Hiring challenges ahead: how to navigate labor shortages and keep your supermarket running smoothly

As the labor market continues to tighten, grocery stores are facing significant hiring challenges. The combination of high turnover, increased demand during flu season, and fierce competition for workers has left many supermarkets struggling to maintain full staff levels. Aldi’s recent announcement that they plan to hire 13,000 workers highlights just how widespread these pressures are across the industry.

With flu season and the holidays approaching, grocery retailers are under more strain than ever to ensure their shelves are stocked, and their stores are running smoothly. But for many, traditional hiring methods aren’t enough to meet these demands. In this blog, we’ll explore practical solutions that supermarkets can implement to navigate these challenges and keep operations efficient, no matter how tough the hiring market gets.

The staffing issues supermarkets are facing

Supermarkets across the country are struggling to fill essential positions, particularly as flu season approaches and customer demand rises. Several factors contribute to these hiring challenges:

• Labor shortages: With unemployment rates low and competition for workers high, supermarkets are finding it increasingly difficult to attract qualified candidates for key roles. Retail positions, particularly in the food sector, often struggle to compete with industries offering more flexible hours or higher wages.
• High absenteeism during flu season: As flu season ramps up, food retailers face a dual challenge—managing an increase in customer demand while coping with the potential for higher employee absenteeism. This combination makes staffing gaps more frequent and more difficult to address.
• High turnover rates: Turnover is another significant issue in the supermarket industry. Many entry-level and hourly employees leave their positions after only a few months, forcing supermarkets into a constant cycle of recruitment, training, and replacement, which can disrupt operations and decrease productivity.
• Operational impacts: Staffing shortages often lead to empty shelves, disorganized displays, and reduced customer service quality. When there aren’t enough employees to keep products stocked or assist shoppers, it negatively affects the customer experience and can lead to lost sales.

Given these challenges, retailers are left searching for solutions that allow them to continue providing excellent service and fully stocked shelves, even when staffing levels are far from ideal. Fortunately, there are several strategies that can help navigate these turbulent times.

Solutions to help grocery stores navigate these challenges

To keep operations running smoothly despite labor shortages and increased demand, grocery retailers need creative and effective staffing solutions. Here are some strategies that can help:

• Optimize internal hiring practices: Offering competitive wages and benefits is one of the most effective ways to attract and retain employees. Grocery chains can also invest in training and development programs that encourage employee growth and loyalty, reducing turnover and creating a more stable workforce. Additionally, using technology such as applicant tracking systems can streamline the hiring process, allowing stores to fill open positions more quickly.
• Leverage temporary staffing agencies: For short-term labor gaps or during peak seasons like flu season and the holidays, temporary staffing agencies can provide much-needed support. Retailers can tap into a pool of ready-to-work employees without the long-term commitment, helping them stay fully staffed when it matters most. Seasonal hiring programs can also build a reliable workforce for busy months without the overhead of full-time employees.
• Implement cross-training programs: Cross-training employees to handle multiple roles within the store offers flexibility and helps ensure that critical tasks are completed, even when staffing levels are low. Employees who can shift between departments as needed provide coverage in key areas, minimizing the impact of absences or turnover.
• Utilize third-party merchandisers: Third-party merchandisers, like Progressive Retail Services, offer an additional layer of support by managing inventory, displays, and product resets. These merchandisers are highly trained, providing food retailers with an efficient, specialized workforce that can be deployed during peak times or staffing shortages. By partnering with a third-party merchandiser, grocery businesses can ensure their shelves remain stocked and organized without straining internal resources.

Each of these strategies can provide much-needed relief to grocery stores struggling to maintain staff during busy periods. By optimizing their approach to staffing, grocery retailers can continue to provide excellent service, even in a challenging labor market.

Why grocery retailers need to act now

As flu season and the holiday rush approach, grocery retailers that act early to implement staffing solutions will find themselves better prepared to handle increased demand and potential labor shortages. While some of these strategies may feel like a large commitment upfront, taking action now offers significant benefits across the board:

• Reduced operational costs over time: Proactively optimizing internal hiring practices, using temporary staffing, or cross-training employees can seem like a financial commitment, but the long-term savings are clear. Well-staffed stores with trained, flexible employees are more efficient, reducing the likelihood of missed sales, disorganized shelves, and overworked staff, which can hurt revenue and customer satisfaction.
• Improved preparedness and less last-minute scrambling: Acting now allows grocery stores to get ahead of peak demand, ensuring that the right systems and staff are in place before flu season and the holidays hit. Cross-training programs, for example, can provide extra coverage in key departments, while temporary staffing solutions ensure that food retailers can handle fluctuations in demand without the stress of finding help at the last minute.
• Enhanced store quality and customer experience: Temporary staffing agencies and third-party merchandisers offer access to skilled workers who specialize in retail operations. By bringing them on board early, retail grocers can maintain high standards of service, ensuring that shelves are stocked and displays are organized, all without sacrificing the quality of the customer experience. Cross-trained internal employees also provide a level of flexibility that enhances operational quality across the board.
• Boosted flexibility and workforce resilience: Cross-training employees to handle multiple roles within the store increases flexibility, allowing grocery retailers to quickly adjust staffing as needed. This resilience ensures that operations can continue smoothly, even when flu season or unexpected demand spikes occur. Taking the time to train staff now means fewer disruptions later.
• Streamlined hiring processes for future needs: Investing in internal hiring technologies and practices now doesn’t just benefit the short term—it prepares grocery businesses for future staffing needs. Whether through applicant tracking systems or improved employee retention strategies, these investments streamline the hiring process, making it easier and faster to fill positions going forward.

By acting now and implementing a mix of these strategies, grocery retailers will be better equipped to navigate the challenges ahead, ensuring that they can meet customer demand, maintain operational efficiency, and avoid costly disruptions in a tight labor market.

Ensure a smooth and successful peak season with proactive staffing solutions

By taking action now and implementing creative staffing strategies, supermarkets can overcome the challenges of a tough hiring market and ensure a smooth, successful peak season. Whether it’s optimizing internal hiring practices, leveraging temporary staffing agencies, cross-training employees, or partnering with third-party merchandisers, each of these solutions offers a way to keep shelves stocked and customers satisfied, even during flu season and the holiday rush.

At Progressive Retail Services, we understand how critical it is to maintain operational efficiency, especially during busy times. By working with a trusted third-party merchandising partner, supermarkets can stay focused on what matters most—delivering an exceptional shopping experience for their customers. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your store stay fully stocked and organized, no matter what staffing challenges arise.