Coles Group
    (2674 reviews)

    Company Reviews

    Working at Coles Group

    3.12674 ratings in total
    5
    570
    4
    667
    3
    538
    2
    358
    1
    541
    80%
    Rate salary as high or average
    58%
    Employees recommend this employer to friends

    What’s it like working at Coles Group?

    AI summary of recent reviews
    Employees value the friendly and supportive team culture at Coles Group, enjoying the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues and regular customers. The company provides accessible entry-level positions and opportunities to learn and develop skills across various departments, with some roles offering flexible working arrangements.

    However, there are some potential challenges, including varying management approaches with concerns about communication and micromanagement in certain stores, understaffing during busy periods creating pressure, demanding workloads with high expectations, unpredictable rostering for casual staff, and limited career progression opportunities in some locations. Additionally, the monthly pay structure can be challenging for some employees.
    Work/Life balance
    3.0(2.7K ratings)
    Career development
    3.0(2.7K ratings)
    Benefits & perks
    3.0(2.7K ratings)
    Management
    2.7(2.7K ratings)
    Working environment
    3.1(2.7K ratings)
    Diversity & equal opportunity
    3.4(2.7K ratings)
    Ratings for Coles Group are shared as-is from employees in line with our community guidelines

    Reviews

    Showing 2674 reviews sorted by most recent
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    most recent
    2.0
    Data Scientist Mid to Senior Level
    Sep 2026
    Hawthorn East VIC 31235 to 6 years in the role, current employee
    Great people and hardworking teams, but unstable management makes it difficult.
    The good thingsThe team members are one of the best parts of working at Coles. People are generally friendly, supportive, and hardworking, and there is a strong willingness within the team to help each other and get things done, even when workloads are challenging.
    The challengesThe biggest challenge is the lack of a consistent and stable management strategy. The organisation has gone through repeated restructures, changes in direction, and increasing outsourcing, which creates considerable uncertainty for employees. It can be difficult to feel secure or plan for the longer term when priorities, team structures, and responsibilities keep changing. This also makes it harder for hardworking employees to feel that their contributions are properly recognised and valued.
    5.0
    Warehouse Operator
    Sep 2026
    Cameron Park NSW 2285Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    A positive and welcoming experience with great opportunities to learn and grow.
    The good thingsI have enjoyed the warm welcome from the team, the positive working environment, and the opportunity to learn new things. I also appreciate the support and guidance from my colleagues during my onboarding.
    The challengesAs I am still new to the company, I am currently getting familiar with the procedures and work processes. More guidance during the onboarding period and clear communication about certain tasks could help make the transition even smoother.
    4.0
    Cleaning and Trolley Collection
    Sep 2026
    Mirrabooka WA 6061Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Stable job opportunity for someone looking for income such as university/high school student.
    The good thingsGood management, everyone made sure that everything was running smoothly and an issue was reported once it had arisen.
    The challengesWe had machines that would automate tasks, such as the Motorised Trolley Pusher, which would regularly and consistently be out of service for months at a time without clear notices of when they would be fixed, thus making the job more difficult than normal since tasks had to then be executed by human.
    1.0
    Colds local
    Aug 2026
    Manly NSW 20952 to 3 years in the role, former employee
    down, down, a worker is down
    The good thingsThey accept any people to work there because no experience is required, so as my first job it was a good way to get into the workforce.
    The challengesThe management lacked professionalism, the departments did not work as a team, very hostile environment with a constant name and shame approach to learning
    1 person found this helpful
    2.0
    Sales Supervisor
    Aug 2026
    Berwick VIC 38065 to 6 years in the role, former employee
    Don’t work here unless you want to lose your sanity
    The good thingsAmazing regular customers, you end up building such a rapport with the regulars and the team members are lovely
    The challengesConstantly understaffed with focus on meeting targets while not caring about anyone’s wellbeing. Putting the most atrocious people into management and anytime someone has an issue, it’s ‘encouraged’ to bring it up, but when it’s brought up, the issue gets ignored, nothing happens, complaints go through with nothing happening on the other side. Just don’t even bother.
    2 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Nightfill Assistant
    Jul 2026
    Newcastle NSW 2300Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    TERRIBLE!!! Do not recommend.
    The good thingsMet some nice people
    The challengesWould regularly schedule you on for a shift and then cancel you the afternoon of the shift. expected you to do everything for very little pay, very little training and support. Said they were flexible but when asked for flexibility they didn't give it.
    3 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Rekha rani
    Jul 2026
    Paramatta SA 5558Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    Great place to work excellent company supportive team
    The good thingsThis company has a good reputation and provide great opportunities to learn and grow .I like that this company values it's employes and provide a positive work environment
    The challengesManaging busy periods while masnataning high quality services.
    1.0
    Team Leader - Coles Services
    Jun 2026
    Melbourne VIC 30001 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Great services team, terrible management.
    The good thingsdon’t think the word “enjoy” exists at Coles Coburg North. Easily the worst workplace I’ve experienced. Constant micromanagement, bad behaviour from store management, and a culture of blaming cleaning staff instead of taking accountability. The only positive was my Coles Services team and my Area Manager—they were excellent. Everything else was a complete disappointment.
    The challengesIf I had a list it would take me a few years to write it down
    3 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Data Analyst
    Jun 2026
    Canada Bay NSW 20464 to 5 years in the role, current employee
    “My overall experience has been positive, with opportunities to learn, collaborate, and contribute
    The good thingsOverall, my experience has been positive, with opportunities to learn, collaborate, and contribute meaningfully
    The challengesStreamlining processes and clearer communication would improve efficiency.
    1 person found this helpful
    4.0
    Supervisor
    Jun 2026
    Adelaide SA 50001 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    A great place to work, especially as a first role.
    The good thingsSupportive and understanding team and culture. Your work and achievements are recognised by management as well as monetarily.
    The challengesThe rostering system needs work and means you have limited notice of shifts and changes.
    1 person found this helpful
    5.0
    Yes
    Jun 2026
    Melton South VIC 3338Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    Its good to work here
    The good thingsThe environment and people
    The challengesI can improve my skills and my strength to work here
    1 person found this helpful
    2.0
    Service
    May 2026
    Toowoomba QLD 43501 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    It's alright if you're a metric chaser and dont mind getting stat tracked for every little thing
    The good thingsYou meet a lot of good people along the way, talking to all the different departments in the store. It creates a nice environment between the staff
    The challengesHaving managers micro-manage every aspect of your shift, ensuring it meets all of their metrics. Each shift I had to ensure my scan rate and bulk rate were above average; otherwise, at the end of the week, I would have to have a chat with the store manager. If these stats didn't improve in a week, you were punished, as they'd take away your shifts and leave you with one 3-hour shift until you improved, which is quite hard to do on 1 shift a week. There was also no room for growth within my store. After being at my store for nearly 2 years, I asked to change departments multiple times and was denied every time. And if you were looking for a supervisor role, good luck. Although new hires were performing worse than me, they got offered supervisor after being there for 4 months. Also, the union never did anything even though numerous complaints were made over the time of my employment, and not a single thing was done about any of it.
    4 people found this helpful
    3.0
    Customer Service Assistant
    May 2026
    Darwin NT 08001 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Overall average experience
    The good thingsLight environment and good vibes
    The challengesImproved should roster more people on the front-end. Dealing with frustrated customers due to only having 1-2 lanes open. Especially on busy times.
    1 person found this helpful
    5.0
    Coles deli
    Apr 2026
    Norwood SA 5067Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Like to work and enjoy meeting and greeting.
    The good thingsVariety of positions like to keep busy
    The challengesLet the staff that want to work and enjoys working more hours!
    1 person found this helpful
    4.0
    Grocery & Nightfill Team Member, Customer Service, Coles Online, Dairy Team Member
    Apr 2026
    Footscray VIC 30114 to 5 years in the role, current employee
    Good job to start with but it is at the end of the day a dead end job with no future.
    The good thingsI joined Coles at the age of 16 and have worked at multiple different departments across multiple different stores and I have had a positive experience working for Coles although Customers can be a handful at many occasions. Overall, I would give this job 8/10 or a 4/5 as it is good money for someone who goes to university or high school but it is very hard to sustain and live comfortably when you are living independently.
    The challengesThis job is mentally and emotionally draining at times and I have witnessed from the perspectives of several colleagues who just end up stuck at Coles as they find it a dead end job with no way out once your there for too long. I have even received several opportunities to move up within the business which I declined as I believe it's a job suitable only at a young age.
    3 people found this helpful
    4.0
    dairy incharge
    Apr 2026
    Kardinya WA 616328 to 29 years in the role, former employee
    great company to work for
    The good thingsthe team that i had were great
    The challengesbetter staffing levels and less upper management
    1 person found this helpful
    3.0
    Checkout Operator
    Apr 2026
    Moss Vale NSW 2577Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    It's hard to know if there is inclusion or not because of the drop of shifts from about 3 to 1.
    The good thingsThe Management and most of the Workers are nice.
    The challengesMy Scanning rate needs to go up and because of my Brain injury can be a bit difficult to go faster. And also being a Casual your Hours can go up and down. And lately they've been down.
    1 person found this helpful
    1.0
    Customer Service Role
    Mar 2026
    Belmont WA 6104Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Worked here for only a few months and couldn't handleit genuinely a horrible experience for anyone.
    The good thingsThe people you work with are pretty cool
    The challengesAbsolutely horrible pay if they know you're young and overwork you a lot. Managers will push you to do things you don't want to and force you to pick up extra shift even though you have declined multiple times.
    5 people found this helpful
    1.0
    dwlivery driver for coles is the worst job in the you will ever find
    Mar 2026
    Truganina VIC 30293 to 4 years in the role, current employee
    worst place to work, you do not get paid enough as its only 27ph but have to handle 1000kg everyday.
    The good thingsthere is NO good things to say
    The challengesManaging nearly 1,000kg of weight daily—including the groceries and the totes—is physically draining. Management has no regard for driver well-being. We’re expected to handle repacking, bag collection, and van maintenance, all while hitting over 30 stops in a 5 to 6-hour window. It’s unsustainable
    14 people found this helpful
    3.0
    Grocery Assistant
    Mar 2026
    Geraldton WA 65301 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    great entry level staff and 1 or 2 managers, upper managers at store waste time and space
    The good thingsstaff on floor and entry level ones great
    The challengesManager, 2IC come across as inept, lazy, shift blame quickly, a bit of a toxic management team. haphazard rosters, little or no communication, ie when staff call in sick, no effort made replace, expect staff on duty work harder, stay back to do job, when don't or can't quick to criticise. point they are allocated to reward staff, instead more often than not go to other managers apparently
    3 people found this helpful
    3.0
    Support Engineer
    Mar 2026
    Melbourne VIC 30002 to 3 years in the role, former employee
    Overall the time period was very stressful and will not like to go back or recommend any friend.
    The good thingsFreebies almost everyday in head office Employee special sale on liquour Flexibility to work from home
    The challengesWork pressure is too high Poor senior managements expertise
    1 person found this helpful
    1.0
    Personal Online Shopper
    Mar 2026
    Mowbray TAS 72481 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    Good job for someone starting out but for years? No thanks
    The good thingsNothing good to be honest
    The challengesManagement was terrible with communication
    2 people found this helpful
    4.0
    Store Manager
    Mar 2026
    Townsville QLD 48102 to 3 years in the role, current employee
    Great company, terrible management
    The good thingsThe company itself is good to work for
    The challengesMonthly pay is really hard especially during the cost of living crisis. Bonuses are also put in with monthly pay so you get heavily taxed. All other companies pay weekly or fortnightly unless you are a regional/ area manager. Your salary is not inclusive of super which is disappointing for such a big company. Some management are micromanagers which can cause stress in a job that shouldn't be stressful
    1 person found this helpful
    1.0
    Forklift Driver
    Mar 2026
    Kemps Creek NSW 2178Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    You’re just a number
    The good thingsThe team on the floor is amazing, the LC’s as well.
    The challengesManagement is horrendous, none of them know what to do. They just boost their favourites up and everyone else is just a number to them.
    6 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Store team member
    Feb 2026
    Tweed Heads NSW 24852 to 3 years in the role, current employee
    Customer focused retail professional.
    The good thingssupportive team environment with strong customer focus. Great opportunity to develop communication skills, learn efficient stock and deli operations. Flexible roster and fast paced workplace that helps build resilience and teamwork.
    The challengesManaging high customer traffic during peak hours can be challenging, but it has strengthened my ability to stay calm under pressure and provide efficient service.
    2 people found this helpful
    3.0
    Team Member
    Feb 2026
    Launceston TAS 72505 to 6 years in the role, current employee
    Minimum wage, Maximum work, You're Stuck.
    The good thingsTeam culture is friendly, a lot of training and tasks to keep busy.
    The challengesFor career progression there is only management nepotism and if internal careers are advertised, they'll work more to REM structure than transferring staff to departments wanted by those staff keeping you where you may not want to be. Won't put on full time staff, love their part time and casuals.
    2 people found this helpful
    3.0
    Project Manager (Contract)
    Feb 2026
    Hawthorn VIC 31222 to 3 years in the role, former employee
    You could find worse places to work.
    The good thingsBroad scope of work and diversity.
    The challengesSink or swim, and good luck if you need support. Managers hiring their mates vs the talent.
    1 person found this helpful
    5.0
    Picker and Packer
    Feb 2026
    Armidale NSW 2350Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    Thank you 🙏, myself I'm good enough on doing this job and powerful without any disability in me
    The good thingsThe experience on working with you
    The challengesTo Work hard as I can
    2 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Assistant Sales Manager
    Feb 2026
    Craigieburn VIC 306412 to 13 years in the role, current employee
    I had a really good experience working in this company. The team was really good and cooperative.
    The good thingsAble to demonstrate selling skills application as assessed by the company. I am able to demonstrate advance product knowledge and maintain store stock level.
    The challengesWe could improve the finances of the company and the sales consumption.
    1 person found this helpful
    2.0
    Storeperson
    Feb 2026
    Kareela NSW 22326 to 7 years in the role, former employee
    Fun team & corporate greed.
    The good thingsThe people you work with are great. Team room supplying breakfast food such as fruit, cereal, bread, coffee, etc. 5% discount, 10% discount once a month for 5 days.
    The challengesThe workload on minimum wage. The expectations are quite high. Mix that with understaffing and you have a constant recipe for disaster. Most days are filled with pressure. Most DM's work overtime for free to get the job done, but expect the workers to do the same job in less time on an hourly basis. You generally leave work feeling stressed and exhausted. Unfortunately, corporate greed focuses on profits and not prioritising staffs wellbeing. High turnover of staff due to stress. Coles can just hire somebody else to replace you until they are burnt out. Not worth the pay to work for coles.
    4 people found this helpful
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