Jeff Campbell 
I ran grocery stores for many years. Over time I had to fire many seemingly great employees who never thought to ask is sweethearting a crime? Yes! Sweethearting is a crime, and it makes up the highest percentage of theft in the US. Small discounts and avoiding ringing up certain items add up to a … Read more
Having worked for Whole Foods for over 2 decades, I’ve been asked many times for my best tips for working in a grocery store. Expect to work a lot of evenings, weekends & holidays. Also, be prepared to be on your feet the majority of the shift. Learn to give more respect to customers than … Read more
As a long-time grocery store manager, one question I’ve been asked, again and again, is how to get a job at a grocery store. Most stores have an online application process, a background check, and then an interview process. It also helps to meet the hiring manager & let them know you applied and are … Read more
Grocery store sales often seem like a great deal. But sometimes when we look a little closer, we might realize it’s not quite as good a deal as we thought. So why do grocery stores have sales? Manufacturers give stores discounts which temporarily lower the price on well-known items as well & newly introduced items. … Read more
Love it or hate it, we all go grocery shopping. But if you know grocery stores, you know they frequently move stuff around. For most shoppers, these changes are confusing and often leads to the question, why do grocery stores change the layout? Driven by lower profit margins & high competition, grocery stores are desperate … Read more
Having worked in grocery stores for more than 20 years, I know the answer, but many shoppers wonder what happens to unsold food in supermarkets?? Every year, more than 43 billion pounds of food from grocery stores gets thrown away. Much of the food is still technically edible, but most large grocery chains severely limit … Read more
I was a grocery store general manager for many years, but I always wondered if I went off on my own, how much does a grocery store owner make? Grocery store owners make anywhere from $60,000 up to around $300,000 or more. Location, size of store & whether it’s a franchise affect the pay range … Read more
As a GM for 2+ decades, employees calling out sick was just a way of life. But many new managers wonder can you fire an employee for being sick. No. You cannot fire an employee for being sick. But most employers have an attendance policy and instead would document unexcused absences over a period of … Read more
Grocery stores are everywhere: from the small, family-owned market on the corner to the grocery store giants with locations all over the world. It’s clear that the grocery store business can be profitable and sustainable, but what is the profit margin for grocery stores? Conventional grocery stores have a profit margin of about 2.2%, making … Read more
When you work in a place with a lot of other people, gossip is a natural by-product of that. While sometimes harmless, many wonder can you fire an employee for gossiping? In at-will states, employers can fire anyone for any reason. But even in other states, gossip can be considered “creating a hostile work environment” … Read more
As a store manager for years, I someday dreamed of opening my own store. But I always wondered, is owning a grocery store profitable? Conventional grocery stores make 1-2% bottom-line profit, but stores like Whole Foods Market may generate 5-12% profit. However, for small independent grocery stores, 1 to 4% is more typical. There are … Read more
Whether you’re a grocery store owner just getting started, or a prospective employee, it’s a pretty common question to wonder what are the different positions in a supermarket or small grocery store. Supermarkets have a variety of positions including: Stock clerks Cashiers Baggers Meat cutters Wine experts Shipping and receiving clerks Support staff such as … Read more
Trying to figure out how much to price a product and how much profit you can make when you sell it is tricky. But after 20+ years in retail grocery, here’s what I’ve learned about how to calculate markup and margin for retail: Margin is the percentage of your sales price that is profit. Markup … Read more
They might seem simple enough, but great displays can make or break a grocery store. So learning how to build a grocery display is one of the first things successful grocery store managers need to learn. A great grocery display has 2-3 products that are likely to be purchased together. It needs to look abundant, … Read more
As a store or department manager, eventually, you have to reprimand or even fire someone. The worst of these situations often lead to us wondering how to fire an employee with a bad attitude. For employees with a bad attitude, first, address the issue verbally. Then in written form, if no improvement is made. Give … Read more