I am no longer a Wegmans worker.
Sleep deprivation and a recurring illness (not covid, thankfully), made me realize that the physical demands of the job were too much.
The overnight shift puts you out of sync not only with your own biorhythms but with the rest of society. The isolation of keeping opposite hours, compounded by the isolation of the pandemic, was overwhelming.
Even the job itself became more lonely, as Wegmans closed at midnight, stopped scheduling overnight cashiers, and instructed remaining employees to keep proper social distancing.
So it will be a relief to rejoin the world, even with all the current precautions.
I’ve wavered on whether to out myself, now that there’s no immediate reason to hide my identity.
A friend argues against this. Why burn bridges, she asks.
To be honest, I hope it’s a bridge I don’t cross again. A Wegmans job is hard labor for low pay. The added risk and stress of the pandemic diminish the returns even further.
I’m also concerned about these dangers increasing, as New York State eases restrictions, researchers learn more about the possible threat of air-conditioning systems, and Wegmans fails to strictly enforce its mask policy.
The company is a fair employer, however, and tries to keep its people happy. The store provided an income when I sorely needed it, thanked me when I left, and told me I was welcome to return.
I pray that doesn’t happen.
I’ll continue blogging, because Wegmans is such a major player in the region and because it’s on the front lines of how people are dealing (or not dealing) with public and employee safety, mask enforcement, the food supply and other issues central to the crisis.
And I’ll remain anonymous. Because you never know.