5 Ways for Teens to Find Grocery Store Jobs

Why Work at a Grocery Store?

When teens are looking for a job, they sometimes overlook grocery store jobs. They probably think bagging groceries and collecting carts is really boring. While it isn’t unusual to want to work at more common jobs for teenagers, there are benefits to working at a grocery store.

As with most entry level part time jobs, these positions can lead to career advancement within the company. Bagging jobs can lead to cashier, inventory, customer service and assistant management jobs.

In addition to career movement, the hours are really flexible. Stores are open late or all night. Employers have to follow child labor laws but can still give teens a lot of versatility in their shift schedules.
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These kinds of jobs are generally safe and meet The Fair Labor Standards Act regarding the type of work a young person can do.

5 Ways to Find a Grocery Job

It is not like the old days then employers would post job openings in their window. Besides that, there is a lot of competition for part time jobs. Teens compete with older displaced workers and college students. Given that, there are still ways to find work.

​Go to the Store
Visit the location in which you are interested. Dress nicely and ask to see the manager. Present yourself as confident and friendly. Bring your resume. Even if you do not have work experience, your resume can tell which classes you take at school, the organizations that you participate in, your GPA and a list of references. If the manager is not there, you should still ask for an application.  Fill it out there, or bring it home and return it with a nice cover letter.

Who do You Know?
If you know anyone who works at the store, ask them to put in a word for you. If your mom or dad shops there and know people, ask them to inquire for you.

Look Online
Naturally, you should check online job boards. Big chain stores often post their openings to job boards such as Indeed, Monster and Zip Recruiter. You can also look at the company website and their career pages; you can apply directly on their site.

Look into Youth Programs
Your school, city or county might have youth programs in which they train and place teens into jobs within the community. Very often these are summer programs and might be based on low income ranges.

Where to Apply
Publix, Winn Dixie and Kruger have been known to give teens a chance. Don’t forget about privately owned small groceries either. 

Give Grocery Jobs a Try

Your first job at a grocery store might be cleaning and collecting carts or bagging groceries. This is fine. You will still learn valuable skills in retail and customer service that you can bring to your next job.