America’s largest grocery retailer to host nationwide hiring event on June 10, including virtual and in-store interviews   

 Salt Lake City, UT June 8, 2021 – Smith’s Food & Drug today announced a hiring event that will take place on Thursday, June 10. The goal of the event is to hire 1,000 supporting retail, e-commerce, pharmacy, manufacturing, and logistics operations.

“Smith’s is one of the largest employers in the country and our longstanding culture of opportunity has created an environment where many people, whether it be a cashier, stocker, or pharmacy technician, come for a job and stay for a career,” said Aubriana Martindale, Smith’s Corporate Affairs Manager. “To continue advancing our inclusive culture where associates feel valued and can feed their future, we are embracing greater collaboration, technology, and innovation to attract, identify, and develop talent to help us deliver on our business goals, focusing on uplifting and rewarding associate and customer experiences and being consistently in-stock, fresh, and friendly.”

As a leading employer, Smith’s offers resources, benefits, and training, to support and develop associates and make their lives easier including:

  • Wages & Benefits: Nationally, The Kroger Family of Companies provides comprehensive compensation packages, including competitive wages, healthcare, and retirement. In addition to an $800 million incremental investment in associate wages and training over the last three years – which has raised the organization’s average national wage to more than $15.50 per hour – in 2021, the organization plans to invest an additional $350 million more that it expects will increase the average associate wage to $16 per hour.
  • Continued Education & Tuition Reimbursement: Smith’s tuition reimbursement program, offering up to $21,000 for both part-time and full-time associates, covers a GED to PhD. Since inception, this program has benefited 6,000 associates, with hourly associates making up 87% of those who have taken advantage of the offering so far.
  • Training & Development: Smith’s offers on-demand, role-specific training and resources through FEED desktop and mobile and modern learning platforms like Axonify as well as leadership, career advancement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
  • Health & Wellness: Smith’s continues to further support associates’ safety, health, and well-being by coaching managers to lead with compassion and empathy and through resources like The Well-Being Assistant powered by Magellan Health that is available 24/7 and offers free counseling sessions as well as BetterHelp, another mental wellness resource. The organization also encourages use of Whil, a wellness platform that encourages activities like mindfulness, yoga, well-being, and sleep. Additionally, the organization is currently awarding a one-time payment of $100 to associates who become fully COVID-19 vaccinated as well as providing associates and customers the chance to participate in the organization’s $5 million #CommunityImmunity Giveaway.
  • Perks & Discounts: Smith’s provides flexible scheduling, an advance pay option through partner DailyPay, as well as discounts on groceries, electronics, streaming services, travel, and more.

“We are truly driven to be the best employer and one of the best places to work, no matter your skill set, role, or ambitions,” continued Martindale. “In today’s highly competitive labor market, we know talent is selective and attracted to companies that are leading with a clear purpose, growing and improving every day, and committed to offering a diverse, inclusive, and engaging culture where they can thrive and excel.”

Hiring Event Details 

Smith’s nationwide hiring event is open to all, including veterans, high school and college students, retirees, and people with physical and intellectual disabilities. To register for the hiring event, visit  on The Kroger Family of Companies career site.

About Smith’s Food & Drug Stores

At Smith’s Food & Drug, a company of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. In everything we do, we’re guided by our values and our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit. We strive to make decisions that balance the safety of our associates with our commitments to our customers and communities. And above all else, we’ll be there for our communities when they need us most.

This press release contains certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” about the company’s operations. These statements are based on management’s assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Such statements are indicated by words or phrases such as “achieve,” “believe,” “contemplates,” “continue,” “deliver,” “expect,” “future,” “guidance,” “strategy,” “target,” “trends,” and “will.” Various uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include the specific risk factors identified in “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for our last fiscal year and any subsequent filings, as well as our performance, including our ability to successfully execute our e-commerce strategy. Kroger assumes no obligation to update the information contained herein. Please refer to Kroger’s reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties.

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