Shelves cleared amidst panic surrounding COVID-19 (Pixabay)
Amidst the worldwide panic and lockdowns brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic, many are still putting themselves in danger.
Oftentimes, when these people come to mind, they’re thought of as medical workers, first responders, and government officials. However, people who tend to be less appreciated, and not rightfully so, are those who are working on the front line to make sure everyone has the ability to put food on their tables; Those working in our stores.
From the outside in
XFM News Reporter Hannah Theodore’s boyfriend, Brandyn Walkom, who is now in the process of a 2-week break, is one of these people. She spoke up about her experience watching her loved one put his safety on the line.
“Obviously at first it felt like we were living in different worlds,” she began.
“I’m a student so the narrative I was getting was to stay home, don’t go anywhere, isolate. Whereas for him, he was being told, keep coming to work, you’re essential, work harder. Plus he takes the bus to work, so everything I was being to told to avoid, he was being told to keep doing,” she said.
Hannah expressed that her biggest fear was his health, and the reality that came with his place on the frontline.
“I’ve been worried for him. Others in his department were taking two weeks off for sickness or because they were in contact with a sick person, so I knew they were understaffed,” she said.
” I worried for his health. There weren’t a lot of regulations in the first week and he was easily serving hundreds of customers a day. Who knows if all of them were practicing hand washing and isolation?”
The experience was a difficult one, and one that Hannah said was completely unexpected.
“The truth is I was just mad a lot. I wanted him home safe. People don’t necessarily CHOOSE to be grocery store workers; for a lot of people, it’s a job you end up with. You never expect that because of that you’d be expected to work during a global pandemic,” she said.
From the inside out
Meanwhile, Walkom said his introduction to the reality of the situation came all at once.
“I was off for a couple of days around Friday the 13th, right before this all blew up. When I got back I learned that we had been selling numbers equivalent to Christmas,” he began.
Things were getting intense very quickly.
“When I came in on Sunday morning there was a line-up out the door. As the week went on I was surprised to see how many people were still coming in every day, and clearing us out of stock,” Walkom said.
Among the most difficult parts of his job at the time, the most concerning thing was his health. Both from an illness perspective, as well as the toll these shifts took.
“I would come home exhausted most days. We had to have staff cut to keep distance from each other, but our section sells so much that it’s hard for us to work with fewer people. Two people would be doing the work of what’s usually done by four or five people,” he said.
Even with much-appreciated precautions put in place by management, tensions were high.
Supermarkets and grocery stores are under increasing stress (Pixabay)
“The store started only letting a few people in at a time and the traffic slowed a little, but people were still coming in constantly,” he said.
“It was frustrating to see the same people coming in multiple times a week. I’m actually immunocompromised so it was a bit concerning even with all the precautions in place. Not to mention, if I came in contact with anything and brought that home with me, I could have been putting Hannah at risk.”
As far as his condition, however, a saving grace came from the understanding of store management.
” I didn’t even know that my condition put me at risk for a while. I’m diabetic and have high blood pressure. As soon as I spoke to my work about it, my manager was extremely understanding and gracious about me taking time away,” said Walkom.
The final topic to cover was appreciation, which on a higher level, Walkom felt was lacking.
“In the sense of capitalism, yes I feel under-appreciated. Also in the fact that these low wage jobs are now essential,” he began.
But it wasn’t all bad.
“A couple of customers did take the time to thank me for working, which was nice.”
Walkom ended things on a positive note, deciding to take two weeks for himself, and saying, “I was happy to be able to help people during a difficult time.”
As COVID-19 continues to spread, stress is increasing on systems that have been established without the threat of a pandemic in mind.
Along with those helping the ill, it’s important to appreciate those who are risking themselves to help us put food on our tables.
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