GIANT Hiring 3,000 Amid Coronavirus Grocery Demand Surge

PENNSYLVANIA — With more people looking to purchase groceries due to stay-at-home orders and restaurants closed or limiting offerings, GIANT stores are looking to bring a large number of new workers to meet grocery demands.

GIANT said it is planning to hire 3,000 more staffers to meet the surging demand for groceries as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

That figure would account for a 10 percent increase in GIANT's total workforce.

GIANT is hiring for multiple in-store positions plus fulfillment center selectors and drivers to support GIANT Direct, its online grocery service that offers pickup and delivery.

Those interested can apply online at the GIANT or MARTIN’S websites or speak with any store manager.

According to GIANT, about 4,000 temporary and part-time workers were hired over the last month to work GIANT, MARTIN’S, GIANT Direct, MARTIN’S Direct and GIANT Heirloom Market.

"At The GIANT Company, our purpose is to connect families for a better future, and our mission is more vital now than ever before," said Matthew Lutcavage, vice president of human resources, The GIANT Company. "We’re committed to serving our communities and customers during this extraordinary time while helping our neighbors who are looking for work."

In recent weeks, GIANT has implemented other policies such as designating special shopping hours for older and immunocompromised members of the community, opening in-store pharmacies at 6 a.m. every Wednesday to accommodate older and immunocompromised individuals, encouraging all team members and customers to practice social distancing in all areas of the store and using full-size carts to help with this, installing checkstand partitions at registers and customer service and pharmacy desks, and increasing in-store cleaning and sanitizing efforts.

The company has also begun restricting how many people can be in stores. The number of customers allowing in at one time varies by location and has been determined based on several factors including occupancy and selling square feet, the company said.

Additionally, GIANT is phasing in enhancements to the GIANT Direct platform to add order capacity and increase time slots. To place an order with GIANT Direct, customers can use any device to visit giantdirect.com or the GIANT app, enter their zip code and begin shopping. Before checking out, they’ll be asked to select how they would like to receive their order – delivery or contactless pickup.

To also support social distancing, customers can now pick up prescriptions using the GIANT Direct parking spaces at their local store. For senior customers who cannot come into the store, a complimentary USPS delivery option is also available.