Watertown business cuts hours amid worker shortage

TOWN OF WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – At least one Watertown business is feeling the burn of staffing shortages while another has tips for keeping staff on.

It’s a sign that could become a common sight. For the foreseeable future, Petco, located on Town Center Drive in the town of Watertown, has had to adjust its hours, closing at 7 p.m. instead of the usual 9.

The reason: it’s shorthanded and it’s not alone in that problem.

“I use a famous quote and say we don’t have a labor pool, we have a labor puddle. I even have gone so far as to say it’s a wet spot,” said workplace, The WorkPlace director.

At The WorkPlace, which helps people find jobs, Mayforth says folks have been predicting staffing shortages for around 15 years, and it’s not because people “don’t want to work.”

Instead, Mayforth tells us there simply aren’t enough people to work. That’s because boomers and Gen X-ers are retiring, and succeeding generations are smaller.

“It’s a shortage of people. The generational population has decreased. Millennials didn’t have as many kids as boomers, and Gen Z-ers are having even less,” she said.

Depending on the type of business, staffing shortages can impact different places in different ways. We’re told that at restaurants like Corelife Eatery, consistency can take a hit.

“When you have a staffing shortage, the consistency of the operation could mean ‘Can you produce the same meal Tuesday at noon as you can Saturday at 7 and get all of your staff fully trained,’” said General Manager Steve Rowell.

He says staffing at Corelife is in a stable spot because the restaurant has made a point to keep employees happy, whether that be through accommodating folks with two jobs or simply helping staff keep a work-life balance.

“When people are happy in their workplace, I think they do better work and they’re also long-term employees,” he said.

Back at The WorkPlace, Mayforth says we may see more adjustments to hours and even increased automation like self-checkout lines in the future as businesses contend with shortages.

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