Sheetz becomes an even better place to work

By George Anderson

JANUARY 14, 2016

Sheetz, the 500+ convenience store chain based in Pennsylvania, has a pretty good reputation as an employer. That rep is likely to get a boost following the company's announcement on Tuesday that it will raise its minimum wage for associates, shift supervisors and assistant managers.

"We're committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best people. We believe that paying wages at the upper end of the retail scale is necessary to achieve that goal," said Stephanie Doliveira, vice president of human resources at Sheetz, in a statement. "In addition to paying competitive wages, we provide our employees with increases based upon tenure, access to health insurance, quarterly bonuses, college tuition reimbursement, adoption assistance and paid time off, among many other benefits, continuing to prove that Sheetz strives to be a great place to work."

The family-owned chain, which was already paying a higher starting wage than the federal minimum, plans to take its base pay rates to $10 an hour for sale associates this month. It will also up its starting wages to $13 an hour for shift supervisors and $16 for assistant managers.

Image: Sheetz video

"While other businesses in the industry might have to cut back on employee hours or new hires as a result of wage increases, Sheetz is working hard to provide full time hours to as many employees as possible, providing them with an opportunity to earn more and secure health benefits," said Ms. Doliveira.

Sheetz was one of two convenience chains, the other being QuikTrip, that made Fortune's list of "The 20 Best Workplaces in Retail." On Glassdoor, it earned a rating of 3.6 stars out of five with 73 percent saying they would recommend working at the chain to a friend.