The Tennessean has a story about how, "since launching its ClickList service that allows grocery shoppers to order online and have their purchases bagged and loaded when they arrive at stores, Kroger has added 25 to 35 new jobs at each store offering the service."
Jeff Evans, e-commerce manager for Kroger’s Delta Division, says that "in a couple of stores, we’re as high as 40 new jobs per store, so it’s generating a lot of new jobs in every store that we’re putting ClickList in to."
Evans also says that as Kroger expands beyond click-and-collect into home delivery, even more jobs will be created within the company.
The jobs generally are part-time, though they can lead to full-time positions, the company says; the increased labor costs in the e-commerce area, along with other departments in the store, reflect an acknowledgement that the company needs to do more to satisfy customers.
Jeff Evans, e-commerce manager for Kroger’s Delta Division, says that "in a couple of stores, we’re as high as 40 new jobs per store, so it’s generating a lot of new jobs in every store that we’re putting ClickList in to."
Evans also says that as Kroger expands beyond click-and-collect into home delivery, even more jobs will be created within the company.
The jobs generally are part-time, though they can lead to full-time positions, the company says; the increased labor costs in the e-commerce area, along with other departments in the store, reflect an acknowledgement that the company needs to do more to satisfy customers.
- KC's View:
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And, presumably, differentiate itself from other stores and services.
There are views out there that e-commerce will, by its very definition, result in the elimination of jobs ... but I've never been persuaded that this is necessarily true. I've always thought that it depends on the retailer, and that many will continue to find that people are their differential advantage.
However, this only be true if companies invest in their people and see them as an investment and not just a cost. I'm not sure companies can do this halfway.
