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Recent grocery jobs
Current grocery openings
- Bakery/Deli Clerk— Everett, WA
- Courtesy Clerk/Grocery Bagger— Kirkland, WA
- GROCERY/CLERK— Vancouver, WA
- PRODUCE/CLERK— Lynnwood, WA
- STORE/NIGHT CLERK— Puyallup, WA
- Bakery/Deli Clerk— Battle Ground, WA
- Bakery/Deli Clerk— Lacey, WA
- SEAFOOD COUNTER/CLERK— Lacey, WA
- FLORAL/CLERK— Seattle, WA
- APPAREL/CLERK— Spokane, WA
- Bakery/Deli Clerk— Spokane, WA
- STARBUCKS/BARISTA— East Wenatchee, WA
- SEAFOOD COUNTER/CLERK— Bellevue, WA
- STARBUCKS/BARISTA— Lynnwood, WA
- MEAT/WRAPPER— Spokane, WA
- SEAFOOD/CLERK— Vancouver, WA
- DELI/DEPT LEADER— Issaquah, WA
- STORE/NIGHT CLERK— Lynnwood, WA
- DELI/CLERK— Tumwater, WA
- DELI/DEPT LEADER— Monroe, WA
- SERVICE COUNTER/CLERK— Vancouver, WA
- FUEL CENTER/CLERK— Lynnwood, WA
- PRODUCE/CLERK— Shoreline, WA
- Bakery/Deli Clerk— Lynnwood, WA
The Grocery Job Market in Washington State
Grocery stores hire for a lot of different jobs under one roof: cashier and courtesy clerk at the front end, overnight and day stockers, deli, bakery, meat and seafood counters, produce, online order pickers, and fuel centers. Larger stores that sell general merchandise also hire for apparel, home goods, garden centers and liquor departments. Most stores train you on the job.
Cards, alcohol and unions
Food Worker Card. If your job involves unpackaged food, food equipment or utensils, or surfaces where unwrapped food goes, Washington requires a Food Worker Card within 14 days of starting. In a grocery store that usually means deli, bakery, meat, seafood and produce. It costs $10 at foodworkercard.wa.gov or your local health department. Your first card lasts 2 years. You don’t need it to apply, and your employer will tell you if your role needs one.
Selling alcohol at 18. Grocery workers 18 to 20 can sell, stock and handle beer and wine as long as someone 21 or older is on duty supervising. In stores that sell spirits, 18- to 20-year-olds can sell, stock and handle spirits when at least two supervisors 21 or older are on duty.
Unions. Many large grocery stores in Washington, including Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway and Albertsons locations, are covered by union contracts (UFCW 3000 and UFCW 367). In union stores, pay usually follows a contract wage scale that moves up as you log hours. Ask during hiring whether the store is union and how the pay scale works.
What grocery pays in Washington
These are statewide figures across all employers in each job, not grocery-only.
How hiring usually works
Every store is different, but grocery hiring usually looks like this:
- Apply online. You’ll give your contact info and your availability. Early mornings, overnight stocking, evenings and weekends are the shifts stores most need.
- Short assessment or screening (sometimes). Large chains may ask customer service and availability questions online.
- Interview with a store manager. Often short. Expect questions about customer service, teamwork and reliability. School, volunteer or life examples count.
- Start and train. Training happens on the job. Get your Food Worker Card within 14 days if your department needs one.
Timelines vary by employer.
How to land a grocery job with no experience
- Lead with availability. Overnight stocking, early mornings and weekends are the easiest ways in.
- Look beyond the register. Courtesy clerk, stocker, deli, bakery, produce and online order picking all hire without experience.
- Apply to more than one department. One store can have several openings at once.
- Get your Food Worker Card early (optional). It’s $10, and having it makes you ready for deli, bakery and meat openings on day one.
- Answer with real examples. Helping someone, working as a team, showing up on time.
- Follow up. A short call or stop-in a few days after applying is normal in grocery.
Where grocery can lead
Grocery has clear steps up, in Washington pay terms:
In union stores, pay also moves up the contract wage scale as you work more hours.