BC Private Liquor Store Staffing Challenges – How to Attract and Keep Employees

BC private liquor store owners have been faced with numerous challenging over the past few years because of the pandemic. Now, with the worst of COVID-19 fallout behind us, staffing challenges remain an issue for many types of businesses throughout Canada, including liquor retailers.

Statistics Canada’s “Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, second quarter 2022”, reveals that many businesses are experiencing rising expenses, supply chain issues, and increased hourly wage expenses. Labour force shortages are expected to remain an issue for one-third of all businesses and retaining skilled employees is expected to remain a problem for some time. Job vacancies for retailers rose by 37.2% between February 2022 and March 2022!

Liquor Store Employee Recruitment and Retention Tips

Consider incorporating the following into your private liquor store recruitment practices:

Review Your Current Hourly Wage Offerings – Especially in Vancouver!

Review your liquor store’s current wage offerings. Visit job boards (see “Post on Job Boards Where You See Other BC Private Liquor Store Postings” below) and see what other liquor retailers offer. How do your wages compare? If your store is in Vancouver, consider that the city was recently named the third-least affordable city in the world based on housing-prices- to-income ratios. You may have to pay employees who live in Vancouver a little more, although it’s probably easier to keep a local employee that you pay a little more than an employee you pay less who is forced to commute from a more affordable suburb to work in Vancouver.

Create a Recruitment Plan and Review it Each Quarter

Any plan is better than no plan. You’ll find that by writing a plan, even a simple one, ideas will come to you, and thoughts, challenges and strategies to overcome those challenges will become clearer.

Consider Offering Flexible Hours for All Positions

If your store’s hourly wages are already competitive, employee retention problems may have more to do with inflexible scheduling. Ask your current employees their opinions about scheduling and shift duration. Also ask each job candidate what they prefer, rather than offering a “take it or leave it” schedule.

Update Liquor Store Job Descriptions

Consider hiring a BC liquor store consultant who has experience writing liquor store job descriptions. Crafting a job description that attracts the right candidates and doesn’t scare potential candidates away is art unto itself.

Post on Job Boards Where You See Other BC Private Liquor Store Postings

Craigslist “retail” job postings, BC Jobs “liquor store” job postings, and Indeed “liquor store” job postings are just a few job boards to consider. While you may see many job postings from other private liquor stores in BC, don’t be afraid of the competition, because their presence also indicates that many candidates are searching these websites for liquor store jobs.

Thrive Advisors Makes BC Private Liquor Store Recruitment Easier Than You Think!

Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors, BC’s foremost private liquor store consultants, provides customized recruitment services including job description writing and posting, candidate interviewing and training. Rebecca Hardin, lead consultant and CEO, has owned and operated retail businesses and understands the needs of BC private liquor licensees.