Mar 26, 2020 3 min read

Even in the face of grim forecasts of steep job losses in retail, restaurants and other sectors as a result of the coronavirus shutdown, some businesses that are still open and seeing an influx of customers have put out “Help Wanted” signs.

Grocery stores, pharmacies and other enterprises that have been deemed essential have started looking for workers to stock shelves, man cash registers and assist hunkered-down buyers in getting frozen pizzas, toilet paper, medicine, household products or anything else they might need to ride out the days behind closed doors.

Take, for instance, Giant Eagle. The Pittsburgh-based grocery chain is looking to bring 1,000 new employees onboard across all shifts, according to spokesman Dick Roberts. The jobs will be in stores, warehouse facilities and behind the steering wheels of trucks. Giant Eagle is also working with Primanti Bros. to provide jobs for employees of the Pittsburgh-area restaurant chain, as well as workers at PPG Paints Arena.

“While we do have temporary positions available, there are a great deal of permanent employment opportunities available for those interested in the long-term option,” Roberts explained.

Many of the other companies doing the hiring are behemoths like Walmart, CVS and Amazon. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that as many as 500,000 people could be hired in the days ahead by these giants. Rhode Island-based CVS is looking to add 50,000 new employees to its payroll in full-time, part-time and temporary roles. A CVS representative did not respond to a query on how many jobs are open in the Pittsburgh region.

A news release said it would be giving bonuses ranging from $150 to $500 to current employees and would be deploying a “technology-enabled hiring process” that will include online job fairs, interviews and tryouts.

Walmart hopes to add 150,000 new jobs through the end of May. The work will be in its stores, clubs, distribution and fulfillment centers. The company says that, at first, the jobs would be temporary, but many could become permanent. It also says its two-week application cycle is being slashed to 24 hours.

Along with a hiring spree, Arkansas-based Walmart is divvying up $365 million worth of bonuses to its employees, with $300 going to full-timers, and $150 being added to the checks of part-time workers.

In a statement, Walmart’s president and CEO Doug McMillon said, “We know that millions of Americans who are usually employed at this time are temporarily out of work, and at the same time we’re currently seeing strong demand in our stores.”

Meanwhile, the Altoona-based Sheetz restaurant and convenience chain announced Wednesday it is increasing the pay of its 17,000 workers by $3 per hour, and has more than 1,000 openings.