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Grocery Stores

Nature of the Industry  |  Working Conditions  |  Employment  |  Occupations in the Industry
Training and Advancement  |  Job Outlook  |  Earnings

Significant Points

• Numerous job openings—many of them part-time—should be available due to the industry’s large size and high rate of turnover.
• Grocery stores provide a large number of jobs to young workers who have little or no work experience.
• Cashiers and stock clerks account for half of all jobs.
• College graduates will fill most new management positions.

Nature of the Industry

Grocery stores, also known as supermarkets, are familiar to everyone. They sell an array of fresh and preserved foods, primarily for preparation and consumption at home. They often sell prepared food, such as hot entrees or salads, for takeout meals. Stores range in size from supermarkets, which may employ hundreds of workers and sell numerous food and nonfood items, to convenience stores with small staffs and limited selections. However, convenience stores often sell fuel, including gasoline, kerosene, and propane. (Specialty grocery stores—meat and fish markets; fruit and vegetables markets; candy, nut, and confectionery stores; dairy products stores; retail bakeries; and health and dietetic food stores, for example—are not covered in this section. Also excluded are eating and drinking establishments that sell food and beverages for consumption on the premises. The latter are discussed elsewhere in the Career Guide.) 

Grocery stores are found everywhere, although the size of the establishment and range of goods and services offered varies. Traditionally, inner-city stores are small and offer a limited selection, although larger stores are now being built in many urban areas; suburban stores tend to be large supermarkets with a more diverse stock. Many supermarkets include several specialty departments that offer the products and services of seafood stores, bakeries, delicatessens, pharmacies, or florist shops. Household goods, health and beauty care items, automotive supplies, greeting cards, and clothing also are among the growing range of nonfood items sold. Some of the largest supermarkets even house cafeterias or food courts, and a few feature convenience stores. In addition, grocery stores may offer basic banking services and automatic-teller machines; postal services; onsite film processing; dry cleaning; video rentals; and catering services. 

Working Conditions

Working conditions in most grocery stores are pleasant, with clean, well-lighted, climate-controlled surroundings. Work can be hectic, and dealing with customers can be stressful. 

Grocery stores are open more hours and days than most work establishments, so workers are needed for early morning, late night, weekend, and holiday work. With employees working fewer than 30 hours a week, on average, these jobs are particularly attractive to workers who have family or school responsibilities or another job. 

Most grocery store workers wear some sort of clothing, such as a jacket or apron, that identifies them as store employees and keeps their personal clothing clean. Health and safety regulations require some workers, such as those who work in the delicatessen or meat department, to wear head coverings, safety glasses, or gloves. 

In 1999, cases of work-related injury and illness averaged 8.4 per 100 full-time workers in grocery stores, compared with 6.3 per 100 full-time workers in the entire private sector. Some injuries occur while workers transport or stock goods. Persons in food processing occupations, such as butchers and meatcutters, as well as cashiers working with computer scanners or traditional cash registers, may be vulnerable to cumulative trauma and other repetitive motion injuries. 

Employment

Grocery stores ranked among the largest industries in 2000, providing 3.1 million wage and salary jobs. More than 30 percent of all grocery store employees worked part time, and the average workweek was less than 30 hours. Some self-employed workers also worked in grocery stores, mostly in smaller establishments. 

In 1997, about 131,000 grocery stores operated throughout the Nation. Most grocery stores are small; more than 60 percent employ fewer than 10 workers. Most jobs, however, are found in the largest stores. About two-thirds of workers were employed in grocery stores with more than 50 workers (see chart). 

Many grocery store workers are young, with persons 16 to 24 years old holding 34 percent of the jobs. This reflects the large number of jobs in this industry open to young workers who have little or no work experience. 

Occupations in the Industry

Cashiers make up the largest occupation in grocery stores, accounting for about one-third of all workers (table 1). They scan the items being purchased by customers, total the amount due, accept payment, and produce a cash register receipt that shows the quantity and price of the items. In most supermarkets, the cashier passes the universal product code on the item’s label across a computer scanner that identifies the item and its price, which is automatically relayed to the cash register. In some grocery stores, customers scan and bag their purchases, and pay using an automatic payment terminal. Cashiers verify that the items have been paid for before the customer leaves. In other grocery stores, the cashier reads a hand-stamped price on the item and keys that price directly into the cash register. Cashiers then place items in bags for customers; accept cash, personal check, credit card, or electronic debit card payments; and make change. When cashiers are not needed to check out customers, they sometimes assist other workers.

Stock clerks and order fillers are the second largest occupation in grocery stores, accounting for almost 1 of every 6 workers. They fill the shelves with merchandise and arrange displays to attract customers. In stores without computer scanning equipment, stock clerks may have to manually mark prices on individual items and count stock for inventory control.
 

Table 1. Employment of wage and salary workers in grocery stores by occupation, 2000 and projected change, 2000-10.
Occupation	Employment, 2000		Percent change, 2000-10
	Number	Percent
All occupations	3,107	100.0	5.6
Management, business, and financial occupations	99	3.2	-0.0
General and operations managers	56	1.8	0.3
Professional and related occupations	56	1.8	40.2
Pharmacists	22	0.7	52.3
Service occupations	385	12.4	7.1
First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers	29	0.9	6.2
Food preparation workers	119	3.8	23.0
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food	133	4.3	-3.3
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	22	0.7	6.2
Sales and related occupations	1,320	42.5	14.1
Cashiers, except gaming	1,026	33.0	16.8
Retail salespersons	63	2.0	-4.4
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers	185	5.9	7.3
Office and administrative support occupations	674	21.7	-11.1
First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers	22	0.7	6.2
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks	31	1.0	-8.5
Customer service representatives	48	1.5	7.7
Stock clerks and order fillers	500	16.1	-15.0
Office clerks, general	26	0.8	6.2
Production occupations	201	6.5	-1.4
Bakers	47	1.5	27.5
Butchers and meat cutters	102	3.3	-15.0
Transportation and material moving occupations	357	11.5	4.8
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	39	1.2	-4.4
Packers and packagers, hand	286	9.2	6.2
NOTE: May not add to totals due to omission of occupations with small employment.

 
Many office clerical workers—such as secretaries and administrative assistants; general office clerks; and bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks—prepare and maintain the records necessary to keep grocery stores running smoothly.

Butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers prepare meat, poultry, and fish for purchase by cutting up and trimming carcasses and large sections into smaller pieces, which they package, weigh, price, and place on display. They also prepare ground meat from other cuts and fill customers’ special orders. These workers also may prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting or cutting meat, poultry, or fish into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables, or applying sauces or breading. Butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers often work from a central facility from which smaller packages are sent to area stores.

Some specialty workers prepare food for sale in the grocery store and work in kitchens that may not be located in the store. Bakers produce breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. Chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers make salads—such as coleslaw or potato, macaroni, or chicken salad—and other entrees, and they prepare ready-to-heat foods—such as burritos, marinated chicken breasts, or chicken stir-fry—for sale in the delicatessen or in the gourmet food or meat department. Other food preparation workers arrange party platters or prepare various vegetables and fruits that are sold at the salad bar.

Demonstrators and product promoters may offer samples of various products to entice customers to purchase them.

In supermarkets that serve food and beverages for consumption on the premises, food and beverage serving workers take orders and serve customers at counters. They may prepare short-order items, such as salads or sandwiches, to be taken out and consumed elsewhere. Janitors and cleaners keep the stores clean and orderly.

In the warehouses and stockrooms of large supermarkets, laborers and freight, stock, and material movers move stock and goods in storage and deliver them to the sales floor; they also help load and unload delivery trucks. Hand packers and packagers, also known as courtesy clerks or baggers, perform a variety of simple tasks, such as bagging groceries, loading parcels in customers’ cars, and returning unpurchased merchandise from the checkout counter to shelves.

First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers, usually called department managers, supervise mostly entry-level employees at the grocery, produce, meat, and other specialty departments. Department managers train employees and schedule their hours; oversee ordering, inspection, pricing, and inventory of goods; monitor sales activity; and make reports to store managers. Store managers are responsible for the efficient and profitable operation of grocery stores. Working through their department managers, store managers may set store policy, hire and train employees, develop merchandising plans, maintain good customer and community relations, address customer complaints, and monitor the store’s profits or losses.

Purchasing managers plan and direct the activities of buyers, who purchase goods for resale to consumers. Purchasing managers and buyers must thoroughly understand grocery store foods, other items, and each stores’ customers. They must select the best suppliers and maintain good relationships with them. Purchasing managers and buyers evaluate their store’s sales reports to determine what products are in demand and plan purchases according to their budget.

Because of the expansion of the industry to meet the consumers’ desire for “one-stop shopping,” grocery stores have begun to employ an array of workers to help meet that need. For example, marketing managers forecast sales and develop a marketing plan based on demographic trends, sales data, community needs, and consumer feedback. Dietitians and nutritionists provide information to help consumers choose among the many food and nonfood products, and develop nutrition education programs. Pharmacists fill customers’ drug prescriptions and advise them on over-the-counter medicines. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers assess whether products and facilities meet quality, health, and safety standards. Human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists are responsible for making sure that employees maintain and, if necessary, improve their skill levels. 

Training & Advancement

Most grocery store jobs are entry-level and can be learned in a short time. Employers generally prefer high school graduates for occupations such as cashier, stock clerk, or food preparation workers. In large supermarket chains, prospective employees are matched with available jobs, hours, and locations and are sent to a specific store for on-the-job training. Many cashiers are trained in a few days, with some stores offering formal classroom training to familiarize workers with the equipment with which they will work. Meat cutters and bakers are more skilled. Trade schools and industry associations offer training for these jobs, but the skills also can be learned on the job. 

College graduates will fill most new management positions. Employers increasingly seek graduates of college and university, junior and community college, and technical institute programs in food marketing, food management, and supermarket management. Many supermarket chains place graduates of these programs, or of bachelor’s or master’s degree programs in business administration, in various professional positions or management training programs in areas such as logistics, replenishment, food safety, human resources, and strategic planning. Management trainees start as assistant or department managers and, depending on experience and performance, may advance to positions of greater responsibility. It is not unusual for managers to supervise a large number of employees early in their careers. 

Courtesy clerks sometimes advance to work as service clerks in the delicatessen or bakery, stock clerks, or perhaps cashiers. Sometimes workers rotate assignments in a supermarket; for example, a cashier might occasionally wrap meat. Union contracts, however, may have strict occupational definitions in some stores, making movement among departments difficult. 

Entry-level workers may advance to management positions, depending on experience and performance. Grocery store management has become increasingly complex and technical. Managers of some large supermarkets are responsible for millions of dollars in yearly revenue and hundreds of employees. They use computers to manage budgets, schedule work, track and order products, price goods, manage shelf space, and assess product profitability. Many stores that promote from within have established tracks by which workers move from department to department, gaining broad experience, until they are considered ready for an entry-level management position. Opportunities for advancement to management jobs exist in both large supermarket chains and in small, independent grocery stores. 

Grocery store jobs call for various personal attributes. Almost all workers must be in good physical condition. Because managers, cashiers, stock clerks, and other workers on the sales floor constantly deal with the public, a neat appearance and a pleasant, businesslike manner are important. Cashiers and stock clerks must be able to do repetitious work accurately while under pressure. Cashiers need basic arithmetic skills, good hand-eye coordination, and manual dexterity. Stock clerks, especially, must be in good physical condition because of the lifting, crouching, and climbing they do. For managers, good communication skills and the ability to solve problems quickly and to perform well under pressure are important. 

Job Outlook

Employment in grocery stores is expected to increase about 6 percent by the year 2010, compared with the 15-percent growth projected for all industries combined. Many additional job openings will arise from the need to replace workers who transfer to jobs in other industries, retire, or stop working for other reasons. Replacement needs are particularly significant due to the industry’s large size and the high rate of turnover among cashiers and other workers who do not choose to pursue grocery industry careers. 

Employment will grow as the population increases and as more grocery stores offer a wider array of goods and services that include prescription drugs, flowers, liquor, and carryout food, as well as banking, postal, and catering services. Grocery stores are adding and enhancing delicatessens, bakeries, and meat and seafood departments to counter the trend toward eating away from home, as well as adding ready-to-eat-meals to compete with fast-food restaurants. These expansions are expected to create many new jobs. 

Some technological advances—such as computer scanning cash registers and automated warehouse equipment—have boosted productivity, but these innovations are not expected to adversely affect employment levels. In fact, past technological improvements like scanners and electronic data interchange are expected to improve opportunities in areas such as category management and distribution. Increasing competition from large discount department stores will encourage the industry to continue to improve its efficiency by adopting new technologies and procedures and by reducing redundancies, especially in the supply chains. Some stores even let customers process their own transaction with almost no interaction with a cashier. However, many tasks, such as stocking shelves on the sales floor or helping a customer find a product, cannot be performed effectively by machines. In addition, many consumers have demonstrated their strong desire for personal services. For example, consumers want managers to answer questions about store policy and services; they want cashiers and courtesy clerks to answer questions, bag goods, or help them bring groceries to their cars; and they want workers in specialty departments to advise them on their purchases and fill personal orders by providing special cuts of meat, fish, or poultry. 

Projected growth for some grocery store occupations differs from the 6 average growth projected for the industry as a whole. Employment of bakers and food preparation workers is expected to grow faster than average because of the popularity of fresh baked breads and pastries, carryout food, and catering services. Employment of retail sales worker supervisors and managers is expected to grow more slowly than average as new service departments and stores are built. A decline in employment of butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers is expected as more meatcutting and processing shifts from the retail store to the manufacturing plant. 

Electronic shopping currently is gaining in popularity across the country. Its impact on industry employment could be significant within the near future, depending on how fast consumers adopt the new technology.  

Earnings

Managers receive a salary, and often a bonus based on store or department performance. Managers in highly profitable stores generally earn more than those in less profitable stores.

Full-time workers generally receive typical benefits, such as paid vacations, sick leave, and health and life insurance. Part-time workers who are not unionized may receive few benefits. Unionized part-time workers sometimes receive partial benefits. Grocery store employees may receive a discount on purchases.

About 20.5 percent of all employees in grocery stores belong to a union or are covered by union contracts, compared with about 15 percent in all industries. Workers in chain stores are more likely to be unionized or covered by contracts than are workers in independent grocery stores. In independent stores, wages often are determined by job title, and increases are tied to length of job service and job performance. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is the primary union representing grocery store workers.
 

Table 2. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in grocery stores, 2000
Occupation	Grocery stores	All industries
General and operations managers	$21.21	$29.41
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers	13.16	13.23
Butchers and meat cutters	12.34	11.60
Bakers	9.24	9.48
Stock clerks and order fillers	7.94	8.75
Retail salespersons	7.92	8.02
Food preparation workers	7.90	7.38
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food	7.32	6.52
Cashiers, except gaming	6.99	6.95
Packers and packagers, hand	6.48	7.53

Source: Career Guide to Industries, Bureau of Labor Statistics

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