Ongoing challenges in a tight labor market have been forcing supermarket retailers to rethink their strategies around recruiting and retention, as well as their overall standard operating procedures, in an effort to keep rising labor costs in check.

So what’s a grocer to do? Mike Cook, aka “Grocery Store Mike,” has some thoughts.  

“I think it’s going to continue being a challenge,” he said of hiring grocery workers. “I talk to retailers every day — it doesn’t matter the size of their organization. They have one thing in common and that’s the need for top talent.”

Cook, who has over 35 years in the grocery industry, started as a part-time courtesy clerk, and worked his way up to serve in-store leadership positions with both traditional and specialty food formats. He now specializes in hiring, training, and developing company leaders for both small and large grocery store operations.

Supermarket News spoke with Cook, an executive recruiter for grocery retail at Frontline Source Group, to talk about hiring, retention, and managing your ecommerce labor strategy.

Take a listen.

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