Awhile back, I asked whether anyone had found a way to avoid touching payment screens at grocery stores and other retailers. I’ve watched sanitizing procedures, at Wegmans and elsewhere, and these screens are often overlooked. Dozens, even hundreds, of fingers touch them each day as shoppers process credit cards and other digital payments. I had…
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An essential worker wallows
In the early days of the Corona Epoch, I was distressed to hear that people of Asian heritage were being harassed. Then I learned of some friends in the South who were told to “get the f**k out” because their car had New York plates. Now, I have to admit, I wonder if I’m branded…
Some things will change forever
We can’t help but speculate about how we’ll be different when we finally emerge from this nightmare. Surely, some traditions such as the handshake will fade away. And good riddance to European-style cheek kissing. How will food shopping change? We’re witnessing the transition already. In the future, we’ll likely see: More online ordering. Will this…
The reappearing grocery list
People who would never dream of flinging McDonald’s bags or empty Budweiser cans out car windows have no qualms about littering in supermarkets. Even for the law-abiding, the act of leaving things in wrong places is part of the shopping experience. Miscreants will select a family-sized package of hamburger, decide several aisles later they don’t…
Wegmans will supply masks to employees
After banning face masks and then discouraging their use, Wegmans has announced that it will supply them to employees. “All along, we have followed the guidance of the CDC for the latest trusted advice,” President and CEO Colleen Wegman said in a press release posted today. “Most recently they are advising that the application of…
In praise of porches
Working the night shift during a pandemic, I sometimes feel like all I do is stock shelves, eat and try to sleep. But as temperatures have risen (temporarily, at least), I’ve grown increasingly fond of my front porch. I’ve always enjoyed the porch as a place for reading, having coffee in the morning or a…
Going on a bear hunt
Don’t know if there’s been panic buying of these little guys, but there ought to be. Dozens have popped up in my neighborhood, including a group having a tea party. The kids love them. (See this story from the New York Times.) My store, which has a toy section, didn’t have any in stock, so…
A deafening silence from Wegmans
It’s permitted, not recommended, and certainly not promoted. That’s essentially the Wegmans stance on employees wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, the company dropped a ban forbidding workers from wearing masks on the job. Internally, there has been a deafening silence in the days since. I can’t speak for all employees, but…
Daddy Wegmans
Wegmans has always been a paternalistic place to work. We’re fed. This used to happen mainly on holidays and in snowstorms. Given the current demands on employees, there’s free food almost every day. We’re clothed. Wegmans shirts are issued without charge in various juvenile colors. And we get free shoes twice a year. We get…
Faltering leadership
When New York State legislators considered a ban on plastic bags, Wegmans opposed it. When the ban passed, Wegmans enacted the change before the new law took effect. In essence, the company came out looking like an early defender of the environment when all it ready did was institute an unwanted ban a few weeks…