From Travel Guide to Grocery Clerk COVID-19 by Brea Persing

From Travel Guide & Entrepreneur to Grocery Clerk during COVID-19

Originally published at breapersing.com

“Do you have any garlic?” the customer asked. It was only my second day on the job at a local organic market, a member owned COOP, less than one week after K-12 schools shutdown in our area of Indiana. It’s a question I would hear over and over within the next few days, as we were the only store around who still had bulbs of garlic—until we ran out later that day. Many of us wondered why there was such a high demand for garlic all of the sudden. We knew people were cooking more, but who uses that much garlic?

Besides being out of toilet paper, like most stores, we were out of other things and continually received phone calls asking if particular items were back in stock before customers made the trek to the store. Because most people had more time at home than normal, and with stores running out of staples like bread, many resorted to baking their own bread. This is why so many stores, including ours, ran out of yeast so fast and couldn’t get it back in stock. I know many who decided to try their hand at sourdough bread, as it doesn’t require yeast, but does require daily attention and feeding. Sadly, yeast and zinc, another product asked about a lot, were two things our suppliers didn’t have on hand for some time. And so, as I continued to answer the same question over the next few weeks, my answer continued to be, “No, I’m sorry. We do not have that in stock yet and we are not sure when it will be.” At least until the first week of May! 

(Read Brea Persing full collection of COVID-19 series at https://www.breapersing.com/covid19series)

Most of our customers have been pretty understanding with us, even through the utter chaos of that first week. “I think people were really upset of products that were out of stock.” Joel, another clerk, reflected. “We’re so used to having everything that we always want, always available. We live in a society of excess. So if something isn’t available, then it really throws the person off. And I think that’s what hit people hard is when the rice and the beans ran out and people were like, ‘Oh man, we’re out of staples.’” 

If you remember Donna, the nurse I interviewed for “‘We’re not heroes. We’re doing what we’ve been called to do.’ RN’s Stories during COVID-19,” she recalled an experience when she and her husband had gone into a store to buy groceries and a customer near them was upset and mean to the clerk. When Donna made a comment about it to the clerk who was helping her, the clerk stated that it had been like that all day because they were short-staffed, many things were out of stock and people had to wait in really long lines to pay. I understand the waiting customer’s frustration, but honestly, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Being a clerk and having worked in customer service many years ago, there is nothing we can do if something is out of stock or if the store is short-staffed and a customer has to wait longer. I recognize that it is a scary time of unknowns, lost jobs, loss of friends and loved ones and more, but just like you, we are doing the best we can. People are panicking, and NO ONE thinks clearly when they’re panicking! Feel your fear. Embrace your emotions. Breathe and then walk forward knowing this is temporary—not permanent. And be nice to others, they’re struggling too. Sadly, I think much of our society has lost the ability to be patient and understanding, as we’re so used to instant gratification and receiving things relatively quickly. Can we not show grace and care to those willing to stare the pandemic in the face, with the daily possibility of getting infected, as they work so you and your family can stay alive and healthy?

We’ve had the occasional person in a bad mood at the COOP because of the pandemic. Some are fearful, some are upset we’re out of stock on something, some because they have to wait to enter the store because we’ve reached our maximum capacity and many are really tired of how long this has continued on. But overall, we have a good community of people that regularly shop at the store, and we’ve banded together. We’ve also had many new customers grace our presence, as some have been afraid to go into the larger stores and because we’ve been the best stocked store around the area. #Truth. We’ve heard it from so many people. In fact, we were even on the news because we still had flour for purchase in our bulk section.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves; the article does start with “Travel Guide & Entrepreneur”. I do multiple things—and I like it. I need it. If I were to sit and do the same thing over and over, day in and day out, I would go crazy! Some people are wired like that, which is great—I am not. I am a travel photographer, graphic and web designer, travel guide, owns a pet services business and had been substitute teaching at two local high schools when the pandemic hit. I was actually in southern Italy guiding a trip of students when COVID-19 started making a significant impact in northern Italy. As the coronavirus spread throughout more of Europe and made its way to the US, my next two guiding trips were cancelled, schools were shutdown, travel was grounded and a “stay-at-home” order was put in place. That meant most of my revenue streams were cut off overnight. It was kind of scary. I wasn’t sure where my income was going to come from.

Insert Maple City Market in Goshen, IN! I had interviewed there last fall because they were hiring for a few positions, I liked the atmosphere and it is a store I have shopped on and off at for years. Plus, I prefer to support local businesses and am well-versed in quality, produce, ferments and organic foods. We both liked each other, but it didn’t work out. It was actually the best, “I’m sorry, but we’re going with someone else,” call I have ever received. They decided to go with a full-timer rather than two part-timers, but said if I ever wanted a full-time position to let them know, as they thought I would make a great manager! Talk about a compliment! Fast forward to the week schools closed and I saw that the store was much busier, they changed their hours so they had more time to stock shelves and some of the regular staff couldn’t come in and work. Since I was out of work and had already interviewed there, I contacted them to see if they needed more hands on deck. I think I sent my first message on Tuesday, received a phone call and was offered the job on Thursday and started working by Saturday. It may only be a temporary full-time position, but I am very grateful for the work and ability to get out of the house. I want to be a beacon of light, smiles and calmness in the midst of the chaos and unknown for people coming in the doors. And since I had switched over to a better quality lifestyle years before, I already understood things like organic, natural, gluten free, paleo and more. I understand what it’s like to eat with food allergies, having to cook with multiple substitutions, the meaning and support of fair trade products, as well as making my own body care products and using essential oils way before they became popular. I was ready and excited for the challenge!

It tickled my ego and “feel-good meter” to hear, “We are so glad you’re here!” over and over in those first few weeks. It felt good to be able to help. And the whole team enjoyed hearing “Thank you!” from customers for being open. The small things like appreciation for being open, board members making us masks and others buying all the staff lunch a few times really does make a difference. Things were different than the usual for the store, even though I came in when things had already changed: people were panic buying, we were way busier than normal, it was hard to keep things in stock, we weren’t getting full shipments or even knew if the truck was going to come, it was hard to keep the shelves stocked, we changed our hours, we temporarily postponed Member Appreciation Days, we asked people to cease bringing in their own containers for bulk items, we pre-packaged many bulk items so customers wouldn’t have to share the same scoops, we sanitized constantly, we started running all cards as credit so people didn’t have to touch the pin pads, we put plexiglass up in front of the registers, we stopped selling hot soup and closed our restaurant-style booths, we put a maximum on the number of people allowed in the store at once, we temporarily capped the quantity one could purchase on a few items, we started curbside ordering for members, clerks started wearing gloves regularly and then masks. I didn’t like the idea of wearing a mask, though I was happy to do it to help protect myself and others, even though I knew what I was getting myself into when I asked for the job during a pandemic.

It’s funny, it looks like I have a bird’s beak with my mask on. I am grateful for the mask that was given to me with its shape and how well it’s made, even if it covers more than half my face. And since I wear glasses, most other masks tend to fog them up, until I figured out the trick. If you put the mask high enough on your nose, easier done if your mask has a metal nose insert, and set your glasses on top of it, your breath should no longer fog them up. Just like that, no more foggy glasses when wearing a mask! But it does means more of your face is covered up. And since people can’t see our smiles anymore, I try to add some humor when they come to the register with their baskets. First thing I say is hello and then ask if they’re a member. If they say yes, I ask them if they remember their member number. If they don’t, I ask them if they remember their last name. I generally get a chuckle and smile that way. We are in a pandemic after all. It can be a time of great forgetfulness. :) But I haven’t figured out how to do that with members who remember their number or non-members…yet.

It’s been a very interesting transition in working at the store. I like it though. I’m out in the community more, regularly meeting new people, forging new friends and helping people in different ways. I did have a freak-out moment one evening though. I was at the register and questioned, “What am I doing working at a grocery store???” Not because I was afraid, as I don’t have a problem walking into harder and more chaotic circumstances, or look down on the work, as I don’t, but knowing my background and what I’m working toward, working at a grocery store seemed like a step back. But then I reassured myself, “It’s ok. It’s good. I’m doing what I need to to survive and I’m helping people.” As Gary Vaynerchuk talks about a lot, it’s about strategic jobs. And this has definitely turned into a strategic job in ways I never imagined. I’ve been able to build relationships that have expanded my personal community, met potential new customers for my businesses and it has helped me stay updated on companies with a mindset for social justice—a huge passion of mine and the focus of my impact storytelling and travel photography. 

More than that, I like working there. I like my coworkers. I like the clients. I like being able to use my knowledge and help answer people’s questions. I like being out in the community and interacting with different types of people. I like being reminded of good quality. And since I’m gluten free, I feel like it’s also my job to try all of the gluten free items in the store so I can answer people’s questions about which ones are the best, lol. Even though my body has NOT liked the added sugar intake, I can tell you with certainty which gluten free muffins are the best that we bake: chocolate raspberry (um, hello…they’re amazing!!!). And I like being able to tangibly use my hands and work. And trust me, stocking shelves is no joke! Have you ever picked up crates of milk, in glass jars, over and over again? It’s a natural workout for my arms, let me just say that much!

It’s been a great experience. It’s been interesting, but it’s been great. I look forward to seeing what the store is like when things relax a bit more, when we can stop wearing masks and when people get back into a regular routine again. It will also be intriguing to see how people have changed because of all this—their attitudes, appreciation for things, how they do things differently and what has become important, or unimportant, to them. I know many businesses during this time had to shut down temporarily, and some have had to close their doors permanently. It’s been sad to watch. Working as a clerk at a local COOP has reminded me of the importance of shopping local, taking good care of our body and soul and supporting those who are working hard to make sure there is food on the shelves so our families can eat. “I hope people take away from this a wakeup call that our food system is not resilient. And that we really need to strengthen our local economies through supporting local farmers and even encouraging more local farmers to start up so we don’t have such a shock that we experienced with the pandemic,” said Joel. “And I hope people had fun learning how to cook at home.” Especially since so many people had more time at home to cook and try new recipes. Well, except for some with kids no longer in school and others still working outside the home as essential workers. I’ll say for me, I’ve cooked less, tried more products on our store shelves and really craved comfort foods, as it is a a time of great discomfort and unknowns. Let’s just hope we don’t all have to buy new trousers when all this is over and we’re back in the office.