Hannah Lowe loves the always-changing pace of the grocery industry — and her fast-changing job titles mirror that.
Lowe has rapidly climbed up the ladder at a Crosby’s in Marblehead, Mass., starting as a cashier, and now serving as the store’s deli manager after being promoted in 2023. Crosby’s has seven stores across Massachusetts.
What motivates Lowe is the newness of every day. There is always something different in the world of grocery, and Lowe is always up for the challenge.
Lowe helped launch Crosby’s sandwich bar, and she’s now responsible for training within the program. Before the bar existed, the store made a few sandwiches in the morning and had them available for grab and go throughout the day.
Now, hundreds of sandwiches get made each morning. The sandwich bar program also now features 20 specialty sandwiches, ranging from a roast beef sandwich with Vidalia onion relish, horseradish sauce, and cheddar cheese to a turkey sandwich with turkey, muenster cheese, avocado, and Russian dressing. Made-to-order sandwiches are also available.
“Almost anything somebody could want, I could pretty much make it,” said Lowe.
Lowe is happy with her career, even if it isn’t the one she originally envisioned. She initially chose to go to college and major in criminal justice, but found out the field just was not for her.
So she leaned back on grocery, where she first started out as a cashier at Shaw’s at the age of 14. Frustrated at college, Lowe reached out to her sister, who was at a Crosby’s in Manchester, Mass. Her sister told her the store needed help, so Lowe made the switch.
She quickly started to burn her path. After successfully launching the sandwich bar, Lowe was promoted to kitchen manager, where she learned the front end of the store and closed the location one day a week.
“When she first came here, she was young, ambitious, and very energetic,” said Katerina Thompson, store manager at Crosby’s. “I could see she was capable of more. She completed tasks efficiently and quickly, which allowed me to train her in other areas.”
Now Lowe is the deli manager, and has even dabbled in catering where, not surprisingly, she moved up quickly within the ranks. She first started in the catering sector as a server and is now a sous-chef.
“It was fast paced, which is something I love. It was always moving, and you are really helping these people enjoy their moments,” she said.
Lowe is already setting the bar high as Crosby’s deli manager. Thompson said Lowe works closely with vendors and takes risks on new items for the deli case. She’s then also excellent at building relationships with shoppers and making recommendations.
“My strategy, I would say, is I just show everybody that we’re a team at the end of the day,” said Lowe. “It doesn’t matter who does what or what we’re getting done as long as everything is getting done.
“It’s a team effort and everything moves the way it moves because we work together,” she said.
And though she’s already come so far with her job titles, Lowe isn’t stopping there.
“I know one of her goals is to be a store manager at one of our locations,” said Thompson. “I think she will definitely be able to do that in the future.
“The deli is not an easy department, because it’s constant customer service. It’s a lot of pressure from the customer and employees at the same time, so I definitely think she can be one of our store managers and even higher,” Thompson said.
“I see myself going as far as I can,” said Lowe. “I really enjoy this company, and I see myself really growing with them.”
