Wawa temporarily closes some stores due to staffing issues as it looks to hire thousands

Staffing shortages have forced some Wawa stores to temporarily close or reduce their hours as it races to hire thousands of new employees with summer approaching.

CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.

Wawa didn’t disclose how many or which stores have been affected, but a location in Somers Point that shut down earlier this week is expected to resume full operations by 6 a.m. June 10, a spokeswoman for the convenience store chain said Thursday.

“Wawa may temporarily close or reduce hours of operation at a store for a number of reasons, including operational challenges or staffing,” the company said in a statement. “At times we will consolidate operations with smaller stores to support larger fuel stores.”

In the meantime, Wawa is planning to hire 5,000 employees at its 860 stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware Virginia and Washington D.C. and Florida in the next three months.

As an incentive, Wawa is offering a $300 bonus for any employee who receives a coronavirus vaccination by June 18. People hired between March 29 and June 15 for some positions are also eligible for an additional $500 bonus after 90 days on the job.

Those bonuses are higher than what Wawa offered in March — a $75 incentive for getting the coronavirus vaccine and a $125 bonus after 90 days of being employed. At the time, Wawa said it wanted to hire as many as 2,000 new employees at its 250 or so New Jersey stores in the next three months.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.