Longtime Big Y associate Andre Hayward
On Tuesday, Oct. 19, Big Y Foods will hold its second on-the-spot hiring event, this time at 19 host locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. The event is open to anyone 18 years old and up.
“‘It’s More Than Food, It’s My Story’ is more than a tagline,” the company said, referencing the name of its hiring campaign. “It’s what 12,000 employees at Big Y share with each other every day. Every individual has an opportunity to join a growing family of employees who are shaping their own future.”
To illustrate the campaign’s theme, Big Y called on longtime associates like Night Manager Andre Hayward, a veteran of 20-plus years standing at the company. “I’ve had the privilege to work with so many great people and learn so many great things,” noted Hayward. “My favorite part is helping others to grow and succeed. Being with [a] company that encourages growth has helped me become a better person, manager … and a better father.”
Big Y has simplified its application process, enabling hiring managers at every location to make on-the-spot job offers for full-time positions from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. on Oct. 19. Currently, there are openings at all Big Y supermarkets, Big Y Gas and Convenience stores, the company’s Table & Vine Fine Wines and Spirits location, and Big Y’s Fresh and Local Distribution Center. Open supermarket positions include jobs in the bakery, meat and seafood departments; the in-store kitchen; and the deli as department managers, assistant department managers and overnight stock clerks, while Big Y Express Gas and Convenience openings include managers, assistant managers, head cashiers and clerks; Table & Vine has openings in all departments; and distribution center openings include selectors, porters and equipment operators. Full-time supermarket openings are for a 40-hour work week with some weekend availability.
Applicants can apply in advance online, where they can also find the addresses of all host hiring locations.
“A future at Big Y means an opportunity to belong and contribute to your own vibrant future,” said Michael J. Galat, VP of employee services. “We stand committed to making a real difference where employees are celebrated for who they are, have a chance to share their ideas, [and] be respected, valued and heard.”
According to the grocer, it provides employees with “generous benefits, flexible work shifts, personalized training and more. All employees hired will join a caring, family company today and will become a part of Big Y’s exciting future tomorrow.”
Big Y held its first such “hiring spree,” at more than 75 locations across its market area, this past June. The supermarket chain is one of many food retailers to ramp up hiring and retention efforts in the face of a widespread labor shortage.
One of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England, Big Y operates 85 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, including 71 supermarkets, Fresh Acres Market, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors, and 10 Big Y Express gas and convenience locations, with almost 12,000 employees. The Springfield, Mass.-based company is No. 76 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.