“ There’s a report that there’s been a drop of about 30% in entry level positions due to the implementation of AI. Are you still hiring at the store? How’s the labor market in the store for the folks coming into the store? And do you find that you can do more with less people from an administrative point of view at the office level?
Roy Strasburger , CEO of StrasGlobal, President of Compliance Safe, and Vision Group Network Co-Founder
Labor and Workforce On labor, Strasburger asked how companies were managing staffing both in-store and at the corporate level, especially as AI reshapes entry-level work. Polonsky reported marked improvement in Portland at Plaid Pantry, with turnover rates stabilizing and more experienced managers available longer. “Over the last six months, the quality of candidate is much improved, and the number of applicants has increased,” he said. Gauthier noted better retention as well, though her company eliminated one administrative role by shifting duties to operations teams supported by AI. Samuels highlighted a different challenge at Dash In with the desire for fully remote work at the corporate level. Despite offering a hybrid Tuesday through Thursday schedule, he said, “more and more people want fully remote work... So we’re not hiring people fully-remote any longer because it kills collaboration and overall team building within the business.”
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