Celebrating Supermarket Employee Day

FMI president/CEO emphasizes importance of recognizing community champions

2/22/2024

FMI is encouraging shoppers to show kindness and compassion in their interactions with supermarket employees not just on Supermarket Employee Day on Feb. 22, but also every day throughout the year.

Only four short years ago, our entire nation shut down as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country. Much like doctors, nurses and other front-line workers, supermarket employees stood resilient for their communities, ensuring grocery store shelves remained stocked with food and essential goods, helping to keep families fed amid the uncertainty.

While the community-wide celebrations for essential workers have faded, supermarket employees remain as dedicated as ever, providing essential services that enable communities not only to survive, but also to thrive. To continue to demonstrate our enduring gratitude, FMI launched Supermarket Employee Day on Feb. 22, 2021, to recognize the work supermarket employees do every day at every level to feed families and enrich lives.

Diversity and Health

With more than 40,000 food retailers across the United States alone, supermarket employees are the bedrock sustaining our communities in times of crisis, whether it be a natural disaster, a pandemic or other unforeseen challenges. They uphold the critical pipeline of food and consumer goods that sustains the health and well-being of their customers. The resilience and commitment of these essential workers become even more evident in times of extreme weather challenges or supply chain disruptions.

The expansive nature of the workforce may be overlooked by many Americans who might perceive supermarket employees as predominantly cashiers and shelf stockers. However, the composition of our nation's supermarkets’ workforce is considerably more diverse. It encompasses online purchase fulfillment and delivery experts, data analytics/data technologists, chefs, butchers, fishmongers, pharmacists, registered dietitians/nutritionists (RDNs), and numerous other roles.

RDNs are particularly important, given the degree to which healthy eating has advanced as a priority for shoppers. Food retailers play a vital role in community nutrition, health and well-being. Grocery stores are a natural touchpoint to meet consumers where they are to positively impact food purchasing decisions and provide one of the few places where families can gain access to invaluable nutrition guidance from food industry RDNs. These retail registered dietitian nutritionists are an invaluable community health resource, providing evidence-based health information to shoppers on everything from feeding assistance and preventive care to nutrition guidance and nutrition therapy to aid in disease management and treatment. Food retail RDNs also assist shoppers with meal planning and provide ingredient substitutions to help consumers stretch their food dollars while preparing nutritious, delicious meals for themselves and their families.

Going Above and Beyond

Moreover, we salute the many supermarket employees who go beyond their daily duties by volunteering countless hours to serve their communities. As shared in FMI’s The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2023 survey, 82% of food retailers actively engage in community support, strengthening the fabric of our neighborhoods. Food retailers are the largest source of private-sector donations to Feeding America’s food bank network, which provided 1.6 billion meals in 2022, and our employees are the face of those efforts, leading food drives, fighting food insecurity and food waste, and helping to uplift their communities. To further support these efforts, the food industry has committed to expanding meal donations in alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) to food banks and other nonprofits feeding people in under-resourced areas.

Acknowledging the contributions of these exceptional individuals is critical. Food retail managers have various avenues, both big and small, to express gratitude. Whether using discretionary budgets, perks or other forms of recognition provided by the company, or simply by offering positive feedback and writing handwritten thank-you cards, every gesture contributes to recognizing and valuing the efforts of supermarket employees. We’ve witnessed local businesses also rally behind supermarket employees and celebrate them at a local level.

On the consumer side, we encourage shoppers to show kindness and compassion in their interactions with supermarket employees not just on Supermarket Employee Day, but also every day throughout the year. They have earned our respect and appreciation for their unwavering commitment to feeding our families and enriching our lives.

As we celebrate Supermarket Employee Day on Feb. 22, let us collectively recognize and honor these unsung heroes who, day in and day out, contribute to the well-being of our communities. Together, let's ensure that their essential role does not go unnoticed and that their dedication continues to be a source of inspiration for us all.