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Comments: 1896 • Responses: 47  • Date: 

Sovereign_Curtis2506 karma

How many people upvoted this because they thought the OP read "IAMA 9 year old employee of Coca Cola"?

Drocavelli1278 karma

I did...

cdd101417 karma

How does Coke help restaurants? My family is in the process of building a restaurant and we can't decide on Coke or Pepsi, or what they provide to the restaurant.

Drocavelli355 karma

Not an expert on this end of the business, but if you PM me, I can get get you in touch with someone who will be of great help.

tacosandvatos162 karma

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Drocavelli131 karma

My brother in law is a service tech. If you guys work as many hours as he does, I do not envy you.

PM_ME_SPACES314 karma

I've heard that coca-cola controls how all the soda and such will be displayed. Is that true and if it is, how much does the store get to control and how much does the coca-cola company control?

Drocavelli495 karma

The Company decides 100% how it's projects will be displayed. We have what is called a "brand set", which is a huge book of how our products are displayed based on the amount of cooler space we are allowed. Basically, the store will say that we have two cooler doors to occupy, and we as a company decide which of our products should go where within those two cooler doors.

ttchoubs168 karma

Work for target logistics, can confirm. We hate storing vendor shit because we have limited space.

Drocavelli244 karma

Yeah. We hear "we are not a Coke warehouse" all the time. Which I don't disagree with.

Garrehz1 karma

I have done deliveries for Schweppes. I know how hard a job it is. tips hat

Drocavelli2 karma

Thank you sir/ma'am. We used to carry Schwepp's at my facility. Pepsi has them in my territory now.

Im_a_male_nurse278 karma

What discounts do you get if any on coca cola products? And what happened to vanilla coke? I can hardly find it.

Drocavelli518 karma

Vanilla coke is alive and well in my market. We even offer a zero calorie version. Vanilla Coke Zero is the shit. I wish fewer people would buy it so I could have the out of dates.

Edit: one letter do->so

beardedlemon151 karma

So y'all get to keep the expired product then? Are there any restrictions on that then?

Drocavelli336 karma

Umm. Officially. And if anyone ever finds out about this, we always destroy product that is not consumable. Otherwise, if it is gonna be destroyed anyway, I can surely take a sip or two. Or three.

Drocavelli205 karma

We are allowed to buy up to 5 cases once per month at a decent discount. Nothing special, but it's way less than you pay retail.

brad1337242 karma

Who came up with the "Share a Coke with______" and did they receive a raise/promotion?

Drocavelli345 karma

I heard they unveiled this promo in the UK way before the US. Honestly, I haven't seen a huge increase in sales since this promo began.

classyjanitor232 karma

Have you ever been in a fight with a beer guy?

Drocavelli527 karma

Here's the deal. As a driver, I work with Pepsi, Budweiser, and Miller guys more than I work with Coke staff. We do everything we can to make each other's job more easy. We are always friendly an courteous to each other. In a weird way, competitor drivers are more of our friends than the guys we drive out with every morning.

metal0130125 karma

I'm trying to work my beer back stock here, do you REALLY need to drop your twelve boards of coke RIGHT HERE!?

Drocavelli198 karma

I'm sorry. I'll try to be more considerate next time.

boston_shua8 karma

Pick up the empty plastic crates!

Drocavelli13 karma

Always. Everyday. I hate it when my coworkers leave them behind. That's more that I have to pick up.

Drocavelli9 karma

I'm sorry. I'll try to be more considerate next time.

FeistierErmine228 karma

Do you miss Surge/Vault as much as I do?

Drocavelli255 karma

I actually liked Vault quite a bit. I was pretty surprised to see it go, because it seem like a lot of people like that brand.

Pretzel_Tentacles203 karma

What is the best and worst thing about working for one of the biggest brands in the world?

Drocavelli506 karma

Best thing: I know I'll never be w/o a job.

Worst thing: People asking for free samples.

Edit: I was drunk when I wrote that. In all seriousness, the worst part off the job is dealing with customers who are difficult for no other reason than that they can be.

-McK-119 karma

My bf used to work for Miller-Coors. How many times have you heard the line, "Yeah, just go ahead and load that up into my truck."?

P.S.: As a bartender: I would like to formally apologize for all the asshole managers who don't have their checks or cash ready. I try to make your wait time as short as humanly possible and offer you N/A beverages free as often as you need it. Driving and hauling that stuff, often times upstair into tiny hallways, all day long is exhausting.

Drocavelli135 karma

First off, at least once a week.

Second, we appreciate customers like yourself SO much. All too often it seems like customers take pride in making our days harder for no reason. It's super frustrating.

Lariat143135 karma

Coke or Pepsi?

Drocavelli646 karma

Honestly, neither. Drink a Dasani and do yourself a favor.

tayloreffect117 karma

I was offered a position as a merchandiser, it paid a little less than my current job. Am I an idiot for passing that up? Also what do merchandisers actually do?

Edit: I was half-asleep when I posted this... Apparently I was an idiot last night.

Drocavelli114 karma

What country? US?

tayloreffect257 karma

Texas.

Drocavelli93 karma

Okay, so it varies based on territory. But it means you work the product that I deliver. Break the pallet down and either put it on the floor or bin it in walmart back stock.

McMurc112 karma

What do you think about the fact that your AMA gets more upvotes/attention than the one by someone who wrote a biography on Beethoven?

Drocavelli339 karma

Well, that was a good movie. I can really relate to a movie about a family with a giant St. Bernard, but how much more do we need to know about it?

(Do I need to say I'm kidding?)

whasupjohn96 karma

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Drocavelli126 karma

We are very much discouraged from patronizing restaurants that serve only our competitor's product. But if I ever got "caught", I would never get fired. I think it's more just a card to keep in our pocket.

TheBlackHam68 karma

I'm a Coca-Cola employee myself and we have had employees get fired for eating at competitors establishments or drinking competitor product.

Edit: should clarify I'm talking about in uniform but in their own personal vehicles.

Drocavelli110 karma

As I always say, my loyalty is to my wallet.

beardedlemon70 karma

How many deliveries do you usually do per day? Have you seen any crazy situations in the warehouse?

Drocavelli138 karma

I myself do anywhere from 8 to 16 deliveries per day. Some of the drivers who are more local can do as many as 20-25 deliveries per day. It is basically divided out bases on each routes driving time. The craziest thing I've seen in the warehouse is when we had "transport" drivers, who bring in product in from our production facilities(outside contract drivers), and they open their trailer doors to an entire trailer of product that is laid over. We were not allowed, by union and by principle to help them pick it up. So a 30 min. delivery ended up being a hour and half delivery because we weren't allowed to help them.

usuallyclassy6960 karma

What do you do when people ask for free soda when you're unloading the truck? And would the beer delivery guys do the same ??

Drocavelli164 karma

People ask all the time. You have to put on a face like you have never hear that comment before. Laugh. Say, "Sorry, free sample day was two days ago." And get on with your day. I'm sure it's the same of the beer guys.

gizzardfeet57 karma

What's the grossest soda related thing you've ever seen?

Drocavelli135 karma

We've had a big push for no and low calorie options lately. The Dasani sparkling water flavors are so fucking gross. On the other hand, the Dasani drops are awesome.

___meh__51 karma

What's the secret recipe? Is it as closely guarded as I've heard?

Drocavelli132 karma

Obviously. As a low-level employee I would never know this information. And honestly. It's not something that anybody ever thinks about at my level.

Edit: deleted a sentence. stupid.

GloobityGlop39 karma

I'm a home beer brewer. What would be the easiest way to get my hands on old, cheap corny kegs?

Drocavelli60 karma

Contact your nearest facility and just buy the premix tanks. Empty them and use them. They are really not expensive at all and we only charge for the contents, not the tank.

michigandad39 karma

Have you ever thought about destroying a Pepsi display?

Drocavelli185 karma

Never never never. Those guys are my coworkers and work as hard as I do.

drunkenfool33 karma

are you salary or hourly? and what is your yearly earnings? do you get bonuses?

Drocavelli53 karma

I get a daily wage plus a completion bonus.

dh5beta33 karma

[deleted]

Drocavelli60 karma

I don't drink Coke. I drink a lot of Diet and Coke Zero. Diet Dr. Pepper too when I can. Otherwise my work provides us with water bottles in the hotter months(with coolers)

hyperlalia39 karma

I can go through 3-4 of those 20 ouncers of zero on a 24 hour shift. Please stop putting crack in it.

Drocavelli121 karma

I just deliver the stuff. But I will make every effort to avoid putting crack in anything I deliver.

IamShittyButt32 karma

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Drocavelli59 karma

Pretty well actually. A few years ago, many of our employees were affected by a pretty significant natural disaster. Coke basically just GAVE us extra paychecks to help us out. Of course, Uncle Sam took his cut.

tw33kz0r30 karma

Is it true they used to wash the engines down with coca cola?

Drocavelli31 karma

I don't understand your question. What do you mean by engines?

schrutebucks28 karma

Car engines. The idea being coke eats thru rust.

Drocavelli68 karma

I think Coca-Cola eats through a lot of stuff. Including battery corrosion. So yes, put coke on your positive terminal, let it set, and take a wire brush to it.

Thisduderockz19 karma

is it true a former employee of coca-cola went to pepsi and tried to sell them the recipe and pepsi called the fbi?

Drocavelli46 karma

I can't verify that either way. What I do know is that there may be two or three people within the Coca-Cola company that actually know the recipe, so therefore I doubt that anybody on the low-level would be able to get that information and sell it to Pepsi.

BuddNugget19 karma

How often do you find yourself merchandising the product? How much do you earn? Where do you live? What type of driver's license do you posses?

Drocavelli55 karma

I merchandise everyday. I'm pushing 45k a year. Midwest US. Class A CDL.

tootybob18 karma

What do you deliver as a driver?

Drocavelli39 karma

Cans, bottles, bag in box, and premix. As well as the occasional CO2 tank

tootybob18 karma

Ah, I didn't know they delivered the CO2.

Drocavelli27 karma

Some places have their own, but 2-4 times a week, I have a tank or two on my truck.

pushmex3 karma

How long does cocacola (330ml can version) last (with decent flavour and fizzy-ness) after the expiry date? I do know they are set extremely early for extra "safety", I just wonder how early...

Drocavelli3 karma

I won't drink anything more than three weeks out of date. Anything that has a milk product, no more than one week.

BlowingDolphins3 karma

Why did you start to work for the company?

Drocavelli6 karma

I started as a merchandiser in 2006. I got a DWI and started working in the warehouse until 2009. I got my drivers record cleared and have been working as a delivery driver ever since.

everwood2 karma

Do you get free coke?

Drocavelli2 karma

Ummm...on the record, no.

Retardbrotherthrowaw2 karma

How much do you hate Swire?

Drocavelli7 karma

Not at all. Because I don't have a clue what that is.

_Brimstone1 karma

I read "9 year" as "9 year old." I was expecting you to be some serf/slave worker since birth in Columbia or something. This is the kind of thing that I expect from the company you work for.

How do you respond to the fact that Coca-Cola actively increases world suffering to a reprehensible degree?

Drocavelli2 karma

Yeesh. Honestly. I don't. Think about it that is. I have absolutely no say in how things go at my own facility, much less on a global level.

murfi1 karma

no offense, but what did you do at coca cola before becoming a delivery driver? its not like a delivery driver is a prestigious job, so what positions did you left for the position of a delivery driver?

Drocavelli2 karma

None taken. I worked part time jobs through college. Started working for Coke when I was 21. It is the only "real" job I've ever had.