Rural lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply Company (TSCO 2.53%) is looking for 5,000 new employees, according to a news release posted on the company's website Monday. With the planting and farming season beginning across the country regardless of the coronavirus pandemic, Tractor Supply is seeking both part-time and full-time workers "immediately."
The retailer's statement says that many of the open jobs "focus on increased customer service and safety in stores" during the COVID-19 pandemic. One position highlighted in the release is greeter, a role that won't be limited merely to welcoming customers.
Image source: Tractor Supply Company
Instead, greeters will also be responsible for keeping track of approximately how many people are in a store at once to prevent excessive crowding, and remind customers to follow social distancing practices. Greeters will also be tasked with cleaning carts and possibly checkout registers. And they may be called upon to help enforce Tractor Supply's hour-long special shopping periods for seniors and at-risk people on Wednesday mornings.
Tractor Supply recently strengthened next-day delivery service at many of its 1,900 locations. Its hiring blitz coincides with its rollout of contactless curbside delivery, along with an expansion of contactless payments via Apple Pay and other methods. It is also making its same-day delivery service available across all of its locations. As part of this aggressive push, a minimum of two -- and perhaps more -- parking spaces at each store will be reserved for store-pickup and curbside-delivery use.
In anticipation of increased spring traffic, Tractor Supply is also taking serious steps to enhance coronavirus safety at its locations. These include setting up Plexiglas "sneeze shields" to protect cashiers, issuing workers gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer, and adding signs reminding people about safe distances.
