Yes, you can work at Food City at 14. The company hires 14-year-olds for entry-level grocery jobs like bagging and cart retrieval, and federal law allows it. What the law does control is how many hours you can work, when those hours can fall, which tasks you can and can’t do, and what paperwork has to be in place before your first shift. Some of those rules also change depending on which of Food City’s five states your store is in.
Jobs You Can Do at 14
Federal rules limit 14- and 15-year-olds to non-hazardous work. In a grocery store, that usually means:1eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
- Bagging groceries and carrying orders to customers’ cars
- Collecting shopping carts from the parking lot
- Stocking shelves and assembling product orders
- Price marking by hand or with a handheld device
- Basic office and clerical work, including operating office machines
These are front-of-store and dry-aisle roles. You should not find yourself back in production areas, coolers, or anywhere with heavy equipment running.
Tasks That Are Off-Limits
Just as important as what you can do is what you can’t. Federal regulations bar 14- and 15-year-olds from operating any power-driven machinery. In a grocery setting, that covers deli slicers, food grinders, food processors, and commercial mixers.1eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation You also can’t work inside meat coolers, freezers, or food-processing areas.
Cooking is mostly off-limits too. If the store has a deli or prepared foods counter, you can’t cook over open flames or use standard deep fryers. The one narrow exception is fryers with automatic basket-lowering devices, and only under those specific conditions.2U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #58: Cooking and Baking Under the Federal Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA Trash compactors and balers are firmly out. If a manager ever asks you to run any of that equipment, it’s a violation, and you can decline.
How Many Hours You Can Work
Federal law caps how much a 14- or 15-year-old can work using what’s often called the 3-18-8-40 rule:3U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations
- No more than 3 hours on a school day
- No more than 18 hours in a school week
- Up to 8 hours on a non-school day
- Up to 40 hours in a non-school week
There are time-of-day limits too. During the school year, shifts must fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff pushes back to 9 p.m.3U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations These limits apply even if you want the extra hours. A manager can’t schedule around them, and you can’t waive them.
“School day” means any day your district is in session, Fridays included. Spring and winter breaks count as non-school periods, which is when most teen workers pick up the bulk of their hours.
Paperwork You Need Before Your First Shift
Every new hire in the U.S., at any age, has to complete a Form I-9. For minors that usually means a Social Security card plus an ID. If you don’t have a driver’s license, a school record, report card, or doctor’s record can serve as identity documentation.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.0 Acceptable Documents for Verifying Employment Authorization and Identity A birth certificate can double as proof of age and proof of work authorization.
State rules on work permits vary across Food City’s footprint, which covers Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.5Food City. Find a Store Virginia requires 14- and 15-year-olds to obtain an employment certificate before performing any work.6Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. Youth Employment Tennessee does not require work permits at all; you just need proof of age like a birth certificate or state-issued ID.7Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. My Child Is 15 and Wants to Work – Where Do I Get a Work Permit? Kentucky asks for proof-of-age documentation but doesn’t use a formal certificate system. For Alabama and Georgia, check with your local Food City or state labor department before applying.
Gather everything before the interview. Showing up with your documents ready keeps onboarding from stalling.
What You’ll Earn
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in 2026.8U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws Federal law also lets employers pay a youth minimum wage of $4.25 per hour to workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days on the job. After 90 days, pay has to rise to at least the full federal or state minimum, whichever is higher.9U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #32: Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
Not every employer uses the youth sub-minimum, and some states set a higher floor than $7.25. Ask what your starting rate will be during the interview so your first paycheck isn’t a surprise.
How to Apply
Food City takes applications online at FoodCityCareers.com and by texting FCJOBS to 85000.10Food City. Food City Company-Wide Hiring Event The application asks for basic personal information, your availability, and any work history. If this is your first job, that’s fine. Managers hiring for bagger and cart positions don’t expect a résumé.
Interviews are short and focus mostly on scheduling: which days you can work, what school activities might conflict, and whether you understand the hour restrictions tied to your age. Show up on time, bring your documents, and answer honestly about availability.
What Changes When You Turn 16
Turning 16 lifts all federal hour and time-of-day restrictions. You can work evenings, weekends, and as many hours as the store schedules.3U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations You also become eligible for most positions in the store, including stocking coolers and working the deli counter. The one federal limit that stays is a bar on jobs the Secretary of Labor has declared hazardous, like operating certain heavy machinery. Some states keep additional hour rules for 16- and 17-year-olds, so your actual schedule flexibility still depends on where the store is.
If Your Manager Breaks the Rules
The Department of Labor can fine an employer up to $16,035 for each affected minor when it violates child labor rules, whether that means scheduling past permitted hours, assigning prohibited tasks, or skipping age verification.11U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments Penalties climb higher when a violation causes serious injury or death, and higher still for willful or repeated conduct.12eCFR. 29 CFR Part 579 – Child Labor Violations – Civil Money Penalties
Knowing the rules protects you. If a shift runs past 7 p.m. on a school night, someone tells you to run the deli slicer, or your school-week hours climb past 18, those are violations even if you agreed to them. Tell a parent first. If it doesn’t get fixed, your state labor department or the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will take a complaint.