The workforce pool is drained for the grocery food chain — from manufacturing to transportation to retail — and so the question grocers have to ask themselves in 2023 is: Can I get all the products that my customers want?
Brandon Scholz is the president and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers Association. He says products that have been challenging for grocers to get on time have ranged from eggs and cat food to soft drinks and bread. Scholz assures that grocers work to keep prices stable and shelves filled, but notes price hikes and shortages are not within their control.
“It really just depends on where you’re getting your products from and what they’re suppliers are like,” Scholz says. “It could get you anywhere in the grocery store in each aisle.”
Inflation will continue to be a challenge into 2023, and food is under enormous pressure, he adds.
He says shoppers are making changes to adapt to higher prices: opting for cheaper proteins, passing on name brand products and planning meals ahead of time to limit extra spending at the store, for example. Meanwhile, the grocery industry is also working on changes to hurdle new norms — supply chain problems, labor shortages, and inflation.
“In order to grow our workforce, we have to have a state where people want to come to… we have to have a quality of life in Wisconsin that people want,” Scholz says, listing solutions: reducing crime, providing housing, and adding education, daycare and transportation. “We’re looking for legislation that can address some of those issues.”
Another way that grocers are working around a labor shortage is with technology. Grocery stores with 12 checkout aisles that need a cashier and a bagger, are likely never fully utilized, even during peak shopping season. More grocers are looking to expand their self-checkout spaces to streamline the process, and it only requires one person to monitor the whole section, Scholz says.
“There are just things that retailers are going to have to continue to look to find to fill the gap with people to work in their store,” he says.
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