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FMI proclaims ‘Supermarket Employee Day’

Campaign to celebrate grocery workers’ pandemic efforts and daily dedication to service

Russell Redman

January 15, 2021

2 Min Read
FMI Supermarket Employee Day.jpg
Grocery store employees have been 'frontline heroes during periods of crisis' said FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin.FMI-The Food Industry Association

FMI-The Food Industry Association has declared Feb. 22 as “Supermarket Employee Day,” an industry campaign to spotlight grocery store workers as “the backbone of their communities.”

In announcing the initiative yesterday, FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin said that the role of the supermarket “has never been more essential than it has been for the past 10 months” during the COVID-19 pandemic and grocery store employees have been “frontline heroes during periods of crisis.”

The celebratory campaign includes a free online toolkit of messaging, logos, a poster, a press release template, a sample Supermarket Employee Day proclamation and other resources for retailers to mark the first-time event. Participating companies also can share messages on social media using the hashtages #SupermarketEmployeeDay and #SupermarketHeroes.

“Supermarket employees have helped us stay strong during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the rest of the world went into home sheltering, grocery stores remained open and employees remained dedicated to their jobs. Supermarket employees pivoted quickly to put measures in place that keep shoppers and fellow employees safe,” Sarasin said in a blog post on Thursday. 

“Maybe most importantly, supermarket employees maintained a high level of customer service that made a difference in people’s lives, from going above and beyond implementing and practicing CDC guidelines in stores to feeding those most in need,” she wrote. “Day in and day out, millions of supermarket employees come to work both at the store level, the corporate headquarters and at every role in between to provide communities with essential services that help them survive and thrive.”

Related:Traditional grocers projected as ‘2021 winners’

Among the talking points for Supermarket Employee Day, FMI noted that more than 40,000 stores in the United States sell food and groceries, and their workers maintain the “critical pipeline” of food and health supplies supporting customers’ health and wellness. These employees, too, volunteer “countless hours” to the communities they serve and have “redefined the term ‘community service,’” according to FMI.

“Supermarket employees deserve our gratitude,” Sarasin said. “It hasn’t been easy. There have been tough times, supply chain disruptions, job priority shifts and much uncertainty, but our industry’s workforce has made heroic efforts to keep communities going. Supermarket employees have personified compassion and courage when communities have most needed to be encouraged and, for that reason if no other, they are heroes.”

Related:Supermarket customer satisfaction rebounds amid pandemic

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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