RETAIL : New Supermarket in Stanton Receives 3,000 Applications for 175 Positions

When it came to filling 175 jobs for its new supermarket in Stanton, Smith’s Food & Drug Centers discovered just how deeply the recession has undercut Orange County’s job market.

Over five days, more than 3,000 applications were received for jobs ranging from grocery baggers to store manager. That was more than 17 people vying for each position.

“We had a phenomenal turnout,� said Jim Carr, regional personnel director.

But not as phenomenal as in some other Southland communities. Carr said the chain received 4,000 applications when it opened stores in La Puente and in the San Bernardino County town of Highland.

Smith’s pays the same union-negotiated rate of most other chains--grocer baggers start at $5 an hour and go to $5.70 in nine months; clerks earn $8.82 an hour and wages are raised to $14.70 within a year. But Carr said Smith’s offers more full-time positions--about half of a store’s work force--than competitors and has a strong commitment to promoting from within.

“Our company has a real good reputation, and word of mouth is really spreading,� he said.

The Salt Lake City-based chain, which has opened 13 stores in California in the past year, is aggressively expanding. In Orange County, the Fullerton and Yorba Linda stores will soon be joined by the Stanton and Garden Grove stores.