If you leave the city for the suburbs, are you turning your back on the millions of people living in urban areas? Or are you simply making a sound business decision? Box stores. Supermarket chains such as Wegmans. Religious organizations such as the Catholic Church. Even the YMCA. They’ve all done it.* As a result,…
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Get out of my line
Last night, a guy in a self-checkout lane had no mask but held one hand over his mouth as he scanned his groceries. How does this happen? I asked a supervisor and was told we should offer masks to those entering without them. But the supervisor didn’t know where the masks were. So my new…
Expanded hours
Wegmans has finally announced what I’ve been tweeting about for several days: Beginning Sunday, New York stores will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight. I admit to mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s a step toward normalcy. Deaths and diagnoses have been down in our region. On the other, I worry about increased…
Running low on Venus flytraps?
Is Wegmans too white?
I’ve seen lots of chatter on social media in recent days from people who love their Wegmans and warn looters and vandals to stay away. Of course, we all feel that way. Not just about Wegmans, obviously, but about every person and property. But the posts do bring to mind something that has nagged at…
Night worker’s diary, 5/31/2020
A little nervous as I headed to work last night. The county had declared a curfew in response to violence around Rochester after an otherwise peaceful march against police brutality. As an essential worker, I was exempt from the restriction, but a police officer would have to stop me to find that out. The roads…
Our polyglot night crew
I work with a young guy who came here from a country roiled by terrorism. (I’m not going to name it, because I don’t want to identify him.) He works nights at Wegmans, stocking snack foods, flour, and sugar. Days, he works toward a college degree. I met him when he interviewed for the job…
In the ‘new products’ category…
The pandemic is generating new displays in our stores. Some would say they’re long overdue. The photo above shows a COVID-19 endcap with masks and off-brand hand sanitizers. (The Purell shelves are still empty.) Nearby, recently added bins feature a variety of masks, including these “I love Rochester” models, distributed by BuffaLove Apparel of Buffalo. Another…
Thank you, New York Times
When copies of the Sunday Times were delivered to the store last night, I had to catch my breath. I’d never seen a front page like it. A list of 1,000 names of people felled by the corona virus. One percent of the total dead. A nationwide obituary. I handed the paper to a couple…