Major changes to Schwan’s Home Delivery in Minot, Williston areas

MINOT and WILLISTON, N.D. (KMOT) - Schwan’s Home Delivery has been serving families since 1952.

Due to long-term staffing shortages, starting September 1, five locations across the U.S. will be shutting down home delivery, two of which are located in Minot and in Williston.

Leadership with the company said they’ve had no success filling the jobs needed to keep things operational.

The number of employees was not disclosed, but all employees are paid through the end of the month and given severance, when eligible.

The yellow trucks may not be circulating anymore, but customers can purchase products online and will receive them via UPS two-day shipping.

Schwan’s packs the products with dry ice, which keeps the orders frozen for hours. Exactly how many hours depends on climate and weather.

There is a 100% quality guarantee that the items will stay frozen.

A frequent customer of Schwan’s in Minot was surprised and saddened by the news.

“Those employees circulated that money back into our economy here. Now, what the company is asking me as a consumer to do is to take my hard-earned money and send it to them in a different state where that money will never recirculate here for the product that I’d get shipped here,” said Miranda Schuler, a customer of Schwan’s Home Delivery.

Schuler developed a friendly relationship with her delivery driver.

She said with only two weeks’ notice, the driver has already seen most of his families on his normal rotation.

She said she feels sad that they won’t really be able to say goodbye to their patrons properly.

“This is not an easy decision for us to make. Not one that we take lightly, and we take every course of action we can to keep a company location running and staffed,” said Jennifer Rock Beers, director of communications and public relations with Schwan’s Home Delivery.

Rock Beers said that the Bismarck location will remain open as well as the Breckenridge and Moorhead, Minnesota, locations and the Aberdeen, South Dakota, location.