The Temperature Station
Almost immediately after the pandemic began our store started taking the temperature of employees and vendors as they came in for their shifts. The resistance to change was obvious as I watched the annoyance build [...]
The Global Schism
When I wake up in the morning, I think about the virus. Once at work, the signs of COVID-19 and its effects are all around me. If I glance at my phone on break or [...]
The Meltdown
For most of April, I’ve worked closing or midday shifts. My circadian rhythm isn't set for early mornings. But today I had an opening shift. I was struggling to stay awake when should have been [...]
Please Bag Your Groceries
In a world where grocery cashiers are now referred to as heroes and/or essential, I think it’s time that we all step our game up and start bagging our groceries at check out. The genuine [...]
The Empty City Streets Of Quarantine: I Miss My City
The city streets are empty, available and free on my walks to work at 6am. When I have an evening shift the same eerie scene greets me as the sun fades behind the cityscape. As [...]
Date Night At The Grocery Store During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Last weekend a couple came through my grocery line that looked exhausted and worn thin. They weren’t really looking at each other or talking with any consistency. When they did speak, I could hear a [...]
Who Are The Heroes and What is Essential During The Coronavirus Pandemic?
I was blindsided when a woman with a slight southern accent and a pleasant smile stood at my cash register and said, “Y’all are the real heroes here” after we began a discussion on the [...]
Observations From Essential Personnel During The Coronavirus Pandemic
I never thought I’d be on the front line of anything as interesting as the unraveling of American society, let alone the dismantling of the global economy. But as a cashier, in a high-end grocery [...]