How Can Grocers Win Over Gen Z and Millennial Workers?
Published on: Jun 27, 2025
Updated on: October 8, 2026
To attract Gen Z and millennials to grocery, employers have to show three things: a real path to grow, managers who actually teach, and work that means something. Grocery Store Mike Cook draws on 35 plus years in grocery to explain how. Frontline Source Group backs every direct hire with a 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times the 90-day standard.
This episode of Self-Checkout with Grocery Store Mike tackles a question grocery executives keep asking: how do you make the business attractive to a generation that did not grow up planning a career in a supermarket? Mike's answer comes from the floor up. He started as a part-time courtesy clerk and worked his way into store leadership before moving into executive search, so he has seen the career path that younger workers often never hear about.
Frontline Source Group was founded in Dallas in 2004, operates 32 plus offices nationwide, has completed 5,619 placements, holds a 98.94% executive placement retention rate, and carries a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 683 verified reviews. Forbes has named Frontline a Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026, ranked #158 in 2026) and ranked it #148 on its 2026 Best Executive Recruiting Firms list. The firm is a 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, a ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, an Inc. 5000 honoree, an Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency, and a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA).
Where can you listen to Making the Grocery Business Sexy?
The episode runs about 15 minutes and is embedded below from Spotify. You can find more conversations from Frontline on the Frontline podcasts page.
Why is the grocery industry struggling to attract younger workers?
Grocery has a talent problem that shows up at every level, from the front end to the corner office. When FMI and Deloitte studied the food retail workforce, food retailers ranked talent availability (44 percent) and talent retention (40 percent) among their biggest workforce challenges, and product suppliers pointed to attracting emerging, high-demand skill sets (36 percent).
Part of the problem is perception. A lot of young people see a grocery job as something you do in high school, not a career you build. Mike's point is that the industry has done a poor job of telling its own story. The jobs are real, the responsibility comes early, and the leadership path is wide open for people willing to learn the business.
What do Gen Z and millennials want from an employer?
Deloitte's 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, which drew 23,482 responses across 44 countries, found both generations focused on growth and learning as they look for a mix of money, meaning, and well-being. That combination is the test any grocer has to pass.
Why does purpose matter so much to younger workers?
About nine in ten say it does. In the Deloitte survey, 89 percent of Gen Z and 92 percent of millennials said a sense of purpose is important to their job satisfaction and well-being. Grocery has a strong answer here that it rarely uses: stores feed their communities every single day, and the people running them carry that responsibility.
Why is mentoring the biggest opening for grocers?
Because younger workers want it and most are not getting it. Half of Gen Z (50 percent) and 48 percent of millennials want their managers to teach and mentor them, but only 36 percent of Gen Z and 32 percent of millennials say that actually happens. A grocer whose department and store managers coach their people has a real edge over employers who leave new hires to figure it out alone.
Does pay still matter to Gen Z and millennials?
Yes. Nearly half do not feel financially secure: 48 percent of Gen Z and 46 percent of millennials, up sharply from the year before. Competitive pay is the price of entry. Purpose and growth are what keep people once they are in the door.
How can grocery employers make the industry appealing to younger workers?
By showing what a grocery career really looks like and then backing it up. Mike's advice comes down to three moves.
How do you make the grocery career path visible?
Spell it out. Show a new hire how people move from the front end to department lead, assistant store manager, store director, and district or operations roles. Share real stories from inside your own company. Plenty of grocery executives started as baggers and courtesy clerks, and younger workers rarely know that.
How do you turn store managers into mentors?
Make developing people part of the job, not an extra. Give managers the time and training to coach, set clear skill goals for each role, and recognize leaders whose people get promoted. When a store becomes known as the place where people grow, recruiting gets easier on its own.
How do you talk about purpose in grocery?
Be specific. Grocery stores keep neighborhoods fed, support local growers and vendors, and show up when communities need them most. Younger workers respond when they can see how their work connects to something bigger than a shift schedule.
Why do grocery leaders decide whether young talent stays?
People do not leave grocery so much as they leave bad managers. A store or operations leader who knows how to develop early-career talent becomes a magnet for it, and a poor one drives it out the back door. That is why hiring the right grocery leaders is central to solving the talent problem. The right leader does not just fill a seat. They build the culture and the growth path that make younger workers want to stay.
Who is Grocery Store Mike and why does his perspective matter?
Mike Cook, known across the industry as Grocery Store Mike, is the Grocery, Retail, and Pharmacy Executive Recruiter at Frontline Source Group. He spent more than 35 years in grocery, starting as a part-time courtesy clerk and rising through in-store leadership at both traditional supermarkets and specialty food retailers before moving into executive search. That background gives him a grounded read on what attracts and keeps grocery talent. You can read more on Mike's profile.
How does Frontline Source Group help grocery employers hire?
Frontline's grocery and retail executive search practice recruits store managers, category managers, operations leaders, and grocery pharmacy leadership, led by recruiters who know the business firsthand. Every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty, and fees are published openly on the pricing page.
How do grocery employers and candidates connect with Frontline Source Group?
Grocery and retail employers can share a hiring need through the employer request form. Candidates interested in grocery, retail, or grocery pharmacy roles can apply on the how to apply page.
What are the most common questions about attracting Gen Z and millennials to grocery?
How do you attract Gen Z and millennials to the grocery industry?
Show a clear path to grow, put managers in place who teach and mentor, and connect the work to its purpose of feeding communities. Pay has to be competitive, but Deloitte's 2025 survey shows both generations are focused on growth and learning alongside money, meaning, and well-being.
What are the biggest workforce challenges in the grocery industry?
In an FMI and Deloitte study of the food retail workforce, food retailers ranked talent availability (44 percent) and talent retention (40 percent) among their top challenges, and product suppliers cited attracting emerging, high-demand skill sets (36 percent).
What do Gen Z and millennial workers want from an employer?
Deloitte's 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey of 23,482 people in 44 countries found both generations focused on growth and learning while seeking money, meaning, and well-being. About nine in ten say purpose is important to job satisfaction.
Do younger workers want mentoring from their managers?
Yes. Deloitte found 50 percent of Gen Z and 48 percent of millennials want managers to teach and mentor them, but only 36 percent of Gen Z and 32 percent of millennials say it happens. Grocers that close that gap have an advantage.
How can grocery employers make the industry appealing to younger workers?
Make the career path visible from front end to store director and beyond, train store managers to coach their people, and talk openly about the purpose of the work. Real stories of leaders who started as courtesy clerks or baggers go a long way.
Why does grocery leadership matter in attracting the next generation?
Younger workers tend to stay or leave because of their manager. A leader who develops early-career talent attracts more of it, while a poor leader drives it away, which is why hiring the right grocery leaders is central to solving the talent problem.
Who is Grocery Store Mike?
Mike Cook, known as Grocery Store Mike, is the Grocery, Retail, and Pharmacy Executive Recruiter at Frontline Source Group. He spent more than 35 years in grocery, starting as a part-time courtesy clerk and rising through store leadership. His profile is at frontlinesourcegroup.com/mike-cook-staffing-services.html.
What grocery and retail roles does Frontline Source Group place?
Frontline places store managers, category managers, operations leaders, and grocery pharmacy leadership through its grocery and retail executive search practice. Learn more at frontlinesourcegroup.com/executive-search-grocery-store-and-retail.html.
What is the 5-Year Placement Warranty?
The 5-Year Placement Warranty backs every Frontline Source Group direct hire for five years, 20 times longer than the 90-day guarantee common in staffing. Details are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html.
Where can I listen to this grocery podcast episode?
The full episode of Self-Checkout with Grocery Store Mike is embedded on this page from Spotify. More Frontline conversations are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/podcasts.html.
How long has Frontline Source Group been in business?
Frontline Source Group was founded in Dallas in 2004 by Bill Kasko. The firm operates 32 plus offices nationwide and has completed 5,619 placements across grocery and retail, accounting and finance, technology, human resources, legal, engineering, energy, and C-suite executive search.
How do I connect with Frontline Source Group about grocery hiring?
Employers can submit a hiring need at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html. Candidates can apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html.
