By John Schwing
WESTPORT – As work continues on a new Big Y supermarket scheduled to open in October at the Post Plaza shopping center, officials at the Massachusetts-based chain this week announced plans to hire more than 100 store employees.
On-site applications will be accepted at the new store, 1076 Post Road East, from August 26 through October 18, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Online applications can be submitted through the Big Y website by Click here.
Positions are available – full-time and part-time – in all departments of the new store, including bakery, meat/seafood, deli/kitchen, produce/florist. There are positions for general managers and assistant managers, cashiers and night-shift warehouse workers, according to the store’s job posting.
“We are committed to driving growth, not only for our business but also for our employees. Our commitment to providing career opportunities goes hand in hand with our focus on building a strong community,” Ashley McFarlane, human resources manager at Big Y, said in a statement.
Big Y’s employee benefits include “competitive” wages, paid holidays, paid vacation, tuition assistance, scholarships, a 401(k) plan and a work-life care program, according to officials. All new employees also receive “extensive training,” the statement said.
Local auto dealer Big Y is taking over a site once slated for an Amazon Fresh store, a new concept in grocery retailing equipped with “cashierless” technology, digital invoicing and numerous online shopping options.
But in January of last year, after work on the site had stalled for more than 18 months after initial preparations, Amazon pulled the plug on its Westport project. At the time, other Amazon Fresh locations were also in “zombie” status as company management paused store buildouts to rethink the concept.
Instead, Post Plaza owners confirmed that Big Y would take over the space that once housed a Barnes & Noble bookstore that relocated downtown.
In April, the Architectural Review Board approved the round, red Big Y logo for the new store after a hearing. Amazon officials, however, struggled to get approval for a sign for their proposed store. It was only after several hearings and revisions to the original design that the Amazon Fresh sign was approved. And in the end, the Amazon Fresh sign was never installed on the storefront.
