B.C. grocery store pleads for kindness amid staff shortages

B.C. grocery stores are feeling a staffing pinch due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and one chain is asking everyone to recognize that they are doing their best.

“Please be kind to our staff, we really need them to come back tomorrow” reads a message posted to social media this week, with Country Grocer adding “We are doing the best we can.”

Shaun Erdei, a store manager on Vancouver Island, says current staffing challenges are the worst he’s seen throughout the pandemic.

“For us, it’s 10, possibly 15 per cent [absenteeism] and were very careful. As soon as someone expresses a symptom, they’re asked not to come to work.”

This means one or two fewer people on the floor, which can lead to things like longer than normal line-ups, causing frustration that some customers are taking out on staff.

“Occasionally, we are a little light staffed, and we do our best … Occasionally, the lines are a little long. We just ask everyone to be patient,” Erdei said.

We are doing the best we can ???? pic.twitter.com/V4EgpqTL20

— Country Grocer (@CountryGrocer) January 18, 2022

Country Grocer is not the only store dealing with these staffing issues. Kim Novak with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union says many members have also reported challenges.

“When people are already short-staffed and you already have a busy grocery store, it is putting a lot of pressure on people who are coming into work every day.”

Related articles:

• Save on Foods caps store capacity due to Omicron, union wants same from other chains

• Canadian grocery store closures loom amid labour, product shortages

Labour shortages are being felt across the country. Gary Sands with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers says absenteeism is at an average of 30 per cent due to workers calling in sick or in isolation, adding this is an all-time high.

He thinks grocers should be prioritized for rapid-testing kits, arguing this will help employers manage staffing issues.