Sonoma’s newest heroes: Grocery clerks

Grocery store employees are the new heroes, showing up to work everyday so those sheltering-in-place at home can keep their fridges full.

A glance at the lineup of checkers at Sonoma Market shows all the familiar faces, many of them in the over-60 coronavirus high-risk category, whisking food through their scanners while smiling and exchanging pleasantries, just like always.

“The burden of feeding the community is falling to grocers,” Cody Moody, the store director, said. The store was slammed with shoppers stocking up before the sheltering order took affect, and has been extremely busy ever since. There are “definitely more” shoppers in the store now than before the coronavirus outbreak.

The market has 130 employees, and only two have chosen not to work during the current health crisis. “Any associate not feeling comfortable working absolutely was given the option not to come in,” he said, and will be able to return to their positions when normal conditions return, “with no repercussions.” They will not be paid while not working, but would be able to use accumulated paid leave time if they choose.

Moody said all employees have been given a $2 per hour pay raise “for at least the next four weeks,” he said.

The store is “consistently” busy throughout the day, he said, with somewhat of a slowdown after 3 p.m. “Our customers have learned that the selection is best in the morning,” he said, as some items become depleted during the course of the day. “We had a shipment of toilet paper come in last night. We open at 6 a.m. and by 7:30 it was gone.”

Certain items have been difficult to replenish, like pasta, canned tomatoes and rice, “but we are catching up.”

A visit to Sonoma Market in the late afternoon last Tuesday, when those over 55 are given a 10 percent discount, found the parking lot almost full and shoppers in every aisle, all practicing social distancing. The butcher counter, which has fresh refrigerated food on the other side of aisle, was so crowded distancing was difficult, although people were trying.

Wonder brand white bread and hot dog buns were about all that was left in a scoured bread aisle. And while liquor and wine were being replenished as soon as bottles were scooped up, tonic water, used in mixed drinks, was completely gone. Sparkling water was also almost whipped out. Produce was fully stocked, with only the prepackaged lettuce section showing a huge dent.

One employee, who was thanked for coming to work, replied, “I am so lucky to have this job. I can’t afford to not work.”

Signs requesting social distancing at the checkout counters were being honored, though a man had been observed licking his fingers before counting currency and handing it to the cashier. This is one of the reasons grocery workers are heroes these days.

A checker thanked for her service stopped for a minute, and looking a customer straight in the eye said, “Thank you so much for saying that.”

“People keep asking how we are holding up but with the virus and the power outages and the fires we’ve been through this before,” he said. “People always gotta eat.”

While he stressed that the store is always clean, currently “we are cleaning and sanitizing constantly,” he said.

He said that he is personally at the check stands more often than usual to keep the lines moving, and that he is “making sure our team has their minds right so that they can have a positive attitude for our guests.”

One of the two employees who has chosen to stay away for now is Joyce Parsons, known by many customers as “the sample lady.” She will not be at her post at the door, where for 14 years she has greeted customers and handed out sample nibbles, always with a welcoming joy.

Another sign of trying times.

On the upside, Moody said Sonoma Market is hiring.