Talon Issue #104 - CoEds & CoVids"

Grocery Stores--COVID Style

Unexpected heroes we need

Sarah Davis

Paramedics, nurses, and doctors have all done their fair share of working long days and nights amidst the battle against COVID-19. Rightly so, they have all had their praises sung, and have even been the subject of a bill passed that allows them to get testing done. They work around sick people all day, so this measure is not absurd by any means. No matter how much good they do, they aren’t the only ones risking it all to serve the community. During the month of March, many grocery store employees have put in some grueling days. Cashiers and sackers face an enhanced risk, as they are working directly with the public, yet some of them continue to make just $10 per hour – and even less. In fact, at one Kansas City Metro grocery chain, a number of them continue to make just $9.95 per hour, though they show up to work and put their best foot forward during this time of crisis. A meat department worker, who wishes to remain anonymous. says that he has not had a day off all month. Many other employees echoed him in that regard, but noted that they would continue to work hard to make sure that the community was still able to buy groceries. What many folks don’t realize is that, while these workers do have “job security” right now, it is scary to go to work, knowing that they could encounter many people that have the Coronavirus.

Those with compromised immune health are at risk, and even perfectly healthy people put their loved ones at risk just by being in such an environment. At what point does making less than a living wage matter more than someone’s life? Workers at national chains like Aldi, Target, and Walmart, though exposed, are being compensated very well. Target is paying many of their employees $15 per hour, Aldi is paying their cashiers $17 per hour, and Walmart has already said that they will be providing bonuses early this year, in order to reward employees for their hard work. At many stores, the employees that have made the jump from 15 hours every week, to nearly full-time, or more, are students trying to pay for school, moms trying to make ends meet, or retirees. Panic shoppers are not just overwhelming those in the grocery industry who support themselves, but they are overwhelming ordinary people, who have a lot more going on than making sure they get all 156 packets of Kool-Aid scanned quickly. Before entering a store, always remember that, without these people, stores would not operate, and the 80 boxes of pop tarts that were purchased would still be on the shelves. These workers have families, children, and other things that preoccupy them. Worrying about whether they contracted a fatal virus – that they can’t even get tested for – because somebody decided to make ice cream sundaes essential, should not be one of them.