#workstuff

What got me that reprimand was showing off the ARK tablets. You see they’re a prototype, security was allowed to have them to see if they’ll replace our keycard system. If they do well, they’ll be distributed to the rest of personnel starting in 2022. But so far it’s not ready yet, a few bugs need to be worked out and the pandemic pushed the date further back. I almost compromised this by showing my device and if word got out down the grapevine, everyone will want one. Me, Brun and his crew were told to keep this hush-hush for now.

As for them walking in the snow, she honestly didn’t know that was going on and contacted the maintenance supervisor about it. There’s jeeps they could take out there, heated and properly fitted with chains, there was no reason for them to walk. The supervisor thought they’d be fine, but she told him that was a bad call on his part. I’m glad she and I agreed on this because that was my main concern. They still can’t use the tunnels though, they need to remain uncrowded due to Covid restrictions and emergencies, that’s why only security can use them. I guess that makes sense. I didn’t see it like that. :\

As for what she wanted to show me, she led me by phone to a space under site 17 where three people were and Brun was, getting a tune up on his joints due to cold weather. The director felt I should know what she’s been up to with them.

I already knew he had a prosthetic leg and another guy, Manny, has a prosthetic arm, but what I didn’t know is so do many of the others, they are all amputees in someway. Many of these guys were in the service and lost limbs, they were discharged but they still wanted to work. The labs hired a few of them off Holloman AFB and Fort Bliss. Brun was among them, though he lost his leg due to a construction accident on base. Everything would be paid for, provided they’re comfortable testing things out for them. The director is overseeing this project in conjunction with the robotics department. While I knew about the lab doing things like this, I didn’t know to what extent and what inspired it. I was really impressed.

A guide by your not-so-local, not-so-friendly grocery store worker! I’m gonna split this into three sections for easier digestion, but basically, here’s how you can even slightly improve the lives of the minimum wage overworked clerks/grocers, especially with all the panic caused by COVID-19 right now.

Disclaimer: This is centered around the way my coworkers and I experience our jobs in a store owned by a large company in the U.S.

Inside the Store

Most grocery stores are split into three sections- grocery, produce, and pharmacy! Somebody may work in only one of these departments, and might not know the others well. Don’t get frustrated if somebody doesn’t know the answer to your question.

It’s okay if you spill something/knock something over. I guarantee it. None of us really care that you dropped a container of blueberries, or you weren’t feeling well and threw up, or you knocked over a display. It’s not a big deal, and it happens all the time. Just tell us!!! It’s a lot easier to handle sweeping up cereal before it gets stepped on, and there’s nothing worse than finding old vomit when you’re sweeping. Accidents happen. Just tell someone.

Big box stores require frequent sweeps. For example, the company that owns my store requires the entire store to be swept every half hour. It’s tiring and the sweeper, which can be anywhere from two to eight feet wide depending on the store/aisle size, is heavy. If you see someone sweeping, just step out of the way. We’re used to people being in the way of the sweep, and we don’t want to run into you. Don’t apologize. Just step to the side for a second while we pass, it’ll be less than two seconds of your time. 

No one knows stock off the top of their head. If you ask someone if we still have something in stock, especially if they’re sweeping and don’t work in grocery, there’s a 99% chance they won’t know. If you’re nice, we might check in the back for you! And if we know for a fact we don’t have something, don’t argue. You won’t win.

We do not set the prices/sales/limits. Corporate sets the prices and sales, not us, and certainly not the sixteen year old putting go-backs on the shelf. If something you want doesn’t qualify for a sale, or it’s too expensive, there’s nothing we can do about it. Right now specifically, we have a limit on how much water people can buy because of the panic over COVID. Corporate set the limits. Water suppliers are also limiting how much they sell us. We cannot just give you more water. But if there’s a sale if you buy a certain amount (over the limit) and you’re nice, some checkers will give you the discount anyway.

At the Checkstand

Keep your basket in front of you. The cart you unload should stay in front of you, otherwise you make it harder for us to help other customers, and if there’s a bagger, they can’t make more space because we aren’t allowed to put groceries on the floor under any circumstances. If you have large items like water cases or twelve packs, leave them in your cart and the checker can come scan them without anyone needing to lift it.

No one cares if you have reusable bags or need new ones. In my state, people also have to pay a ten cent fee for each plastic bag. People make excuses about how they forgot their bags or whatever (which is sometimes true) but we aren’t judging you. We aren’t paid enough to care. If you do bring reusable bags, it’s easier for whoever bags, whether it’s the checker or a bagger, if you either fold them or keep them in one bag. Don’t put bags inside bags inside bags.

Sometimes, you should bag your own groceries. If the checker (the person scanning the items) is bagging your groceries, offer to take over. It slows the checker and the line down if they have to bag your items. But if there is a bagger, let them do it! The bagger is trained to move quickly, fit items into few bags, and protect fragile items like eggs from breakage. Baggers will also happily adjust for you! If you prefer lighter bags, just let us know, and we’ll make them lighter. If you prefer less bags, we’ll pack them full. Just let us know and we’ll accommodate you.

Don’t haggle. We can’t give you discounts that don’t exist or your items don’t qualify for. The computer controls it, not the checker. If you’re nice, the checker will try to help you get your discount/get the right item, but if you’re rude, no one will go out of their way to help you. We don’t control the prices or sale. We can’t change the way an item rings up. 

In the Parking Lot

There’s rules with the electronic carts. It’s okay if you need a scooter to do your shopping- we won’t be annoyed and we won’t judge you. But you can’t take them into the parking lot! They’re very hard to bring back to the store and they require more energy. If you use one, please let us know that you’re leaving so we can plug the car in. Most grocery stores will also be happy to assist you to your car- carry your groceries, put them in, etc if you need to focus on a mobility aid or you were relying on the scooter to carry the weight. We want to help you!

Don’t just leave carts around. Ideally, when you’re done with a cart, the best thing to do is to bring it back to where the carts are at the front of the store (usually outside of it) because most grocery stores require clerks to hand push carts back to the store. Taking it back yourself saves a lot of time, energy, and potential injury. If you can’t bring it all the way back for any reason, put the cart in a cart return. Most grocery stores have a cart return in every aisle, at the beginning and midway down. Some large ones will have 2-4 returns per aisle. It’s not fun to track down carts. Never, under any circumstances, leave a cart in a handicap spot or the connected blue stripes. We cannot block these areas, and the store can incur fines and the employee in charge of carts at the time can get in trouble for any cart being there. 

We want to take carts. If you see someone bringing carts back to the store and you just finished yours, ask if we can take it back to the store for you! Chances are it makes everyone’s life easier, and unless we’re already at pushing limit, we’ll say yes. 

Give the right of way to cart returns. Most stores require us to return carts by hand. We have to go to the cart return and/or collect loose carts, and push them back to the store. They’re heavy and it’s repetitive in order to keep carts stocked. If you’re a pedestrian, please step out of our path or wait for us to go by. If you’re a car, and it’s safe to do so, STOP. We’re likely wearing a safety vest in addititon to all the carts, so we’re visible. But it’s easy for us to get hurt when we’re bearing all that weight and we’re faced with your huge truck. A couple seconds of you waiting for the clerk to push the carts out of the way could be the difference between that person doing their job, and them getting seriously injured or in trouble. If we or the carts get hit by a car, we may face disciplinary action. Especially if there is damage to the car.