Safeway adding specialty departments, expanding work force

A Sidney grocery store will be expanding its employee base over the next few months, adding both full- and part-time positions.

The local Safeway, located at 1944 Illinois St., will be hiring new workers for a variety of specialty departments in the coming months. Open interviews for spots in those areas will be held Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through Aug. 1, and applicants must apply online at: http://www.careersatsafeway.com.

Several area Safeway stores will hire dozens of employees over the next several months to meet the demands of new departments and offerings throughout the stores. Besides Sidney, Safeway stores in Scottsbluff, Alliance, Ogallala and Chadron will also be hiring.

Shoppers will see new specialty departments including bakeries featuring custom cakes, floral shops showcasing new designs and butcher blocks with in-store meat cutters to provide customers with custom cuts, fried chicken prepared fresh daily as well as fresh cut fruits and vegetable in the near future.

“In order to meet our business demand, we need to hire the right people to serve our customers,” said Susan Morris, president of the Safeway Albertsons Denver Division. “Our goal is to be the favorite local supermarket for every one of our shoppers by making sure they have an outstanding experience in our stores, and it all begins by investing in our employees.”

In January, Albertsons combined with Safeway to form the nation’s second-largest supermarket chain, and pledged at the time to earn the loyalty of grocery shoppers by delivering higher quality products as well as enhancing service and values. The company plans to invest more than $1 billion nationally this year in an attempt to improve stores, manufacturing facilities, distribution centers and offices, Morris said.

For the expanded positions, once an applicant applies online, they can then visit the store during the open interview days and times. Benefits include paid vacation, tuition reimbursement, employee discount, health insurance benefits and retirement plans.

“We’ll be adding dozens of new employees, but the number will vary by store,” said Kristine J. Staaf, director of public affairs/government relations for the company’s Denver Division. “For instance, our Ogallala store is a little smaller than our Scottsbluff location, so the total numbers of hires will be different at each. It’s safe to say that we’ll be adding more than 100 new people to our company.”

Albertsons Safeway’s Denver Division employs more than 10,000 people and operates 132 stores in five states – Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and South Dakota.