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SpartanNash, Stop & Shop to hold Saturday job fairs

Companywide hiring events reflect intensified labor competition as holidays near

Russell Redman

October 22, 2021

4 Min Read
SpartanNash meat department associate.jpg
Taking a more engaging approach, SpartanNash's National Day of Hiring events will include “minute-to-win-it” games and fast-paced challenges that replicate on-the-job tasks.SpartanNash

Amid an industrywide labor shortage and with the holiday season approaching, grocery distributor/retailer SpartanNash and Ahold Delhaize USA supermarket chain Stop & Shop are planning hiring events this Saturday.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash said it will host what it called a “major national hiring spree” on Oct. 23, in which participating distribution and retail locations will create themed experiences and activities to engage candidates “in a fun way.” More than 4,000 positions are available — ranging from warehouse order selectors to meat cutter associates in stores — and job seekers stand to receive an on-the-spot offer, according to the company.

Activities at the National Day of Hiring events will include “minute-to-win-it” games and fast-paced challenges that replicate on-the-job tasks. SpartanNash said applicants also will learn about how careers at the company support its “ingredients for a better life” mission.

The job events will run simultaneously from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all retail locations (including Martin’s Super Markets, Family Fare, VG’s Grocery, Dan’s Supermarket) and SpartanNash distribution centers nationwide. Overall, SpartanNash operate more than 145 corporate-owned supermarkets in nine states and distributes to more than 2,100 independent grocery stores. The company also has 11 wholesale distribution centers and seven military distribution facilities.

Related:Frontline workers cite burnout as top reason for leaving jobs

“Traditional job applications and interviews can often feel formal and awkward, so we are looking to put People First and transform that experience,” Yvonne Trupiano, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at SpartanNash, said in a statement. “Each SpartanNash hiring event is designed to create an environment that simulates the actual workplace in an interesting and engaging way. Candidates will get a behind-the-scenes look into the journey of their groceries, learn about the company’s generous benefits package, and meet some potential co-workers to get a better sense of what it’s like to work here.”

Citing the current “tough labor market,” SpartanNash noted that this year it raised the starting wage for many positions and cut the length of employment time required for associates to receive benefits. The company said it also has expanded access to tuition reimbursement, wellness benefits and grocery discounts.


“We recognize that job seekers have many options right now, and we are proud to showcase SpartanNash’s ‘people first’ culture and career opportunities through our National Day of Hiring,” Trupiano added. “This has been a transformational year at SpartanNash. We are incredibly proud of the ways we served our communities throughout this pandemic, and there are many exciting career paths available at SpartanNash.”

Related:A post-Labor Day reflection on grocery jobs in our evolving industry

Stop & Shop produce department associate.png

Stop & Shop's career fair will offer interviews for unionized positions in the bakery, deli, grocery, seafood and produce departments, among other jobs.

Meanwhile, Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop will hold a career fair on Oct. 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at all of its 400-plus supermarkets in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.

Applicants can go to any Stop & Shop store on Saturday and receive an on-the-spot interview. The grocer said interviews will be offered for e-commerce and store roles, including unionized positions in the bakery, deli, grocery, seafood and produce departments, as well as for the overnight crew, cashiers, porters, baggers and home shoppers. 

In addition, qualified applicants will be able to apply for roles on the company’s asset protection team, which helps provide a secure destination for customers to shop and associates to work while also safeguarding company assets.

Stop & Shop said the open part-time positions provide up to 28 hours of work weekly. Part-time employees receive competitive pay, paid training, flexible schedules, a company discount, paid time off and career advancement opportunities, the retailer noted. Advancement programs include on-the-job training, cross-functional job rotation, coaching, networking, and mentoring, along with classroom training and tuition reimbursement for business- or food industry-related higher education. 

Eighty percent of full-time associates began in part-time roles and over 5,000 current associates have been with the company 25 years or more, according to Stop & Shop.

“Many members of Stop & Shop’s leadership team started as part-time associates. The roles we offer at Stop & Shop are more than jobs, they are growth opportunities,” stated Maria Silvestri, senior vice president of human resources at Stop & Shop. “We hope that anyone who is interested in a career in an exciting work environment focused on helping their community will join us on the 23rd.”

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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