Aurelia Taylor

My journey in retail management started in 2008 at Whole Foods, where I began as a specialty team leader managing the cheese, beer, wine, and coffee departments. I actually came to Whole Foods just for a part-time job with benefits while I was pursuing other ventures, including real estate appraiser classes and becoming a signing agent, but when the housing market crashed, one of my mentors talked me into building a career there. I became a payroll benefits specialist and then moved into leadership. From there, I spent five years as a store manager at Starbucks until the shutdown forced my store to close, and I took the payout they offered. After working at Ace Hardware for a while and serving as general manager at a boutique bakery on Capitol Hill's 8th Street (Restaurant Row), which had two locations plus a kiosk in Union Station, I joined Safeway. I've been Assistant Store Director there for nearly three years now, managing a store with 130 to 150 employees. I oversee all department leads, ensuring each department hits their metrics, handles recalls, manages inventory (both perishable and center store quarterly counts), processes payroll and schedules, and maintains our conditioning standards. One of my proudest accomplishments has been serving as district trainer for multiple company-wide rollouts, including the Our Fresh ordering platform for perishable departments and the Distinct and Fresh handling standards across all departments. I've been selected repeatedly for these training roles, which I think shows the trust the company has in my abilities. My strength in merchandising has served me well throughout my career - my eyes sharpen quickly to the details that matter in terms of product presentation, conditioning, and teaching.