Kwik Trip thrives during pandemic

Customers waiting in line with bags of groceries. Coworkers rushing around the store to get duties done. The phone and coffee timer seem to be in sync. This is the atmosphere in Kwik Trip because of the current status of the pandemic. With daily deliveries from warehouses, it makes sense how Kwik Trip has been able to bring in more customers.

For months now, Kwik Trip has been doing everything they can to ensure coworker and customer safety, as well as customer satisfaction. By removing items and doing more pre-packaging, Kwik Trip has been able to stay open and keep everyone who enters their stores safe. Along with additional safety measures, Kwik Trip coworkers get to receive an extra $2/hour pay increase for all hours that are worked from March 15 to May 7. The pay increase could be extended even further depending on how long this pandemic lasts.

Kwik Trip, however, has not been this bustling place for the entire duration of the pandemic. In February Kwik Trip started to decrease in sales and by March, the New Ulm Kwik Trip sometimes looked like an absolute ghost town. Judy Maaz, a senior shift leader, said, “This is the quietest I have seen this place in years.”

It was not until the beginning of April that Kwik Trip began sales began to increase. By mid-April, food sales began to increase as well. As summer begins to roll around the corner, it can only be imagined how much more the sales will increase.