In a crappy economy with 10 percent unemployment, the publication of Fortune's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list is kind of like porn: A job with Google is a titillating fantasy that we don't believe could ever happen to us, but that doesn't mean we don't get some satisfaction out of hearing about it.

This year's list features a bunch of the usual suspects -- Google, Whole Foods, Starbucks -- as well as a number of employers we never really thought anyone would take the time to put on a list. We took a closer look at what makes some of the best companies to work for so special.

Google (#4)
The comments on the Fortune Web site offer some evidence that the Google job mystique is not likely to go anywhere -- pretty much half of the people who responded are just straight-up begging Google to hire them. Google's own propaganda doesn't do anything to deter this, either -- who wouldn't want to spend their workday playing foosball, feeding adorable puppy dogs or building strange structures out of Tinkertoys?


Pros: Besides the dogs and the foosball, Google's famous for their various on-site gourmet eateries (free to employees) and left-field stuff like saunas and adoption assistance. They also have something called "Innovation Time Off," a day every week when engineers are encouraged to just mess around on projects that they think are interesting.

Cons: Apparently the pay and benefits are kinda crappy. TechCrunch published a series of emails last year from anonymous former Google employees explaining why they quit, and the attitude that "people work at Google to change the world, not for the money" led a number of ex-Googlers who'd like both, thanks, to pursue employment elsewhere.

Whole Foods (#18)
The natural foods behemoth is one of four supermarkets to appear on the list, and the comments on the site are downright gushing ("I have worked for Whole Foods Market Wynnewood for over 14 years and I love coming to work every day"), which leads us to believe that the surly cashiers at our local grocer must be an anomaly. It also makes us wonder if they don't put something in those $4 organic pomegranates.

Pros: Health-insurance benefits for full-time employees are totally free, after they've clocked 800 hours (about 5 months), and there's a bonus $300-$1,800 MasterCard that they get to cover the sorts of things Whole Foods shoppers are inclined to want, like acupuncture. They also get a 20 percent discount on day one, which could possibly make certain food items at Whole Foods affordable even to the average bagger.

Cons: No fatties, please. Whole Foods made waves when they announced a new plan that elevates the employee discount to 30 percent for workers whose BMI is under a certain amount. They also personally receive phone calls from CEO John Mackey, in which he says, "Bet you wish your ice cream was cheaper, fatso," and get picked last for the company softball games.

Smucker's (#47)
Despite being a regular supermarket presence and one of the leading names in, um, jelly, Smucker's remains an independent, family-owned business, rather than part of a conglomerate. That's helped maintain a culture that claims among their commitments to their employees: thanking them; listening when they talk; "looking for the good in others"; and a "sense of humor," which we've chosen to believe means weekly jelly fights.

Pros: New employees get a gift basket full of jelly and other treats to help compensate for the fact that they have to live in Ohio, and everybody gets a bonus of 2 percent at Christmastime. They also offer full benefits for same-sex couples, a policy that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

Cons: Commenters on the Fortune Web site are all "Northeast Ohio represent!" when it comes to Smucker's. We'll refrain from mentioning the fact that being based in Orrville, Ohio, is a "con"; plus, it's only an hour from Cleveland, if you want to party like Drew Carey on the weekends. In fact, we were unable to find a single ex-Smucker's employee who had anything bad to say about the company. Maybe it sucks if you don't like jelly? They seem like nice folks, honestly.

Build-a-Bear Workshop (#80)
We were kind of shocked to see the Build-a-Bear Workshop on the list, as jobs that seem mostly to involve teenage girls working in the mall don't usually strike us as the "best places to work in the country" sort. But a lot of the employees who comment on the site are stoked to be involved with Build-a-Bear. ("Build-a-Bear to me isn't a job, it's my home," says one young woman who holds the title of "Master Bear Builder.")

Pros: There are a couple of unique things that don't accompany most mall jobs, but which Build-a-Bear offers: a 24/7 nurses hotline (not as sexy as it sounds) where employees can call in with confidential medical questions, as well as something they call "Honey Days" (because they're bears, get it?) which is paid time off you can use whether you're sick or just spent the previous night getting wasted. Every September, they have "Bear Builder Appreciation Month," where they "cele-bear-ate" (sigh) their employees by giving them an extra day's pay.

Cons: If the puns above weren't enough to turn you off, consider this statement from a disgruntled ex-employee: "The values that the company allegedly pushes are an evil ploy to take a young child's birthday money," she comments on the Fortune Web site, before explaining that rather than see financial compensation for above-and-beyond-type duties like hosting massive kids' parties, employees just get some cookies and a card that says "Thanks for a beary wonderful job." Ouch.

What's the best job you ever had?