Meijer Hiring Age: How Old Do You Have to Be to Work at Meijer?

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Meijer Hiring Age: Working at Meijer can be a great opportunity, especially for those looking for their first job.

With hundreds of stores across the Midwest, Meijer employs thousands of team members across multiple departments.

From cashiers to stockers to pharmacy techs, there’s a role for every interest.

However, it’s important to understand Meijer’s minimum age and experience requirements before applying.

Do you need to be 18 to work at Meijer? Can you get a job at 14? What departments hire teenagers versus adults?

This article will break down everything you need to know about the hiring age and experience policies at Meijer.

Understanding the hiring requirements will ensure your application gets proper consideration.

What is the Minimum Hiring Age at Meijer?

The minimum age to work at Meijer is 14 years old. Meijer will hire team members as young as 14 to work in their stores.

However, there are restrictions on the types of jobs and hours 14- and 15-year-olds can work.

Jobs for 14- and 15-Year-Olds

If you’re between 14 and 15 years old, Meijer will hire you as a team member. However, your job duties will be limited.

Here are some of the positions you can hold at Meijer at 14 or 15 years old:

Bagger – Bag groceries at checkout
Cart Attendant – Retrieve and sanitize shopping carts
Cleaner – Clean the store floors, shelves, displays, etc.
Stocker – Stock shelves with products

The key is that jobs for 14- and 15-year-olds are limited to grocery, cleaning, carts, and shelf stocking.

You cannot work in other departments like food service, cashiering, or hazardous jobs.

Hour Restrictions for Minors

In addition to job limitations, Meijer also restricts the working hours for team members under 16 years old:

No more than 3 hours on school days
No more than 8 hours on non-school days
No work before 7 am or after 7 pm

So if you’re 14 or 15, you can only work short shifts limited to grocery, cleaning, and stocking duties. Once you turn 16, these restrictions are relaxed.

What Jobs Can You Work at 16?

When you turn 16, you can work in additional departments at Meijer beyond grocery and carts.

Here are some of the jobs open to 16- and 17-year-olds:

Cashier – Ring up customers at checkout
Deli Clerk – Serve food at the deli counter
Bakery Clerk – Help customers in the bakery
Food Prep – Prepare simple foods like pizzas, sandwiches
Courtesy Clerk – Help bag groceries, collect carts
Apparel – Fold, hang, and tag clothing items
Home Goods – Stock shelves in home goods departments
ClickList – Pick groceries for online order fulfillment

So once you’re 16, you can expand beyond bagging and stocking into food service, cashiering, and other departments.

The hazardous jobs like working in the warehouse, butcher shop, or using balers/compactors are still restricted.

But overall, turning 16 opens up a lot more opportunities at Meijer.

What’s the Minimum Age to Work Any Job at Meijer?

To have access to all positions at Meijer without any job duty restrictions or hourly limits, you must be at least 18 years old.

Here are some key jobs that require you to be 18+:

Asset Protection/Loss Prevention – Monitor for shoplifters
Cash Office – Handle large cash transactions
Forklift Operator – Drive forklifts
Fuel Station Attendant – Operate the gas station
Meat Cutter – Prepare meats and operate slicers
Pharmacy Technician – Assist pharmacists in filling prescriptions
Warehouse Team Member – Work in the warehouse

So while Meijer allows team members as young as 14, you have to be 18 years old to work any job in the store without restrictions.

This includes hazardous equipment like balers, forklifts, and slicers, handling cash, and other jobs with age minimums per state laws.

What Previous Work Experience Does Meijer Require?

Meijer does not require any prior work experience for most entry-level store positions.

Even if you’ve never held a job, you can get hired as a bagger, cashier, stocker, cart attendant, etc., as your first job. This makes Meijer a great first employer for teens.

However, Meijer may require some previous experience for specialized roles like:

Pharmacy Technician – Prefer some pharmacy or medical experience
Asset Protection/LP – May want loss prevention or security experience
Leadership Roles – Likely want some retail or supervisor experience

But for most frontline store roles that make up most of Meijer’s team, no prior work experience is required.

Meijer provides on-the-job training to teach you customer service, cashiering, and merchandising skills. With over 200,000 team members, they are used to training beginners.

So don’t let lack of experience deter you from applying to Meijer. Focus on your positive attitude, work ethic, and willingness to learn. Those qualities are most important for entry-level candidates.

Can You Get a Job at Meijer at 13 Years Old?

Meijer does not hire team members younger than 14 years old. So if you are 13 years old, you cannot currently get a job at Meijer.

Here are some of the barriers for 13-year-olds seeking employment at Meijer:

Child Labor Laws – Federal and state laws set 14 as the minimum employment age for most non-farm jobs. Meijer follows these child labor regulations.
Work Permit Requirement – Most states require minors under 16 to obtain work permits. You cannot legally work at 13 in most cases.
Insurance Regulations – Meijer’s company insurance policies may restrict hiring workers under 14.
Hour Restrictions – With school hours, it would be difficult for a 13-year-old to work even a short shift legally.

While you, unfortunately, cannot work at Meijer at just 13, here are some tips to prepare for a job once you turn 14:

Maintain good grades and attendance at school
Volunteer or participate in extracurricular activities
Take a babysitting course to learn responsibility
Ask neighbors if you can do odd jobs like lawn mowing
Turn 14! Once you hit the minimum hiring age, you can apply at Meijer.

The early teens are a great time to build skills and responsibility that will impress future employers like Meijer.

So stay focused on gaining valuable experience outside of work until you are eligible.

Tips for Applying to Meijer with No Experience

If you meet the minimum hiring age but haven’t worked before, here are some tips to help your Meijer application stand out:

1. Apply Online – Meijer accepts job applications online through their website. This ensures your application materials go directly into their system.

2. Choose Entry-Level Roles – Apply for bagger, cart attendant, cleaner and other roles that require little to no experience. Avoid specialty positions.

3. Highlight Transferable Skills – What skills from school, sports, hobbies or volunteer work could translate to work? Focus on these in your application.

4. Talk Up Strong Work Ethic – Emphasize positive traits like reliability, hard work, and willingness to learn new skills. These can make up for lack of experience.

5. Review Interview Tips – Look up common retail interview questions and practice responses beforehand. Show you can interview well.

6. Follow-Up After Applying – Call or visit the store to check your application status a week after applying. Reiterate your interest.

7. Prepare Professional References – Get recommendations from teachers, coaches, or community members to discuss your character.

With some preparation and a strong application, you can get a first job at Meijer despite having a blank work history.

Focus on showing off the soft skills most important for entry-level success.

Meijer Age and Experience Requirements Summary

Here is a quick recap of Meijer’s minimum hiring age and experience requirements:

Must be at least 14 years old to work at Meijer
14- to 15-year-olds can work grocery, carts, cleaning, and stocking jobs only
16- to 17-year-olds can expand into cashier, food service, and apparel roles
Must be 18 years old for equipment operation, cash handling, and hazardous jobs
No prior work experience is required for most entry-level store positions
Some specialized roles may require related work backgrounds

Conclusion

Meeting age requirements and relevant experience levels for the specific positions you apply for will help make the hiring process at Meijer go smoothly.

But remember, they are willing to provide on-the-job training to motivated individuals of all experience levels.

So don’t let your age or lack of work history stop you from pursuing a great starter job at one of America’s largest supermarket chains!

You can build an exciting retail career at Meijer with hard work and dedication.