Suggesting that it’s a booming economy that is responsible, the RONA building centre has been forced to close its doors on Sundays due to a lack of experienced staff at the Cow Bay store. RONA recently lost five employees at their store, which they say is directly or indirectly linked to opportunities in town, related to the development of the container Port.
After losing three senior staff in one day, the local hardware and building supplies store is suffering from a staffing shortage that has forced them to rethink their weekend service plans. The situation has left them to give up a fairly lucrative day of business until they can find and retain enough workers to staff the store on Sundays.
Without knowing the staffing climate at the store or the background there, it may only be an employment blip related to one particular store in town, or a sign of a changing economy locally.
After losing three senior staff in one day, the local hardware and building supplies store is suffering from a staffing shortage that has forced them to rethink their weekend service plans. The situation has left them to give up a fairly lucrative day of business until they can find and retain enough workers to staff the store on Sundays.
Without knowing the staffing climate at the store or the background there, it may only be an employment blip related to one particular store in town, or a sign of a changing economy locally.
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The Daily News decided to take the latter route, presenting the story as sign of a booming economy in its Monday edition.
STAFF A HOT COMMODITY AS CITY BOOMS
Quality workers find their skills are highly portable
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, July 30, 2007
Page one
Due to the lucrative job possibilities being offered with the opening of the container port, local businesses are increasingly going to be hit with staff shortages, say managers.
“We’ve seen the good, and bad side of what’s happening,” said David Kroeker, manager of Rona/Tyee Building Supplies. “Our business has grown this year because people are spending money and moving to town, so we’ve seen the growth of our business due to the port. And of course now just recently with the hiring going on, we’ve seen the bad side of it..”
The problem for Kroeker is the store has already lost five employees, all of those directly and indirectly related to the port.
“You know when you’ve got the best staff in town, people want them and we’ve lost three senior staff in just one day, and previous to that two other senior staff members,” said Kroeker. “So we’re struggling to keep the customer service level that we’ve always had here. The staff that have left are trying their hardest, I hope the community understands that the small businessmen are going to be hit worst, retail-wise anyways, because unless we raise our prices so we can afford the bigger wages, it’s just a part of life that we’ll have to deal with.”
The loss has hit Rona/Tyee so hard that this Sunday was the last they will be open for the foreseeable future.
“With the loss of five staff members, I don’t have enough to carry a Sunday shift, so as of August 1 we’ll no longer be open on Sundays, until such time that we can get enough staff and knowledgeable staff to service the community,” Kroeker said. “Sunday is a good money-maker for us, but unfortunately I can’t close down Wednesdays or Thursdays because my competitor is open Monday to Saturday as well.”
The high-paying unionized jobs that have opened up in the city are proving too tempting for many residents to pass up.
“We had one (employee) that went to the longshoremen, we had one that went to another company who had lost an employee to the longshoremen. So they’re directly or indirectly related to the port. I’m sure the restaurant and café industry will be hit pretty hard as well.
While Kroeker is definitely disappointed with his current losing situation, he does know that it won’t necessarily last forever.
“In the long run, as more people come to town, it’s going to even out. I’m still positive about the port, I think it’s the best thing that’s going to happen to Rupert, but it’s going to take some time for things to level out and get back to normal.
STAFF A HOT COMMODITY AS CITY BOOMS
Quality workers find their skills are highly portable
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, July 30, 2007
Page one
Due to the lucrative job possibilities being offered with the opening of the container port, local businesses are increasingly going to be hit with staff shortages, say managers.
“We’ve seen the good, and bad side of what’s happening,” said David Kroeker, manager of Rona/Tyee Building Supplies. “Our business has grown this year because people are spending money and moving to town, so we’ve seen the growth of our business due to the port. And of course now just recently with the hiring going on, we’ve seen the bad side of it..”
The problem for Kroeker is the store has already lost five employees, all of those directly and indirectly related to the port.
“You know when you’ve got the best staff in town, people want them and we’ve lost three senior staff in just one day, and previous to that two other senior staff members,” said Kroeker. “So we’re struggling to keep the customer service level that we’ve always had here. The staff that have left are trying their hardest, I hope the community understands that the small businessmen are going to be hit worst, retail-wise anyways, because unless we raise our prices so we can afford the bigger wages, it’s just a part of life that we’ll have to deal with.”
The loss has hit Rona/Tyee so hard that this Sunday was the last they will be open for the foreseeable future.
“With the loss of five staff members, I don’t have enough to carry a Sunday shift, so as of August 1 we’ll no longer be open on Sundays, until such time that we can get enough staff and knowledgeable staff to service the community,” Kroeker said. “Sunday is a good money-maker for us, but unfortunately I can’t close down Wednesdays or Thursdays because my competitor is open Monday to Saturday as well.”
The high-paying unionized jobs that have opened up in the city are proving too tempting for many residents to pass up.
“We had one (employee) that went to the longshoremen, we had one that went to another company who had lost an employee to the longshoremen. So they’re directly or indirectly related to the port. I’m sure the restaurant and café industry will be hit pretty hard as well.
While Kroeker is definitely disappointed with his current losing situation, he does know that it won’t necessarily last forever.
“In the long run, as more people come to town, it’s going to even out. I’m still positive about the port, I think it’s the best thing that’s going to happen to Rupert, but it’s going to take some time for things to level out and get back to normal.
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