The Best Way to Hire Additional Labor for your Grocery Store

McKenna Janzen | May 19, 2020

Whether you’re a grocery store manager looking for extra help stocking shelves, or you are a specialty food store owner in need of additional Workers to cover shifts, as a Get Workers user you have access to thousands of skilled professionals who are ready to help. GigSmart can connect you with the right number of hourly, temporary Workers to meet your business’s demand.

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to create your first free Gig post on GigSmart’s Get Workers hiring app. Your post on our platform will connect you with qualified individuals who can complete one or more grocery store tasks as needed. Lastly, we’ll tell you how to manage Workers once you’ve hired them.

COVID-19’s Impact on the Grocery Industry

To begin, it’s important to recognize coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impacts. As COVID-19 continues to spread, many industries are facing tough obstacles. Fortunately, grocery stores are included in the Federal Guidance as an essential service. (The revised Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and National Resilience in COVID-19 Response Version 3.0 includes the grocery industry in the Food and Agriculture Section.) Note that State and Local authorities still have jurisdiction in their areas. Check with your state to learn more about each state’s guidelines.

Because of this, we want to make sure we’re continuing to connect temporary Workers who are looking for work with the essential businesses that are still able to operate during these times. We know first-hand, many communities are suffering as the number of those unemployed continues to rise. We hope GigSmart can provide a solution by connecting the two parties (businesses and Workers), especially as it pertains to the essential businesses that are still operating at this time.

What is GigSmart?

If you’re new to GigSmart, hello! GigSmart is a hiring platform that instantly matches businesses who need work done with individuals who are looking for work, all on an on-demand basis. With thousands of skilled grocery store Workers already on our Get Workers app, you are only a few, easy steps away from finding someone who is ready to help with your grocery store’s high demand.

We’re a little biased, but we think GigSmart is the best way to find temporary labor to work grocery store Gigs. Here’s why:

  • You’re in charge. You set the hourly rate for your Workers, decide the number of people you need, and the date and time you need them. We match you with qualified professionals that align with the skills you list in your post. Once you accumulate a pool of applicants, you get to review potential Workers and select who you hire.
  • Before you hire, you can make sure applicants have the proper license or certification to operate any equipment or machinery necessary to complete your Gig.
  • We can help you find Workers right when you need them. You can schedule jobs up to 30 days in advance, or you can source ASAP Workers if you need help immediately.
  • As the person posting the Gig, you are able to add Worker background or motor vehicle records (MVR) checks as a prerequisite to your application.
  • Every Worker you hire is protected by Occupational Accident Insurance (OAI) at no cost to you.
  • Starting at just 15% of the hourly rate you set, our sourcing fees help you save money compared to other temporary hiring agencies or staffing platforms.

To get started, you’ll need to create a Gig post, which is completely free.

Create Your Get Workers Account

If you haven’t already, you can create a Get Workers hiring account by visiting getworkers.gigsmart.com or downloading our mobile apps for iOS or Android phones. Follow the prompts to register for our platform.

Next, you’ll need to create your free grocery store Gig post. You can do that by selecting the “Create Gig” button.

GigSmart connects you to available Workers via skills matching. We know every grocery store Gig is a little different and may require different skill sets. You can get as broad or specific as you like with the types of skills you require your Workers to have, which could include: “Grocery Bagger,” “Grocery Checker,” “Stocker,” “Cashier,” “Clerk,” “Laborer,” “Stock Clerk,” and more.

Like warehousing, read how one 7-Eleven, in Virginia Beach, uses GigSmart to grow its team on an as-needed basis by clicking here.

GigSmart is here to find you the grocery store labor, stockers & baggers, cashiers, and departmental help you need. If you have a job that calls for background or motor vehicle records (MVR) checked Workers, especially if your temporary Worker will be operating large equipment or driving vehicles, we can add that requirement to your Gig.

Complete all of the prompts to fill in the details of your Gig. The more specific you can be, the better. At a minimum, we recommend including what equipment or tools to bring, what equipment or tools your Worker is expected to know how to use, what they should wear, and your customer service specifics. Everything you provide will be exactly what is shown to Workers, which helps them determine whether or not they would like to apply to work your Gig.

Wait For Applicants

While other solutions often use algorithms to find you Workers, GigSmart gives you complete control over who you hire. You will be notified as soon as qualified hourly Workers apply. You can review their profiles, their applicant questionnaires, and even use in-app messaging to confirm they meet the expectations for your Gig. Once you find one or more Workers you like, hire them. You can continue to use the in-app messaging and calling functionality to communicate with them until your grocery store Gig is completed.

Get it, Stock it

Once the date of the Gig arrives, you can use the Get Workers app to manage each temporary Worker you hire. You’ll want to start their Gig clock when they arrive at your job site. You can request they pause the clock at any time should they need to take a break for lunch or to rest. Once the job is completed, you’ll end their Gig clock, which will take you to a Gig Summary screen. Here you can review all of the details of your Gig, like the total time each Worker worked. If they did a great job, you can even add additional payment in the form of a tip.

Lastly, we’ll ask you to provide a Worker rating (from 1-5 stars), and we’ll give you the option to leave additional comments about the Worker that will be visible to the GigSmart community. To keep it fair, we’ll also ask each Worker you hire to leave you a rating and review as well. These community ratings and reviews help people find the best Worker or Requester for future Gigs.

Now that you’re familiar with the easiest way to find and hire temporary grocery store Workers, are you ready to get started? You can create your free Get Workers hiring account now. GigSmart makes it easy to find, hire, and manage Workers for all your grocery store needs.

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