FMI's Supermarket Employee Day Returns Feb. 22

Since the pandemic began, it seems shoppers have shown more appreciation toward grocery employees. Thankfully, there is a day to celebrate these essential workers. Created last year by FMI-The Food Industry Association and supported by several state and local governments, Supermarket Employee Day will celebrate grocery employees at every level on Feb. 22.  

According to FMI’s website: “Millions of supermarket employees come to work daily to keep shelves stocked and to provide communities with essential services that help them survive and thrive.”

To help grocers nationwide honor their employees on Feb. 22, FMI has created a free toolkit, complete with messaging, logos and turnkey resources.

Last year, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Bi-Lo, Fresco y Mas, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, held a 10-day celebration that concluded with Supermarket Employee Day, when SEG showed appreciation for its associates and fellow supermarket employees. Throughout the 10 days, SEG and its associates took part in and hosted several community events to show appreciation as well for fellow front-line workers and celebrate love and kindness with customers and neighbors.

Elizabeth Thompson, EVP & Chief People Officer for Southeastern Grocers, said in a statement last year, “Our hardworking associates have displayed incredible acts of kindness, selflessness and love for their community and each other over the past year. They have gone the extra degree to ensure their friends, families and neighbors have access to healthy food, and a safe shopping experience they can always count on. Our trusted associates have become the backbone of their communities during an incredibly difficult time. We are honored to celebrate our frontline heroes and express our immense gratitude for their continued commitment to spreading kindness throughout the communities we serve.”

Retailers across the nation will mark Supermarket Employee Day in their own way, but one unifying message remains: Every level of supermarket employees should be kindly acknowledged all year long, beginning with Feb. 22.