In convenience, one of the biggest human resource challenges is hiring great team members who will grow (and grow with) the business. With issues like ghosting—failing to appear for a first scheduled shift with no explanation—now spooking managers everywhere, hiring can be a daunting task. To help convenience retailers navigate this market, the NACS State of the Industry Compensation Report collects recruitment and retention metrics of full- and part-time sales associates as well as managers.

In 2022, the average cost to hire full-time associates was $1,196 and part-time associates $1,022, a slight decrease compared to 2021, when the costs were $1,424 for full-time sales associates and $1,049 for part-time associates.* 

Cost to hire only accounts for costs incurred prior to an employee’s first shift, meaning they don’t take into account issues like ghosting. In 2021, 72.8% of full-time associates accepted an offer and 70.6% of part-time associates accepted an offer. However, the ghost rate was 23.3% for full-time associates and 20.3% for part-time associates, meaning about one out of every five people offered a position did not show up for their first shift. In 2022, 76.4% of full-time sales associates and 74.0% of part-time sales associates accepted an offer, potentially indicating more favorable conditions for employers, while the ghost rate also improved slightly overall: 18.7% for full-time sales associates and 22.8% for part-time sales associates. 

*Note: the NACS Compensation Survey is not a same-firm sample.