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Amazon Fresh to enter New York, New Jersey

Hiring events planned for grocery banner’s first metro New York locations

Russell Redman

May 18, 2022

4 Min Read
Amazon Fresh store banner-closeup.jpg
A fledgling supermarket chain launched by Amazon in 2020, Amazon Fresh currently has 30 locations in six states.Amazon

Amazon is getting ready to open its first Amazon Fresh supermarkets in New York and New Jersey.

Seattle-based Amazon said Wednesday that it will begin hiring for Amazon Fresh stores in Paramus, N.J., and Oceanside, N.Y. The e-tail giant reported that it aims to fill “hundreds” of full- and part-time positions at the upcoming stores, both of which will feature the company’s Just Walk Out technology that enables customers to pay for their items without waiting at the checkout line.

Amazon declined to specify the number of employees it aims to hire or provide opening dates and further details about the planned Oceanside and Paramus stores, which will bring the Amazon Fresh banner into the metropolitan New York market.

Amazon Fresh-Just Walk Out-customer exit.jpgSo far, 14 Amazon Fresh stores offer Just Walk Out "skip the checkout lane" functionality. The upcoming Paramus and Oceanside stores, too, are earmarked for the technology. (Photo courtesy of Amazon)

“I’m excited to welcome hundreds of new individuals to our Amazon Fresh team as we get the store ready for customers,” Charlie Chacón, store manager of the Amazon Fresh in Oceanside, said in a statement.

Positions at the new Amazon Fresh stores offer starting wages of $15 to $18.55 per hour, depending on the location and role type, according to Amazon, which added that new associates also receive benefit packages on their first day on the job. Plans call for Amazon Fresh Oceanside to host a virtual hiring event on May 26 and for Amazon Fresh Paramus to hold an in-person hiring event on June 8 and 9 at the Marriott Saddle Brook in Saddle Brook, N.J.

Related:Amazon Fresh grows from concept to competitor

Amazon noted that Amazon Fresh associates get the opportunity to cross-train across the store. Grocery associates learn everything from customer service and stocking shelves to running checkout and picking and packing online orders. Also, foodservice associates work in the store’s culinary area, preparing fresh foods daily.

“I’m proud to bring hundreds of good jobs with benefits to the Paramus community as we prepare to welcome customers,” commented Chris Boje, store manager of the Amazon Fresh in Paramus. “Our new Amazon Fresh store was designed from the ground up to offer the local community with a seamless grocery shopping experience and low prices on a wide assortment of national brands and high-quality produce, meat and seafood.”

The first Amazon Fresh store opened in late August 2020, a 35,000-square-foot location in Woodland Hills, Calif. Amazon now has 30 Amazon Fresh supermarkets in six states — California (14 stores), Illinois (seven), Washington (four), Virginia (two), Maryland (one) and Pennsylvania (one) — and Washington, D.C. (one), ranging from about 25,000 to 45,000 square feet. The most recent opening came on May 5, a 35,000-square-foot store in Murrieta, Calif.

Related:Amazon physical stores notch another double-digit sales gain in Q1

Overall, 14 Amazon Fresh stores offer Just Walk Out shopping, and 16 offer the Amazon Dash Cart, a “smart” shopping cart that provides skip-the-checkout line capability and other shopper functions. Originated in Amazon Go convenience stores, Just Walk Out made its Amazon Fresh premiere last June at a Bellevue, Wash., store.

Jeff Helbling, vice president of Amazon Fresh Stores, recently told Supermarket News that new Amazon Fresh stores are planned for California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington state and New Jersey, though he didn’t give the number of locations planned or an opening time frame. Amazon also had confirmed plans for the Oceanside store.

Besides being the first Amazon Fresh in the Empire State, the Oceanside store — occupying the space of a former Waldbaum’s supermarket — marks the banner’s debut in the metro New York suburban market of Long Island. According to Newsday, two more Long Island Amazon Fresh stores are upcoming, in Plainview (a former Fairway Market store) and East Setauket (a former Waldbaum’s store).

“We’ve always been at the forefront of business and economic development, and we are proud Oceanside is the site of Amazon Fresh’s first location in New York State,” stated Don Clavin, supervisor of the Town of Hempstead, which includes Oceanside. “This new store will be a great opportunity for creating jobs and boosting our local economy, and we wish Amazon the best of luck here in America’s largest township.”

The Amazon Fresh in Paramus, N.J., also occupies a former Fairway Market site. In March 2020, Amazon acquired leases for Fairway’s Paramus and Woodland Park, N.J., stores via auction as part of the latter chain’s bankruptcy. At the time, Amazon didn't disclose plans for the former upscale supermarket sites.

“We’re thrilled that Amazon is opening its first Amazon Fresh store in New Jersey in Paramus,” Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said in a statement. “Not only will this new store provide fresh, low-priced groceries for shoppers in the area, but Amazon is also creating hundreds of jobs with good pay and benefits locally.”

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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