Have grocers and workers entered a new chapter in their relationship?
When Jerry Barth became an apprentice meat cutter at a Grand Union supermarket at age 19, he loved the job right away. There was something about learning to become an expert in something that customers counted on him for that just clicked — and 40 years later, as a full-time meat department manager at a Stop & Shop in Unionville, Connecticut, Barth remains passionate about his work.
“It’s kind of in your blood if you go into the retail world.” Barth said. “I know people on a personal level. They come in and they say, ‘Jerry, this is what I need,’ and I can figure out. I thrive on the ability to provide that service.”
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Barth, who has been with Stop & Shop for 25 years, is also pleased with the pay and benefits he takes home as a full-time, unionized employee in the supermarket industry even as he observes that committing to a job that typically requires working nights and weekends might not appeal to everyone.
“I’ve worked six days a week my entire life. I will work a six- or seven-hour day, and I have no problem working an eight- or nine-hour day,” he said.
Chuck Leas, a 30-year Stop & Shop veteran who is a full-time customer service department head at a supermarket the grocer runs in Waterbury, Connecticut, also feels good about the time he has spent in the grocery industry, noting that he was able to raise three children and pay off his house. But he said his role has become more demanding since he joined the company, which is owned by Ahold Delhaize.
“The biggest thing that’s changed is that they want more out of you without any extra pay or any extra hours,” Leas said, adding that he has had to handle tasks an assistant would have taken care of because no one was hired to fill that role. “They just keep putting more on your plate.”