Candy Supply Store

I work as a regional manager at a large warehouse for Hershey Inc. I started in this field as just a line worker, checking the quality of different products that were to be shipped out to different stores and manufacturers all around the world. After years of proving my competence, ability to work well with others, and a desire to move up in the world, I received enough promotions to make it to a management position. Many companies like to promote from within because it can be super useful to have someone in charge of employees who has been in their shoes. I know what it’s like to work in almost every position at this warehouse because I myself most likely worked in that position at one point. 

One problem that we have been running into recently has come with ever-changing problems associated with the pandemic. We have seen huge shifts in the economy as a whole, which then creates change within local markets. Given everything going on with COVID, supply and demand have been volatile depending on the good or service. Here at Hershey, we have seen a huge decrease in the amount of product ordered by restaurants, such as bakeries or cafes. Normally, these types of customers buy our candy boxes and chocolate in bulk to put into their baked goods or desserts that they serve to their own customers in their storefront. However, since the COVID lockdown started back in May, many stores were forced to close or do take-out only, and therefore could not sell their products as well. This meant that we saw quite a change in the amount of product we were sending to these customers. At first, this was somewhat alarming to our management and stockholders. However, it was made better by our retail and online sales increasing a large amount.

Most of our sales come from retailers like supermarkets and grocery stores. Thankfully, these numbers were still up due to COVID. Since people were spending a lot more time at home, there was an increase in the amount of Hershey’s chocolate being bought by the everyday consumer. Whether it be for baked goods, smores, or just eating right out of the candy boxes, people were buying a lot more of our chocolate than usual. This meant that we had a lot of stores ordering a lot more products than normal. Walmart was especially busy, and we found ourselves having to divert a lot of manufacturing in order to keep up with the demand from retail stores all across the country. The good news is that this increase in demand balances out the decrease we saw in the restaurant industry. 

As a manager at this warehouse, I had to make sure that the right amount of products were being sent to the right places every day. With all the complications caused by COVID and the extreme shift the market was taking, this was no easy task. However, I made sure to communicate well with my employees to ensure expectations were set and our company goals were being met. This time of uncertainty was an opportunity to assess my management style and to make sure that I was staying on top of my game. I am looking forward to what the future brings and hope that we are able to adapt well to whatever turn the market (and the world) takes next.