By Robin Carlen
While you may think the need for career coaching would immediately spike after the Covid-19 crisis hit, people were understandably much more worried about their most basic needs, which were staying healthy and having enough food and resources to get by; at that time, they were primarily concerned about their lives, not how to find their next job. If you think about it, you might agree with me that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was highly applicable, especially at first. I believe things are beginning to shift as unemployment continues to rise and more people are looking for jobs, but initially, that wasn’t their priority.
I started working part-time at a local XYZ large national grocery store chain to get out of the house and do something productive. My grandparents owned a grocery store years ago, and I remember hearing stories of how they worked long hours to grow and sustain the store, developed strong relationships with their customers, and even provided care packages to families in need during the holiday season. Owning a grocery store was good, honest work that was well respected and provided an essential service.
Unfortunately, I am no longer working at XYZ large national grocery store chain. To many of you, that may mean nothing at first, but let me explain why I believe everyone who likes to eat should be concerned about the reasons I left.
It’s not about me at all; it’s about the thousands of people who are still working in these types of jobs on the other front lines (as I like to call them), across the nation, and how they are being treated. Unlike me, many of these employees worry about what might happen should they complain about their jobs and working conditions. Many, if not most of them, have families to take care of. While, for me, the job was only temporary, for many of those I worked with, it was their career. And a very honorable one at that. I worked with some wonderful, hard-working people to whom I will always be thankful for their kindness and willingness to extend a helping hand.
I decided I had to go public about what I experienced because I’m sure XYZ is, by far, not the only store where these types of things are happening. I’m sure they are happening across the country, and that is a problem we all share.
Poor Pay and Highly Stressful Working Conditions
When I coached employees at a large automobile manufacturer in Michigan, I remember thinking that the UAW (United Auto Workers union) was really looking out for them, both when it came to wages and working conditions. After all, isn’t that what unions are supposed to do? When I went to work for XYZ, I was shocked to find out that the pay was barely above minimum wage for a bagger and only a few cents more per hour (yes, you read that right) for a cashier. I was lucky if I got both of my breaks on most days, which I often desperately needed, because I had to stand on my feet behind the cash register for hours, trying to figure out a variety of transactions without much training to help me, and lifting heavy items while assisting the seemingly endless lines of people buying hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, worth of groceries per transaction. On many days, the store was shorthanded, so sitting down or even being able to use the restroom when needed was a challenge. Normally, being in decent physical shape, this would not have been difficult for me to endure, but under those circumstances, it was.
Customers Mistreating Me and Other Employees
My first week at the store, I walked up to the stand where I was supposed to break another cashier, just in time to witness a man who was screaming at her because his carton of eggs had cracked and spilled onto the grocery belt. He had placed the eggs right next to the edge of the belt and then crammed the rest of his (many) items alongside them, and when his groceries shifted, the eggs turned over and cracked. She was graciously trying to clean up the mess, and instead of being understanding or even trying to help, he was yelling. I calmly reminded him that she was working so he could put food on his table and that she didn’t deserve to be treated that way. When he left, she cried. After hours on your feet working in grueling conditions, it only takes one cruel person to bring your emotions to the forefront. While working there, I also had a few moments where I held back tears until I could make it to my car. I told her she shouldn’t be ashamed for her tears; he was the one who should be ashamed for his behavior.
I had one man tell the woman he was with that he was sure I had no brain cells working in that job. Another man told me I could be a carrier of the virus and how did he know I wasn’t going to give it to him? This was said with a smirk on his face as though he was enjoying trying to make me squirm. Another new cashier was told by a customer, “Because of me, you have this job!”, to which she replied, “Because of me, you have food on your table!” Bravo to her. These are only a few examples out of numerous insults that I and others had to endure from customers.
It’s important that I mention the many appreciative customers I helped; they took the time to thank me for what I was doing. I wouldn’t be writing this article if I didn’t feel very strongly that the other customers we all had to deal with need to be called out for how they behaved and awareness needs to be brought to this situation. When you’re already feeling beaten down from working in circumstances that are beyond difficult, even if those people who treat you poorly are in the minority, it can take a huge toll.
Not Enough Employees to Support Store Operations
On one of my last days there, 4 people called in to say they weren’t coming to work, and this wasn’t uncommon from what I was told. The store also had numerous people who quit, even before I started working there, because they were worried about contracting the virus. This placed much more pressure on those employees who were still there, especially in the front of the store where they had the most contact with customers. On my last day, a woman yelled at me asking why there weren’t more lanes open. The reason was that we had 5 front-end employees who hadn’t shown up to work that day, which of course I couldn’t tell her. I believe that keeping workers is probably XYZ’s #1 challenge right now, along with other stores like it across the nation. That is a big problem for the store but it’s also a big problem for all of us as consumers.
Lack of Support from (Some) Management
The last straw for me was the night a front-end supervisor came up to my check stand and told me to log off and take my break. I was in the middle of a transaction and had a line of customers waiting. When I’d closed my lane after my shift was over on another occasion, without first having someone there to reopen it, I was reprimanded for doing so. For this reason, I continued to help the woman I was already working with, sure someone would be sent to relieve me. The supervisor came back a few minutes later and screamed at me right in front of the customer. I was shocked at how unprofessional he was, and so was the customer, who asked his name so she could report his behavior to the store.
In fairness, I want to say that there were others in management who seemed genuinely concerned about the many new (and long-term) employees who were working at XYZ during a time when the working conditions were far from easy. They, too, were dealing with unprecedented times.
I decided to go public about the horrible treatment I, and other employees, had to endure from customers for two reasons:
1. People Working on The Other Front Lines, Deserve to Be Treated with Respect and Decency
I am concerned about those employees, and good managers, who are still working at XYZ, and other stores just like it, trying to provide people with food and other essential goods and services during exceedingly difficult times. They are risking their lives every day to serve others. Especially now, don’t they deserve the highest level of respect from the public, from those they are only trying to help? I realize they are in “customer service” jobs, which are notorious for poor treatment, but should that be an excuse for them to have to just stand there and take it?
2. Food, Glorious Food! Consider This If You Like to Eat
To those people who were so awful to me and my comrades, think about this for a moment: What would happen if more grocery store/retail cashiers, baggers, floor personnel, back end workers, and truck drivers decided they had finally had enough? If you think the lines you’re having to stand in now are long (which we heard many complaints about, although we could do nothing), what will they be like if there are not enough people left to provide you with your basic necessities? How will the groceries, and other items you buy, be delivered, get unpacked, be merchandised/loaded onto shelves, and be sold to you if there aren’t enough workers available to do those jobs? It’s already happening now. I can say this because I witnessed the shortage of workers firsthand. What will happen if things get worse?
My Suggestions to Anyone Who Takes Service Workers for Granted or (Even Worse) Belittles Them:
BE GRATEFUL you aren’t in a situation where you are forced to work every day knowing you may be exposing yourself to a potentially deadly virus.
BE PATIENT the next time you go shopping and realize that the person who is helping you may be a new employee who has just recently been hired because of the pandemic. No matter who they are, or their experience level, they are doing the best they can. Try showing some much-needed empathy.
SHOW RESPECT to those in service. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem; it is just a problem that has been magnified a thousand times by the current circumstances we’re in.
REMEMBER THAT ESSENTIAL SERVICE WORKERS ARE ON THE OTHER FRONT LINES. Our nurses, doctors, fire and law enforcement professionals are receiving a lot of well-deserved publicity for all that they are doing to help during Covid19. Please be aware that there are others in service who are also risking their lives every day. They are doing this so you can put food on your table, pick up the prescription you need to survive, receive that important order you placed online, and so much more.
It will have been worth every day that I worked at XYZ large national grocery store chain if I can call attention to what I consider to be the vitally-important work that the people on the other front lines are doing every day. They are also risking their lives so your life can be better.
The next time you see one of them, thank them for their service. Better yet, give them a smile if you can. A smile is worth a thousand words, especially during a pandemic.
Please consider forwarding this article to anyone you know who values eating food, and receiving essential services. Please do whatever you can to support those working every day on the other front lines.