BELLEVUE, Wash. — There's no doubt the coronavirus has taken its toll on some businesses causing some workers to lose their jobs, but there are some places where people can find work, even if it's just temporary.
Grocery stores are one of the few places that are still busy these days.
“The grocery business is booming right now," Kroger/QFC Representative Tiffany Sanders said. Grocery checkout buzzers are beeping on overtime as they try to keep up with so much demand, and online orders are through the roof, as well.
“I was talking to a store manager a couple of days ago and he said normally they'd have 8-10 online orders in a day and now they have 40,” Sanders said.
Stores like QFC said they're anxious to get good workers in the door and have openings for a variety of jobs, even if it’s just temporary work.
They've got a job fair planned for Monday, March 16 at 2 p.m. at their corporate offices in Bellevue and say someone handed a pink slip this week could be back to work next week.
“Show up, you don't need a resume, you don't need anything with you, just be ready to interview and you could be hired on the spot,” Sanders explained. “You could start that day or the next day so be prepared to go to work.”
Those who can’t make it to the job fair can also apply at their local store or online. Fred Meyer and Safeway have reported they’re trying to hire for positions all over western Washington.
At Joe's Garage Coffee in Kent, they roast and package coffee for brands all over the world and say they're trying to hire more workers, too. Right now, they run Monday through Friday but they would like to expand and add more shifts.
“That's equipment we'd love to see running, especially on a Saturday,” Founder and President Greg Gould explained. “There are generally 30-35 workers in the plant doing everything from roasting coffee, grinding coffee, packaging, storage in and out of the warehouse," he said.
They offer full benefits, free coffee and believe their business is a place where you can make a career. During the outbreak, they've had someone on-site to monitor the health of employees.
“We are a family environment, we are a small business we serve other small business and we do it with a lot of TLC," he said.
Even at the grocery store, they've got employees doing extra cleaning during the outbreak and that contributes to the need for more staff.
With so many people still coming out to buy groceries, they know it’s important to keep the doors open.