Posted on 01/15/2022 2:27:25 PM PST by blam
Labor shortages at supermarkets across the country have increased in recent weeks as the COVID-19 omicron variant continues to spread. Workers are calling sick, and there are not enough cashiers, baggers, and stockers, forcing some supermarket chains to slash hours of operations. Compounding labor woes, supply chains are still severely snarled as food shortages are being reported nationwide.
WSJ reports supermarkets are having difficulty staying open as workers call out sick because of infection. Some grocers are frantically hiring new employees, using temporary employment agencies, and overworking current staff to keep stores from shuttering.
The seven-store supermarket chain Stew Leonard’s in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey had 200 employees in quarantine or isolation as of last Thursday despite a 90% employee-vaccination rate. This represents about 7% of all employees.
“We sort of feel like we’ve got to buckle down for round two,” Chief Executive Stew Leonard Jr. said, adding that the loss of employees to infections has hampered operations.
American supermarket chain Giant Eagle Inc. which operates 470 stores, has avoided closing locations amid the omicron surge by adjusting hours of operations. The company’s chief compliance officer, Vic Vercammen, said the company had seen a spike in workers calling sick because of infection.
Across Alabama and Georgia, Piggly Wiggly stores are overscheduling workers and using temporary work agencies to keep store shelves stocked as staffing woes developed this year because of the omicron spread. Operations have been affected, and store hours have been reduced in some locations.
In the Southeast, Harris Teeter supermarkets, owned by Kroger Co., will close one hour earlier, effective Monday, so that employees can restock shelves due to the loss of stockers.
Staffing shortages also impacted Fresh Encounter Inc., a 100-store supermarket chain based in Ohio. The chain is now closing at 10 pm local time versus 24 hours a day.
Michael Needler Jr., the chain’s chief executive of Fresh Encounter, said, “the staffing situation started out very tenuous. Layering in Omicron vacancies on top of that makes it very, very stressful.”
On top of staffing issues, supply-chain bottlenecks are plaguing supermarkets, resulting in bare shelves across the country.
Same here.
Kroger stores in far east Tennessee suck...rude half-wit employees and some empty shelves...we quit going there. ALL other stores seem to be doing fine. Stores in rural North Carolina mountains were well-stocked but busy due to impending snow event...even cat food was making a reappearance on the shelves. Long lines, but everyone seemed to be in a good mood. (a good distance from Asheville, which is a mask-obsessed authoritarian sh*thole that we avoid like the plague).
Apparently, for an infected person:
half as likely to cause hospitalization
91% less likely to cause death
compared to delta
Media-induced fear and panic...pure and simple.
You've seen the articles...China is welding peoples doors shut again.
Yeah, all for the olympics no doubt.
Can’t have any epidemics infecting the athletes.
I wonder how many of them are vaxxed and if any of them will be collapsing in the middle of their competitions?
Noticing here in PA there is a shortage of cat food?????
(Nothing gives power to commies more than a population starving...)
Yes they love a weakened population - it’s how they do evil
Grocery Stores in Queen Creek suburb of Phoenix have had sporadic issues, but today was as bad as I’ve seen it.
(I’ve noticed that—it’s like 2020 all over again.)
Well Joe did say there’s hope in 2020.
He didn’t say what kind of hope. And then it’s 2022, but......
(Media-induced fear and panic)
You’d think after nearly 2 years of it people would start to catch on...
My sister in Minnesota says a friend got a job at a Target distribution warehouse starting at $22.50....
Pretty darn good. I asked if it was full time and she says yes. Grocery stores will pay someone what sounds like a good wage but will cut hours so the money is not enough.
Lot of this is obamacare and now the democrats scamdemic that has wrecked the economy.
Leave the crapin the box, put a sticker on how much it is and Ill get it myself…..if I can afford food anymore
I’m making the assumption that it’s possible the release of the weapon/covid was intentional... And if so, there could be a worse virus in our future.
Thanks for sharing that. You are exactly right on what they do and the causes of what we’re seeing.
“The two Kroeger stores here in my southwest Colorado town are 50% short of people.”
++++++
It’s amazing the difference from state to state and from town to town. Some towns have grocery stores almost fully stocked with few employees, and some have plenty of employees, but their shelves are almost bare. I’m not sure which is causing what.
Yes, it’s puzzling. There is bound to be a good explanation but it’s probably complicated.
I am confident that Donald Trump would be on top of this and it would be getting better and better.
Oh, one other thing: Sometimes, because of the worker shortages, there will be food in the back of the store that they just haven’t gotten to put on the shelves yet.
Ya hope for food
But ya don’t have any change
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