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.
Omicron Forces CVS, Walgreens To Temporarily Shutter Stores
My pharmacy could only partially fill my prescription yesterday.
They couldn't say when more would arrive.
I spoke to the assistant manager at one of our local Kroeger stores this morning and he said “We ain’t seen nothin’ yet”.
“My pharmacy could only partially fill my prescription yesterday.”
We belong to Kaiser, and last month supposedly due to possible strikes from Union members, they suggested filling our Rxes early and having the filled Rxes mailed to us.
We did and now we have critical drugs for 90+ days. Most of those mailed to us, many Rx bottles are still unopened and will be available when we need them in the next few months.
What happened to you is happening to some of our friends across country: “My pharmacy could only partially fill my prescription yesterday.”
Not surprising. Told they were essential and worked through 18 months of The Days of the Rona. Meanwhile, their self-appointed betters made up crazy rules, shut down the economy, and installed a dotard who doubled down on the mandate madness. Sick of it, they sick out.
Vaxx is probably just as effective against Omicron as a voodoo doctor's chicken. Actually, the chicken is probably more effective. Once could make a nice broth.
Here in SoCal, since Jan 3, there has been NO Traffic anywhere, it was back to about 80% of terrible and after the holidays, gone,nada maybe 50%.
Nice supermarkets and neither of them mask nazis. Even during the height of so-called "pandemic", they never gave me a hard time going in without a mask.
(and he said “We ain’t seen nothin’ yet”.)
Thanks what I’m afraid of
What kind of traffic are you talking about?
And then there’s the minimum wage hikes...
Donald Trump would be working on this and fixing it as much as it could be fixed.
Before Piggly Wiggly was founded in 1916,
grocery stores did not allow customers to gather their own goods.
Before that time, stores operated on the “General Store” model,
where a customer would give a list of items to a clerk,
who would then gather them together.
Piggly Wiggly’s innovation allowed customers to gather their own goods,
which increased impulse buying, cut costs, and lowered prices.
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piggly_Wiggly
Cutting hours is important.
Cross training our military to keep grocery stores open is an option too. Nothing gives power to commies more than a population starving...
There are forces at work that seem determined to make life miserable for the citizenry.
All over the world.
Those who are doing so ... May God deal with them.
The Kroger I frequent says they have plenty of employees. It’s just that the trucks are not arriving with product for the shelves.
Our Kroger here in NW Ga had the meat counter closed for a couple of days with a sign that said there was a personnel shortage and there was nobody available to work the meat section. It did open back up, but only with about 1/2 of the meat and seafood that is usually available.
You’re exactly right. The Great Reset is their goal so they can bring on One World government.
They can’t accomplish it if the USA is strong and sovereign....so they’re concentrating on us.
VIDEO: Thousands Of Kroger Workers Strike To Demand Better Pay
The two Kroeger stores here in my southwest Colorado town are 50% short of people.
freeways that are normally jammed have been moving at full speed at 7am, 210,5,101,405... last 2 weeks full speed just about everywhere
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