Supermarkets hire cashiers, shelf stockers, produce clerks and deli helpers all year, and the three biggest grocery groups employ more than 440,000 people between them. Stores train new staff during their first shifts, so past experience is optional.
Grocery stores in this section
Choose a store to compare its jobs, wages and hiring steps ↓
Supermarket departments and what each one pays
A supermarket is several small workplaces under one roof. Each department has its own tasks, hours and pay, so it helps to know where you would fit ahead of applying.
Typical hourly range for each job, as reported by Job Bank. The deli range is for Ontario, and the online order rate comes from a unionized Loblaw posting.
💡 Fresh counters pay more: meat, deli and bakery jobs reach $26 to $28 an hour at the top of their range, compared with about $19 at the checkout.
Getting hired at a grocery store, step by step
A food safety certificate gives you an edge
In Ontario, every food business must have at least one certified food handler on site whenever it is open. That includes supermarket delis and bakeries, so a certificate makes you easier to schedule.
The course runs online, ends with a short exam and stays valid for five years in Ontario. Other provinces have their own version, such as FOODSAFE in British Columbia.
The grocery groups behind each store name
Most supermarkets belong to one of three groups, and each group runs several store names. Their careers sites list openings for many of those stores, so one search can cover several stores in your area.
Big-box stores sell groceries too: see Costco and Walmart for their food and warehouse roles.
📣 More stores on the way: Loblaw has announced 70 new stores and well over 9,000 jobs, and 31 of those stores are No Frills or Maxi discount locations.
What a union contract means for grocery workers
Many supermarket staff belong to a union such as UFCW Canada. Their pay rates, raises and seniority rules are written into a collective agreement, and union dues come off each paycheque.
In Ontario, about 26,000 workers at Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore and Zehrs stores approved a deal that adds $4.60 an hour for full-time workers over five years.
Supermarket job questions, answered
⚠️ Before you say yes: grocery work keeps you on your feet for the whole shift, with cases to lift and cold rooms to enter. Weekends and holidays are the busiest days, so expect to work some of them.
Ready for your first supermarket shift
Start with the chain where you already shop, since you know the store and its busy hours. Sending applications to two grocery groups in the same week gives you more chances at an interview.
Data sources: hourly wages from the Government of Canada’s Job Bank and a Loblaw job posting; staff and store counts from Loblaw, Empire and Metro; union figures from UFCW Canada; food safety rule from Ontario Regulation 493/17. Amounts are hourly, in Canadian dollars.