Gerrity’s To Give Employees Appreciation Bonus

Gerrity’s Supermarkets has spent the past two months transitioning its stores to The Fresh Grocer banner. The project is now close to wrapping up and the owners of Gerrity’s The Fresh recently surprised their 1,300 employees with a bonus of up to $250.

“This has been a major effort for our teams. It’s a change that we know makes us better, but it’s
also a challenge that involved our entire staff and we’d like to say thanks with this bonus,” said
Joyce ‘Mom’ Fasula, President of Gerrity’s Supermarkets. “Ultimately, we know the conversion is
worth it because it will help our customers find even more great products and lower their grocery
bill.”

The Fresh Grocer specializes in serving high quality, fresh prepared foods to communities in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and is a registered trademark of the retailer owned cooperative
Wakefern Food Corp. The transition to the Fresh Grocer format means Gerrity’s customers can
expect new products, services and lower prices but can rest easy that their favorite aspects of the
Gerrity’s experience will remain, including Gerrity’s ownership, recipes, people, and service. The
stores have converted one at a time each week since August.

The Fasula’s have recognized that the process has required everyone to go above and beyond the
call of duty. To show their gratitude for everything their team has done to help Gerrity’s rebrand
from Shursave to The Fresh Grocer, the Fasula family is giving associates a bonus. Anyone
employed for the four weeks of each store’s conversion is eligible for an appreciation bonus of up
to $250. Full-Time employees will receive $250, and part-time associates is receiving a prorated
amount based on how many hours they worked. The amounts received will be prorated based on a
40-hour workweek for each of the four weeks. The total investment Gerrity’s is making in their
team will be over $350,000.

Gerrity’s Increases Starting Rates

Gerrity’s Supermarkets is very proud to announce that they have raised the starting rates for all positions.  The family-owned business has also rolled out annual raises early for most existing employees.  As an added incentive, the company also continues to offer a new hire bonus of up to $500. 

According to Joe Fasula, Co-owner of Gerrity’s, the ongoing labor shortage continues to make it difficult to find and hire people.  “We know that our team is the reason for our success.  We want to reward the people who got us here and we want to find more people so we can make everyone’s job easier.  We recognize that the store with the best team is going to give the customer the best experience,” said Fasula.  

All full-time starting rates have moved to $14 per hour.  Skilled positions like butchers, cooks, cake decorators, and bakers start at $17, and butchers and cooks can go as high as $20 depending on experience.  On the job training is offered for all positions. Most part time positions start between $10 and $12 depending on position and availability.  The result of the rate adjustments is an increase in average hourly rate of 8% over 2021, and that was 10% higher than 2020. 

Fasula does not anticipate needing to increase prices as a result of this change.  “If it wasn’t for the higher sales that supermarkets have experienced over the past two years, we could never have been able to afford a wage increase like this.  We have more employees in our departments than most other stores because we make so many of our products from scratch.”

Gerrity’s Raises $57,224 for Ukraine

Gerrity’s Supermarkets and Gerrity’s Ace Hardware have raised $57,224.96 for Ukrainian relief.  The money was collected over the last month.  Customers donated $37,224.96 at the checkout and online at Gerritys.com.  In addition, the family-owned business pledged to contribute $20,000.  Joe Fasula, co-owner of Gerrity’s, presented a check to Saint Vladimir’s Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Saint Vladimir’s will be using the money to aid the victims and refugees of the Russian-Ukrainian war.  “We are humbled by the generosity of our customers, and we are honored to help raise this money for such a worthy cause,” said Joe Fasula.  Gerrity’s will continue collecting money for the next several weeks and donate all funds through Saint Vladimir’s.  Gerrity’s will also be selling medical supplies that have been requested for the victims.  Gerrity’s is the largest family-owned, locally owned supermarket business in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Northampton Counties. 

The company consists of ten supermarkets, three Ace Hardware stores, and a corporate office.  Gerrity’s is owned by Joyce “Mom” Fasula and her son, Joe, and is part of Shursave Supermarkets. Gerrity’s was founded in 1895 as a small meat market and became a supermarket in 1980. Gerrity’s currently employs over 1300 people. 

Gerrity’s Offering $50 Gift Cards for COVID-19 Vaccine

Gerrity’s Supermarkets will be holding three COVID-19 vaccine clinics over the next two weeks. Gerrity’s and Lackawanna County have partnered to offer $50 Gerrity’s gift cards to anyone who receives their first dose at one of the clinics. Lackawanna County will be sponsoring the cost of the gift cards for 100 recipients at each clinic.

Gerrity’s pharmacists will be dispensing the Moderna vaccine to anyone who is 18 years of age or older. People can sign up by visiting gerritys.com. Joyce “Mom” Fasula, president of Gerrity’s, is very pleased to be able to offer the vaccines. “We are grateful to Lackawanna County for giving us the opportunity to offer these gift cards,” said Fasula. “We are so thrilled to have a positive impact on the health of our community.”

The clinics will be held at the following locations:
Keyser-Oak Shopping Center, Scranton on Wednesday, December 8
702 S. Main Ave., Scranton on Wednesday, December 15
4015 Birney Ave., Moosic on Thursday, December 16

Gerrity’s Announces Purchase of Valley Farm Market

Joyce “Mom” Fasula, President of Gerrity’s Supermarkets, is very proud to announce that her family business is adding a tenth location. On Monday, November 15th, the Scranton-based supermarket company will purchase Valley Farm Market in Bethlehem, PA.

In recent years, Gerrity’s has opened three Ace Hardware locations and remodeled all of their supermarkets. However, this will be the first new supermarket location in over 15 years. “In the supermarket business, it is important to continue to grow,” Fasula says. “We are proud to invest in the Bethlehem community, especially in light of the current state of the economy.”

Valley Farm Market is currently owned by the Schummer Family, who employs over 140 workers. Gerrity’s will be discussing career opportunities with each and every member of the staff. The Fasulas and Schummers have been discussing the sale for several months. During that time, Gerrity’s management team has been stopping into the store. “We have been very impressed by the friendliness of the workers, the quality of the perishables and the condition of the store,” said Fasula. “The store and the staff will fit very well into the Gerrity’s family.

Considering how well run the store is, the Fasulas plan to make very few changes to how the store runs. They will also keep the name Valley Farm Market on the building and in the marketing. However, they do plan to make improvements to lighting, the entryway, equipment, and pricing. In addition, they are planning a complete remodel that will begin late 2022 or early 2023.

The best news for Valley Farms Employees is that, since they will be new to the Gerrity’s organization, they will be eligible for the new hire bonus of up to $500. Gerrity’s also anticipates hiring 50 additional full and part time people, including skilled positions like butchers, bakers, cooks, and cake decorators, as wells as clerks in every department.