As vaccines become available to essential workers, several popular grocery store chains have committed to financially supporting employees who receive the coronavirus vaccine.
Right now, retailers including Dollar General, Trader Joe's and Aldi have announced plans to pay employees who receive the vaccine. Shopping service Instacart has shared a similar plan. Combined, the four companies employ more than 375,000 people across tens of thousands of locations.
"Access to the vaccine is one more way we can help protect our ALDI team and the loyal shoppers who enter our stores," said an ALDI spokesperson, who told TODAY Food that the German supermarket chain intends to "cover costs associated with vaccine administration and provide hourly employees with two hours of pay for each vaccine dose" received. "We are especially excited for our frontline employees to have the opportunity to receive the vaccine, and hope it gives them peace of mind as they continue to serve their communities as essential workers."
The ALDI spokesperson also explained that salaried employees will have scheduling flexibility when it comes time to getting their vaccine.
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A Trader Joe's spokesperson said that the company is "closely monitoring the status of" the vaccine rollout, and plans to pay employees two hours of regular pay per dose of vaccine received. The company will also work with employees to make sure their schedule allows them to be vaccinated.
"We care about our Crew Members," said the spokesperson. "We encourage our Crew Members to get vaccinated and are supporting them in doing so."
A spokesperson for Instacart said that shoppers would be paid a flat rate of $25 for being vaccinated. According to a press release, Dollar General will give employees a one-time payment equivalent to four hours of pay after they have received both vaccine doses.
Each company said that their goal with these programs was to prioritize the health and safety of employees and customers alike.
"Through our mission of serving others, we take the responsibility to serve our customers and communities seriously. Now is no different," said Dollar General in a press release. "...For our frontline employees who wish to receive the vaccine, we are going to support them."