ShopRite Giving Workers $2 Raises Amid Coronavirus Crisis

NEW JERSEY — ShopRite employees will be receiving a temporary $2 raise because of the high demand at grocery stores that has resulted during the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The grocery store chain also is enhancing its sick leave and attendance policy to help employees with immediate financial and health concerns, said Joe Colalillo, chairman and CEO of Wakefern Food Corporation. The stores are among essential businesses permitted to stay open after Gov. Phil Murphy issued a statewide order shutting down much of the state on Saturday.

Grocery stores across the state have been besieged as residents have stocked up and left shelves barren of necessities including toilet paper, fresh meat and chicken and cleaning supplies as people limit their activities in the call to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Employees have worked long hours trying to restock shelves and ShopRite's Shop From Home service has been booked nonstop as residents try to limit possible exposure to the illness.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 3,675 positive tests for COVID-19 in New Jersey, and 44 people have died from it, according to the state health department.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

"Our associates have always been the heart and soul of our business and in the wake of this current crisis, we want to thank them, and their family members that support them, for the incredible commitment they are showing to our customers," Colalillo said. "They work tirelessly on the frontlines to provide an essential service to our communities."

In addition to the temporary raise, ShopRite and the other grocery stores in the Wakefern group — The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite Marketplace, Dearborn Market and Gourmet Garage — are hiring for a variety of positions at warehouses and stores, adding to the 80,000 employees already working for the corporation.

"The goal is to keep stores fully staffed during this challenging time and continue to provide the best possible customer service to shoppers and the communities where stores operate," the company said.

Information on jobs can be found online at the ShopRite Career Center and Wakefern Careers.