Northgate uses Axonify's employee-knowledge software on such devices as tablets to help employees build, sustain and share knowledge in a fun, engaging and gamified way
One of the biggest problems in retail is turnover. Data from Philadelphia-based Hay Group show that retail has one of the highest turnover rates of any industry, reporting a median rate of 67 percent for part-time employees. Additionally, on average, it costs 16 percent of one year’s salary to find, hire and train a replacement for one minimum-wage employee.
In the past year, several grocers have helped remedy the situation by raising minimum hourly wages and benefits. For instance, Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart said it would raise the starting wage rate for all hourly U.S. associates to $11, expand maternity and parental leave benefits, and give eligible full- and part-time workers a one-time cash bonus of up to $1,000. Also, Minneapolis-based Target raised its minimum hourly wage to $12.
Although it helps, paying more money isn’t the only way to help keep employees, however: When associates aren’t given set goals to meet – or the tools necessary to meet goals – they will become frustrated with their inability to progress and grow in their careers.
Thankfully, grocers have access to lots of new tools that can help. Here are just four ways grocery technology has been used in the past year to empower their associates:
Workforce Management and Scheduling
Natural Grocers is known for taking care of its employees and helping them succeed inside and outside the workplace. Last April, the Lakewood, Colo.-based natural food retailer upped its employees’ minimum hourly pay to $11 at all stores for both part- and full-time employees. Even the company’s CEO, Kemper Isely, mentioned the important role that training efforts played in its strong first quarter of fiscal 2018.
“We are pleased with the success of these marketing and operational initiatives and the momentum they have created,” he told participants in a February call to discuss the earnings.
So it’s understandable that with 147 stores across 19 states, Natural Grocers would need a strong solution to effectively manage its workforce: It’s a complex task to improve productivity, forecasting and labor management. The solution was found in HotSchedules’ cloud-based platform, originally designed for the foodservice industry.
Simply put, the grocery technology is intended to make better staffing and management decisions that are influenced by critical sales trends and forecasting data, while also giving more than 3,000 employees the ability to schedule via mobile.
“The Natural Grocers team understands how important it is to give managers tools to effectively forecast demand, optimize labor and help maintain compliance, while also making it easier for hourly employees to schedule shifts around personal obligations,” notes David Cantu, co-founder and chief customer officer at Austin, Texas-based HotSchedules.
Added Heather Isely, EVP at Natural Grocers: “Ever since our first store opened in 1955, one of our five founding principles at Natural Grocers has been our commitment to our employees. Part of that commitment is giving our in-store managers and regional leadership world-class tools to help them succeed.”
Freedom at POS
This past May brought the news that Walmart (No. 1 on Progressive Grocer's 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States) was shuttering the mobile checkout platform that it had only recently finished piloting and begun expanding: Scan & Go, which CBC News reported had closed due to lack of popularity. The Android- and iOS-enabled app – which also could be used via hand-held devices provided in-store – allowed customers to scan and bag items while they shopped, and to pay for their purchases with their mobile devices. It securely stored credit or debit card information for fast and easy checkout, and, after payment, allowed shoppers to exit the store through the Mobile Express lane, bypassing checkout.
Just weeks before, however, the mega-retailer had launched a different sort of mobile checkout that focused more on empowering the employee over the customer, while still providing customer convenience. Check Out With Me saves customers time by allowing on-the-spot payment in Walmart’s Lawn & Garden Centers for such products as flowers, soil and mulch.