Bed Bath and Beyond is struggling to keep staff leaving before their store closes and has been forced to offer bonuses.
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California’s retail industry faces enormous challenges as chains continue to announce store closures. Major chains are closing their stores across the state as their customers move to online shopping.
Now they are facing another issue- staff quitting before the store closes.
Let’s take a look at this developing story.
Bed Bath & Beyond stores in California closing in 2023
416 Bed Bath & Beyond-owned stores in the U.S. will close in 2023 due to financial issues. Thirty-five of these are in California.
- Valencia: Valencia Marketplace, 25540 The Old Road
- Chula Vista: 394 East H St.
- San Jose: 5353 Almaden Expressway, Suite A-200
- Buena Park: 8390 On The Mall #237
- Santee: 9918 Mission Gorge Road
- Redding: 1140 Hilltop Drive
- La Habra: 1320 South Beach Blvd.
- Lakewood: 75 Lakewood Center Mall
- Larkspur: 2601 Larkspur Landing Circle
- Palmdale: 39421 10th St. West
- Antioch: 5719 Lone Tree Way
- Sacramento: 3611 N. Freeway Blvd.
- San Leandro: 15555 East 14th St., Suite 240
- Burbank: 201 East Magnolia Blvd.
- Marina: 117 General Stilwell Drive
- Vallejo: 105 Plaza Drive, Suite 107
- Palm Desert: 72459 Highway 111
- Visalia: 3125 South Mooney Blvd.
- Hawthorne: 14351 Hindry Avenue
- Carlsbad: 1905 Calle Barcelona Suite 100
- Upland: 1865 North Campus Avenue, Building #15
- San Diego: 10537 4S Commons Drive, Suite 170
- Culver City: 10822 Jefferson Blvd.
- San Marcos: 165 S. Las Posas Rd.
- Folsom: 2385 Iron Point Rd.
- Glendora: 1405 East Gladstone Street
- San Francisco: 555 9th Street
- Yorba Linda: 23041 Savi Ranch Parkway
- Santa Ana: 3900 South Bristol Street
- San Luis Obispo: 317 Madonna Road
- Elk Grove: 9145 W. Stockton Blvd.
- Vacaville: 128 Browns Valley Parkway
- Chico: 2101 Martin Luther King Parkway
- Downey: Downey Landing Shopping Center
- Beaumont: 1642 E. 2nd Street Marketplace
No closing date for the stores was announced, which has led to uncertainty for staff who will be losing their jobs.
Staff pay
There has been little incentive for staff to continue to work at one of the stores set to close, as Bed Bath & Beyond is not offering severance payments. Therefore staff in many stores quit before their store’s liquidation process was complete.
To try and combat this move, Bed Bath and Beyond are now offering bonuses for staff who stay with the stores until they officially close for good.
The bonuses are reputed to be:
- $500 for hourly workers
- $1,000 for supervisors
- $1,750 for assistant managers
- $2,250 for store managers
One Bed Bath and Beyond employee told Insider:
“I don’t think it was out of the goodness of their heart. They were losing a lot of people.”
However, it remains to be seen whether these new bonus payments will be enough to incentivize staff to stay or if they will continue to quit to find new jobs.
Pay an issue in California
Last week, the Department of Labor released a report that had some shocking information.
Federal investigators examined 50 contractors and manufacturers in Southern California, considered the epicenter ofthe domestic garment industry, and were surprised to find that 80% were breaking one or more provisions of US labor law.
From 2017 and 2022, the Department of Labor collected $9.2 million from companies in Southern California in back wages and penalties.
With the retail industry struggling, paying employees competitive wages will continue to be an issue.
For the latest list of all stores closing in California, please check out this article. To keep up to date with the latest retail and business developments, make sure to follow me.
Your thoughts
Should workers who lose their job due to store closures be given bonuses? Do you believe Bed Bath and Beyond made a wrong decision by not offering severance payments? Are you concerned about the number of retail stores closing in California? Should the government provide financial support for struggling retail businesses or laid-off workers?
Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below and share this article on social media and with others so more people can join the discussion.