Grocery Staff Toil to Keep America Fed

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - They stock, they mop, they serve. In stores deemed vital during the COVID-19 crisis, staff keep calm and carry on. Health workers are universally and deservedly applauded. But food provision is equally crucial and, a month after restaurants and retailers closed, three million American grocery workers are serving longer hours with greater risks. When COVID is conquered and medals are assigned, let’s remember our stores as a battle front line.

Shop workers are professionals, some with high corporate ambition. But they’re also parents, spouses and caregivers. And – you can see it in many faces – they’re stretched to the max.  A Manzanita Avenue cashier last week reported his shift time doubled. “Six weeks ago, I worked 30 hours a week,” he recalls. “Now I’m doing 60 hours. We’re just so busy and there’s not enough staff. My paycheck is good. But we’re all exhausted.”

Keeping shelves filled is a herculean chore.  A stocker rejoiced as quitting time neared: “Oh boy, I can’t wait till I can get up and do this all again tomorrow.”

But appreciation seems on the rise. Citrus Heights Grocery Outlet co-owner Sara Wheeler reports some customers have brought flowers to her staff. “My husband and I have worked more than 25 years in the grocery business,” says the Orangevale resident. “We’ve never felt such amazing appreciation.”

Staff health is as valuable as any store commodity and supermarket bosses are protecting their teams.  In some markets, shifts begin with compulsory temperature checks. Gloves and masks are allowed for staff – but not yet mandatory. Perspex screens divide cashiers from shoppers.  Carts are constantly sanitized and customers’ reusable bags are now generally unwelcome. All through the industry, increased worker risk is recognized. Many workers are sacrificing family time to self-isolate at home. Some corporations are providing compassionate staff leave.

Customer re-education begins in measured spaces at we line up for opening times. We form similar lines to check out. We order home deliveries. Some stores offer seniors discounted sacks of staples for curbside pickup. We don’t touch produce more than necessary. Days of scooping bulk muesli from a bin are gone – perhaps forever. We respect retail hours set aside for seniors and the disabled.  As Americans used to plenty, we’ve quickly acquired a wartime acceptance of shortages. If we find hand-sanitizer or toilet paper, we share the retail location -- with happy-face emojis – on social media.

Even as comfortable consumer habits are disrupted, perhaps a kinder, gentler shopper emerges. We share we’re-all-in-this-together smiles as we line up; drivers surrender coveted parking space to seniors. Samaritans take groceries to the house-bound. We’re told to be good to ourselves and to others. Well, most of us have more time now, so why not? Above all, let’s treat our grocery workers like the frontline heroes they are. Let’s applaud them as they arrive for work. Let’s ask after their health.  And let’s thank these troopers from the bottoms of our hearts.

Many independent storeowners – like Sara Wheeler and her husband Paul – incorporate family on the service frontline. Sons Trevett, Noah and Benjamin are masked and helping with sanitation duties a sister in Colorado is sewing masks for their 30 staffers. “We think of our staff as part of our family – and our customers, too,” Wheeler says. “Our focus is on keeping everyone happy and healthy.”  She advises customers to be patient if shopping takes a little longer and if some commodities are hard to find. “We put purchase limits on certain items early so we haven’t seen evidence of stockpiling,” she says.

Indeed, many customers recently joined the Wheelers in donating a car load of food to the Sunrise Food Ministry in Citrus Heights. “With kindness, patience and good sense, we can all get through these challenging times,” says Wheeler.  “We’re all doing our best. For my family and our staff, a smile and a kind word is our best reward.”

Learn about the Grocery Outlet store’s product availability on Facebook: Grocery Outlet 6059