Retail Strong

UT Tyler Senior Serves His Community Amid Pandemic

Employees at the Tyler-based Brookshire Grocery Co. are among the thousands of essential workers across Texas on the COVID-19 pandemic front lines. UT Tyler marketing senior Efrain Torres of Hallsville is one of those workers. Serving the grocery company for almost five years, Torres worked his way up from courtesy clerk to department manager at his hometown Brookshire’s store  and to assistant manager at the Pittsburg location, where he works over 48 hours weekly while a full-time UT Tyler student.

As an assistant store manager, Torres helps his store manager with overall operations. He also assists with logistics and all aspects of customer service, including helping customers find a product and taking their suggestions for store enhancement.

Torres said UT Tyler gave him the tools he needed to grow with the company, such as gaining experience in UT Tyler’s retail lab; and learning the latest management and marketing software and programs, including SAP and Category Management. He noted these tools, as well as professors who care about his success, give him an advantage and a better understanding on how marketing works in the real world.

“There is always something new to learn, and having those right tools and right professors helps me see better results and see how I can change my company for the better,” Torres said.

ADAPTING TO CHANGE

Torres said the COVID-19 pandemic has been a “big challenge” since it began three months ago. Customers started buying in bulk to prepare for a potential disaster, and Torres said this buying pattern created a companywide shortage with stores seeing empty shelves at a fast rate. Basic products and food such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, beans and rice became high-demand items ,and in turn, were difficult to find.

“The pandemic definitely has changed the way we buy groceries at the store and made us realize how important grocery stores are for humanity,” he said.

Torres noted managers adapted to the pandemic by changing store operational hours, increasing sanitation and ultimately placing buying limits on those high-demand products including toilet paper and bottled water; and certain food such as meat and vegetables.

“With a situation like COVID-19, I learned how to think like customers and know their behavior when something like this happens. And it was hard for me, too, with the risk of getting the virus."

HELPING HAND

Bryan Jackson is a store director with Brookshire Grocery Co. with over 30 service years in numerous locations. He has been at the store in Pittsburg for almost four years, working alongside Torres for a year.

Jackson said he is proud of his assistant manager and was instantly impressed with Torres’ intelligence, eagerness to learn, positive attitude and work ethic.

“Efrain continues to prove his leadership skills on a daily basis, and he has had a positive impact on our service level, store conditions and profitability,” Jackson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing Efrain achieve the next level in his career.”

Torres will graduate this fall with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing. He plans to continue his education at UT Tyler and pursue a master’s degree. His hobbies include watching soccer and working on his 1977 Camaro Z28 and 2019 Camaro ZL1.

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