<p>By Dan Ratner, Senior Director, Member Services, FMI </p><p>Everyday supermarket employees work within their communities to ensure families and neighbors are fed and receive fresh wholesome products to support their health and well-being. In recent years, the world has acknowledged how truly essential these community heroes are to our daily lives. This year’s celebration of <a href="https://www.fmi.org/get-involved/supermarket-employee-day">Supermarket Employee Day</a> on February 22<sup>nd</sup> provided ample evidence of the appreciation communities have for their grocery store workers. </p><h5>Official Proclamations</h5><p>Many states and localities officially proclaimed February 22<sup>nd</sup> as Supermarket Employee Day and a day of celebration. This year Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas joined the growing list making it official.</p><p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/the-missouri-grocers-assoc-.png?sfvrsn=e651caa5_1" style="margin:10px auto;display:block;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" sf-custom-thumbnail="true" class="-align-center" width="400" alt="Supermarket Employee Day Social Media Post of Missouri State Proclamation " sf-size="540335" /></p><h5>Trending on Social Media</h5><p>Last week, Supermarket Employee Day trended on many social media platforms. There were at least 5,800 mentions of the celebration with over 1.4 million impressions. Here are some examples of the many messages posted…</p><p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/lowes-foods.png?sfvrsn=bd7138ef_1" style="margin:10px auto;display:block;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" sf-custom-thumbnail="true" class="-align-center" width="400" alt="Lowes Foods Supermarket Employee Day" sf-size="766950" /> </p><p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/price-chopper-cosentino.png?sfvrsn=ffbfd4f1_1" style="margin:10px auto;display:block;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" sf-custom-thumbnail="true" class="-align-center" width="400" alt="Price Chopper Supermarket Employee Day" sf-size="1257305" /></p><p> </p><p><b> </b></p><h5>Communities Expressing Appreciation</h5><p>It’s always heartwarming to see members of the local community also recognize grocery store heroes on Supermarket Employee Day.</p><p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/gate-city-bank_ig.jpg?sfvrsn=2c3e92dc_1" style="margin:10px auto;display:block;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" sf-custom-thumbnail="true" class="-align-center" width="400" alt="Gate City Bank Supermarket Employee Day" sf-size="98391" /></p><h5>Celebrating Worldwide</h5><p>Even though Supermarket Employee Day is forever on the <a href="https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-supermarket-employee-day-february-22/">National Day Calendar</a> it is celebrated around the globe to recognize grocery workers everywhere.<b></b></p><p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/spar-international.jpg?sfvrsn=ae1bcf22_1" style="margin:10px auto;display:block;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" sf-custom-thumbnail="true" class="-align-center" width="400" alt="SPAR International Supermarket Employee Day" sf-size="100" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/stokomak-diskonti.png?sfvrsn=5af02115_1" style="margin:10px auto;display:block;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" sf-custom-thumbnail="true" class="-align-center" width="400" alt="Stokomak Diskonti Supermarket Employee Day" sf-size="414186" /></p><p> </p><h5>Plan Now for 2024</h5><p>Start making your plans to celebrate the next Supermarket Employee Day on Thursday, February 22, 2024 using the examples above and the Supermarket Employee Day <a href="https://www.fmi.org/get-involved/supermarket-employee-day">toolkit</a> and <a href="https://stores.customink.com/sed-23">official store</a> available year-round. Of course, you don’t have to wait until then to thank your local grocery store worker for all they do. </p>
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