of the most important positions that Ingles has. In this job, you’ll be responsible for driving to and from the distribution center, with destinations including both Ingles stores and product vendors. Tractor-trailer driving experience is mandatory, and some routes involve staying overnight, but the work is quite consistent.
- Switcher: Switchers are professional drivers (you’ll need a license) who allocate trailers and help to ensure the most efficient loading and unloading of trailers. Switchers are also responsible for examining equipment and tagging anything that needs service (often by one of the Warehouse Mechanics).
- Warehouse Mechanic: Warehouses involve a lot of machines. From changing lights to dealing with plumbing, keeping the place tidy, and servicing motors, warehouse mechanics stop things from breaking down and ensure the warehouse can function at full capacity.
Corporate Careers
Corporate careers at Ingles focus on the management side of things, as well as positions at their corporate headquarters in Black Mountain. An Ingles application here can land you steady, long-term work free from the stresses of individual stores.
Corporate Jobs
Here are the kinds of corporate jobs offered by Ingles.
- Administrative Assistant: As an Administrative Assistant, you’ll work in one of the departments at Ingles’ headquarters and multi-task to ensure daily operations run smoothly. Attention to detail is paramount, as are experience with Microsoft Excel and outstanding attention to detail. You can expect to communicate with many of Ingles’ corporate personnel.
- Cafeteria Clerk: This isn’t just selling food, though that’s part of it. As a Cafeteria Clerk, you’ll also plan menus for Ingles’ Corporate cafeteria, work to maximize its sales potential, and ensure the facility operates in full compliance with all regulations. Aside from that, you can expect to keep track of inventory and place orders. This position requires an incredibly diverse set of skills, and your Ingles application will be judged accordingly.
- Human Resources Assistant: Like any large company, Ingles knows that dealing with people (from vendors and employees to customers and regulators) is key to its success. In this position, you’ll sort and deliver mail, handle calls, and multi-task in a fast-paced environment while upholding strict standards of confidentiality.
- Store Maintenance General Technician: Don’t let the name fool you, this is an important job. As a general technician, you’ll be responsible for special projects and certain deliveries to Ingles stores outside of the normal products and warehousing. You can expect to do a little bit of almost everything, which is ideal if you don’t enjoy being stuck in the same role all the time.
Pharmacy Careers
Like many supermarkets, Ingles operates a pharmacy – and this requires a particularly well-educated and trustworthy group of employees. Unlike the other career tracks Ingles offers, there are really only two jobs in this area, and they’re the same two jobs found in most pharmacies across the country.
Staff Pharmacist
The Staff Pharmacist is the ‘higher’ pharmacy job, though it may still be subordinate to a pharmacy manager or store manager. This position typically requires a Doctorate degree in Pharmacology, which is a six-year degree followed by a one-year internship and a licensing exam.
Pharmacists are ultimately responsible for what happens in their pharmacy. They direct the other employees, occasionally create medicine, verify prescriptions, and check to ensure that all legal guidelines are strictly adhered to.
Also, pharmacists often act as advisors to patients. When someone comes to you with symptoms, you’re expected to be able to quickly diagnose the issue and determine what response (taking medicine, seeing a doctor, and so on) is most appropriate. Depending on the state you work in, you may be allowed to write prescriptions for certain medications (typically antibiotics and milder pain relievers).
Pharmacy Technician
The Pharmacy Technician is the lower position in an Ingles pharmacy. Unlike pharmacists, you don’t need extensive training for this job, though you will need to pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (a common test performed and accepted in all states).
As a technician, you’ll go between patients and the pharmacist (when the pharmacist isn’t giving advice directly), and you’ll spend a lot of time verifying labels for accuracy before handing prescriptions over. Technicians often perform administrative tasks like processing paperwork, tracking inventory, ordering new inventory, and managing the cash register.
One of the most important differences is that pharmacy technicians do not give medical advice to patients, even if you’ve heard the advice for a certain set of symptoms dozens of times and heard what the pharmacist prescribes each time. If somebody wants advice, you’ll need to get the pharmacist.
So, Is It Worth Working For Ingles?
As you’ve seen on this page, Ingles offers a wide variety of jobs. It’s not just stocking shelves and working a cash register – whether you want to work in an office, drive vehicles, talk with vendors, or operate a pharmacy, Ingles has a position requiring those desires.
As such, think carefully before you submit your Ingles application and consider what, exactly, you want to do in your time with the company. If you’d prefer to work directly with customers, you can, but there are many other positions available. Many of the jobs outside of the retail outlets have steadier hours, so they’re worth considering if you prefer predictability in your career.