What It's Like Working During A Pandemic

About a month into the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down, I got hired as a personal shopper at a small farm/grocery store. I would go in every morning, get a stack of customers who ordered their groceries online, and I would go around the store putting everything together, check out, pack up their food, and put them in a fridge until they came to pick it up.

There were ten personal shoppers in total, which meant we could only allow ten other people in the store as customers. Because I was around other people, I had to take necessary precautions because I didnt want to get sick. With that being said, I wore a mask the entire time, as well as gloves. Through out the day I would switch my gloves for a new pair as well as my mask.

The store itself also took its own precautions. All employees wore masks and gloves. There was plastic/glass put up between the registers and the people for guard protection. Things that we knew were getting touched often like carts, baskets, and door handles, were constantly getting wiped down. In the beginning, people were scared and did everything they could to ensure they staid safe and healthy.

But then things started to change. I noticed that the customers coming in stopped wearing gloves. They stood closer and closer to others when waiting on line, the demands growing, and the patience thinning. Still, I took my precautions and followed the rules I made for myself. I worked because not only did I need the money, but I also understood there were people out there who needed their groceries/food and we were the ones who were going to provide it for them.

Now this is nothing compared to the health care workers who are on the front lines who are providing their time and effort to help people who are sick.