Sheetz stores to raise wages by $15 million

Convenience store chain Sheetz Inc. has announced that it will invest more than $15 million to increase store employees’ salaries without reducing the hours of its full-time workers, according to a company release.

Stephanie Doliveira, vice president of human resources at Sheetz, said that the company also aims to make more employees go full-time, 40 hours a week, giving them the chance to earn more and avail of health benefits.

“As a family-owned business, 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,” Doliveira added.

According to a Cleveland.com article, the Altoona, Pennsylvania.-based c-store chain pays more than 90 percent of what other stores pay.

It is also recognized by Great Place to Work® and Fortune as one of the 20 Best Workplaces in Retail in the United States.

“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,” Doliveira said.

The Cleveland.com article further said that Sheetz will also create more than 8,000 jobs this year.

Currently, it has more than 17,000 employees and operates more than 500 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina.