At around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic shelter-in-place period, The Save Mart Companies, which operates Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx grocery stores, hired nearly 1,000 part-time temporary employees to meet overwhelming customer demand.
Now, nearly 70 percent of those employees, many of whom had been furloughed from previous companies during the pandemic’s economic downturn, have been transitioned into full-time positions with the company, according to The Save Mart Companies.
Save Mart Companies operates Lucky stores in El Cerrito, Hercules and Pinole, and FoodMaxx stores in Pinole and San Pablo. In total, the company has 206 stores and over 14,000 employees. It was one of the first during the pandemic to offer dedicated shopping times for seniors and first-responders.
The company credited two of its unions, United Food and Commercial Workers and Teamsters, for expediting the process of creating new permanent positions.
“They are great partners,” said Doreen Dorraugh, Save Mart Companies’ director of labor relations.
Lee Gelb, vice president of human resources at The Save Mart Companies, said the company knew it had to be aggressive in hiring to fulfill customer needs at a time of need.
“As an essential business we needed to be prepared to meet our customers’ needs and to help existing team members manage the overwhelming increase in business and the journey through this historic time,” Gelb said.
Gelb said the hiring process continues for full and part-time team members, both temporary and permanent. To see current openings, click here.
