BOISE, Idaho — After a gap year or a year of online schooling, students have returned to campuses near and far now that colleges and universities have opened back up for in-person learning. However, the departure of students who pursue higher education out of town has left local businesses to deal with staffing shortages.
"Most of our students who stayed the last year instead of going away to college finally got the opportunity to leave," said Megan Zottarelli, the general manager at Goody's Soda Fountain and Candy Store in Boise's Hyde Park. "We had a really well-trained, solid staff for the last few years, and then we found ourselves with not too many managers and that sort of stuff."
Throughout the pandemic, Goody's had been able to stay open -- even during the early stages of the stay-at-home orders in 2020.
"It was a little sad when we ended up having to do it this late in the game," Zottarelli said.
New challenges stemming from a staff shortage had forced the North End staple to change and limit some of their days of operation. Managers at the store said they were working extra shifts just to keep the doors open, but sometimes that was not enough.
Zottarelli said she is at the store making ice cream and other treats, even on days they're not open for customers.
"It does break my heart every time I see somebody come up to the doors, I just want to unlock them for them, but when you're all by yourself it makes it pretty tough" Zottarelli said.
Other stores around Hyde Park and the Treasure Valley have found themselves in the same situation.
Across the street from Goody's at Hyde Park Pub & Grill and down at Big City Coffee in the Linen District, the doors are also open fewer hours because of staffing shortages. Hyde Park Pub has started closing Wednesdays due to a kitchen staffing shortage, according to a post on its Facebook page. Both businesses have made several posts on social media informing people of new closures throughout the month.
They're also looking to hire new staff members.
For Goody's, planning ahead is how they're able to deal with the problem.
"We don't schedule on an every-week basis. We look ahead and schedule it out three to four weeks in advance," Zottarelli said. "That way we can see there are issues and where we need to add more people or if we need to close for a day or something."
Closing on days they would normally be operating, on top of their most profitable weekend of the year -- the Hyde Park Street Fair -- getting canceled again, has started to add up.
"Luckily, we're still doing alright and everything, but it does hurt a little bit," Zottarelli said.
Things are beginning to look up for Goody's after they've been pounding the pavement to get more hires.
Zottarelli said they've reached out to former employees to ask about anyone looking for a job, they've headed to job fairs, and they've even asked customers.
"If they looked around college-age and they would be the right fit for Goody's, we just asked them point-blank, 'Are you looking for a job right now?'" Zottarelli explained.
In the last couple of weeks, Goody's has been able to hire eight new employees, which is sweet relief, especially after looking at the next staff schedule.
"We don't have to close a single day, so it feels really good," Zottarelli said.
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