Employee Appreciation Day

Agway Celebrated Employee Appreciation Day
Agway of Cape Cod celebrated their own Employee Appreciation Day on Tuesday, October 27th. All three Agway of Cape Cod locations were closed to allow their 94 employees a well-deserved paid holiday in celebration of continued perseverance through the past year. 

Agway stores initially closed their doors to indoor customer foot traffic in March in response to recommendations from Governor Baker in his public statement announcing emergency action to address COVID-19. “Although we were deemed an essential business by the state and could have kept the doors open, we thought it safest to close them as we prepared for the new safety measures,” says Jessica Thomas, co-owner of Agway. As a retail business in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, Agway was approaching what is traditionally their busiest time of the year, the spring growing season. Every decision turned into a major decision. “We wanted to be there for our valued customers but we needed to be there for our employees,” notes Jessica. “Above all else, health and safety considerations guided our choices. We worked really hard to implement the proper protocols and to train our staff before making the decision to re-open. March, April and May saw a major shift in operations and protocols and our team rolled with it all like absolute champs.”

Working as a team Agway developed an e-commerce platform and call-in ordering system to allow for curbside pickup. From day one of the new program, the response was overwhelming. The store managers, warehouse crew and floor team communicated and coordinated efforts and helped drive success. “We were able to respond pretty quickly to the demands of Cape Cod’s spring gardening season,” Jessica recalls. “Once we found our groove, we were able to fill orders in less than 24 hours or even just a few hours. We owe our success to the employees that pulled together and made that happen.” 
Now that Agway customers can again enjoy shopping in-person at all three locations, employee dedication is even more evident. The team has transformed the stores into a safe shopping environment, implementing traffic flow guidelines, extensive cleaning routines and other measures.

Co-owner Josh Wile says, “The outpouring of support from the community has been amazing–our customers have kept us busy, and we are thankful for every time they’ve chosen to shop local for garden, lawn and pet needs. It’s made a huge impact on our business. Our employees have come to work every day ready to take on new challenges with such a positive attitude.”
That’s what drove management to turn October 27th into Employee Appreciation Day.  “National Employee Appreciation Day isn’t until March, but our team deserves this now,” says Jessica. Josh adds, “The best employees deserve the best. We want to thank them for being so incredible, resilient, positive and supportive of each other. We love our Agway family.”