What do these supermarket job applicants have in common, besides lack of shop floor experience: a street fair organiser, an undergrad accounting student, and a food bank volunteer? All have a good chance of being hired with a persuasive supermarket cover letter emphasising the right traits and transferable skills.
Regardless of your employment history, in any field, relying on a resume alone is an incomplete job search strategy. Resume.io offers tips and tools for including a cover letter that tells your whole “hire me” story. Our growing collection of online resources includes a wide variety of occupation-specific writing guides, with corresponding cover letter examples.
This practical guide is geared to supermarket job candidates, paired with cover letter sample wording you can adapt for your own situation. Continue reading as we discuss:
Just like the neatly stocked shelves of grocery store aisles, nothing in your supermarket cover letter should be left to randomness. Nor is there anything deceptive about the reader-friendly first impression when this orderly structure of segments is followed:
There’s a knack to ensuring your cover letter is both short enough — 400 words maximum on a single page — and complete enough. For just-right results, stick to the framework outlined above and the writing advice we’ll provide shortly for each cover letter section.
Here is an adaptable supermarket cover letter example that you can modify to suit the position and employer:
Dear Mr. Tribani,
As an avid foodie, I am always looking to discover new products, and as a customer, I am always looking for friendly and helpful service. At Morris Supermarket I've found both, and that is why I am delighted to apply for your advertised supermarket assistant position.
As a supermarket assistant for your company, I would initially devote a significant amount of time to understanding the store layout and products. I take pride in making sure I can answer any queries customers have. That comes down to learning, which I continuously undertake with passion.
While working in a previous similar role, more than one customer actually told me that they travelled to my store every week, even though they lived or worked much closer to a different store of the same chain! They appreciated the customer service they received, and it’s gratifying to know I played a huge part in that.
Whether Morris Supermarket customers are shopping for a quick lunch or weekly groceries, I’d be committed to making sure they leave with a smile. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my qualifications in more detail, including my previous experience in varied retail settings.
I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Gary King
An attention-grabbing cover letter header can score extra points from supermarket hiring managers. The personal branding benefits are both esthetic and practical — especially when your cover letter and resume have matching design elements. Recruiters will be impressed with your stylish touch.
Meanwhile, the prominence of your name, occupation, and contact information instantly identifies where your application documents are coming from. On any hiring manager’s desk or digital screen, there’s little chance of confusion or displacement.
Goal of the cover letter header: Stand out from all the other supermarket job candidates with a visually distinctive cover letter header that displays your name and contact information.
You’ll never go wrong with the time-honoured cover letter greeting “Dear Mr. / Ms. Surname.” Off the top, it strikes the right tone: polite and professional without sounding cold or old-fashioned. And it’s personable enough to give a sense of your likeability interacting with supermarket customers and co-workers.
It also reflects the obvious effort you’ve made to customise your job application by personalising it. Research has proven that people hearing or reading their own name are far more likely to respond in a positive manner.
But sometimes it’s impossible to determine who is on the receiving end of your supermarket cover letter. Failing your best sleuthing efforts — online or by calling or visiting the store to inquire — your next best option for a non-generic greeting might be something like: “Dear QRSmart Cashier Hiring Manager” or “Dear QRSmart Warehouse Supervisor.”
Goal of the cover letter greeting: Establish a professional connection with the hiring supermarket in a manner that’s friendly but still courteous.
Your cover letter introduction is the “hook” that catches and holds the reader’s interest right away. It wastes no words as a stirring value proposition connecting your past and present to this supermarket’s future success story.
Stuck before you’ve even got started with a cover letter introduction? Look no further. We’ve come up with more than 14 examples of how to start a cover letter. You’ll have no trouble finding one that’s right for you and irresistible for any hiring manager.
Goal of the cover letter introduction: Intrigue the reader enough to learn more about your best-matched qualifications for the supermarket position, while leaving details to be revealed later in the letter and in your CV.
Here’s the greeting and introduction from our supermarket cover letter sample:
Dear Mr. Tribani,
As an avid foodie, I am always looking to discover new products, and as a customer, I am always looking for friendly and helpful service. At Morris Supermarket I've found both, and that is why I am delighted to apply for your advertised supermarket assistant position.
Now we come to the meat and potatoes of your supermarket cover letter. It’s time to get specific about what you would bring to the table.
Pick and choose the most relevant employment highlights. Try to frame them as accomplishments, using facts and figures to illustrate beneficial outcomes: cost savings or profit gains, and improved efficiency or customer satisfaction.
Lack of work experience need not diminish the effectiveness of this cover letter section. Take for granted how much learning for this supermarket position will likely occur on the job. So here you can take advantage of the chance to showcase the transferable skills and innate traits you already possess — those that are universally valued by employers across all occupations. Don’t overlook any abilities or attitudes that you’ve acquired and applied at school or in extracurricular activities … at home or in volunteer community service.
Goal of the cover letter body: Elaborate on how this supermarket would benefit from your contributions as an outstanding employee.
Our supermarket cover letter sample illustrates what you might include in the middle part:
As a supermarket assistant for your company, I would initially devote a significant amount of time to understanding the store layout and products. I take pride in making sure I can answer any queries customers have. That comes down to learning, which I continuously undertake with passion.
While working in a previous similar role, more than one customer actually told me that they travelled to my store every week, even though they lived or worked much closer to a different store of the same chain! They appreciated the customer service they received, and it’s gratifying to know I played a huge part in that.
Your cover letter conclusion should give no hint of winding down. Rather, your enthusiasm is kicked up a notch. And the right way to do that is with a call to action, opening the door wider for recruiters to respond.
Expressing hope for an interview — perhaps even proposing a discussion topic — doesn’t make you pushy or presumptuous. At the very least, indicate you look forward to hearing back from the employer soon.
Your closing remarks should also briefly restate why you are an ideal job candidate, with words of thanks for the recipient’s time and attention.
Then, simply sign off with “Sincerely,” Best regards,” or “Best,” above your name.
Goal of the cover letter closing: End on an optimistic note with a call to action that puts some onus on the employer to follow up.
Below is the closing section of our supermarket cover letter sample.
Whether Morris Supermarket customers are shopping for a quick lunch or weekly groceries, I’d be committed to making sure they leave with a smile. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my qualifications in more detail, including my previous experience in varied retail settings.
I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Gary King
An error-free cover letter is the best way to demonstrate how careful and conscientious you are as a supermarket job contender.
Naturally, proofreading is your best precaution against preventable typos, misspellings and grammatical gaffes. But those are not the only common cover letter flaws with potentially deal-breaking consequences. Here are some more to avoid:
Leaving layout, design and formatting details up to Resume.io frees you to focus on writing a great cover letter. Choose your favourite style from our extensive collection of field-tested cover letter templates. Then, simply customise with your own replacement text using our quick and easy builder tool.
For additional inspiration, check out our related cover letter examples: