Major Grocery Chain Getting Rid of 24-Hour Stores Following Minimum Wage Hike

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Published November 23, 2017 at 7:25 pm

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We have some bad news for late-night and early morning shoppers who like grab their golden delicious apples and chicken breasts before or after their night shifts–some 24-hour grocery stores might be reducing their hours in the wake of the minimum wage hike.

A recent Financial Post article indicates that major grocery chain Metro might get rid of some 24-hour grocery stores in a move to stay competitive in the fact of mounting employment expenses.

According to the article, Metro chief executive Eric Le Fleche told analysts that shoppers should prepare for reduced hours at some stores.

“Some 24-hour stores will no longer be 24-hour stores,” he said. “We have to manage the hours the best we can without reducing customer service.”

The Ontario government passed its controversial Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act legislation yesterday—an act that promises to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, provide equal pay for part-time and full-time workers, expand paid leave and more.

Although many Ontarians have praised the worker-friendly move, critics have argued the legislation could hurt workers by compelling companies to cut jobs and close stores in order to grapple with increased expenses.

According to the Financial Post article, Metro has said it expects to incur $45-$50 million in extra costs next year due to the hike–hence the company’s push to scale back hours at some stores.  

It is not yet known which 24-hour locations will stop operating as all day, all night stores.

We’ll keep you updated on more details as they emerge.

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