Items
Tag is exactly
essential business
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2020-07-01
Defender of Target
During COVID-19 I worked at Target. I was freshly 21 and like everyone else, was shocked by the intensity and severity of the pandemic. What had begun as a part-time gig quickly became my entire world. In the state I lived in, our store was considered an “essential business,” and therefore remained open. It was my job to stock and fold children’s clothes, maintaining a clean store front in the midst of the chaos. Throughout the early days, I would stand behind my folding table watching full-grown adults battle over toilet paper. They would line up outside of the store hours before it opened to ensure they’d receive a package of the holy grail. Suddenly, folding Peppa Pig shirts wasn’t my only duty. I became the protector of fitting rooms, the hunter of lost and contaminated clothing; gathering items that had been illegally tried on and stuffing them into their quarantine room, to “disinfect” for 3-5 business days. Being an essential employee during the pandemic made me jaded. It offered me insight into the human mind, a glimpse of what panic and fear can do to a person. I saw the worst, but also experienced kindness and empathy from people who understood what it was like to be caught in the midst of the hellfire. For some, Target turned into a safe haven, a place that remained open and reliable despite the madness going on in the world, while others gave up their sanity to keep it up and running. I will always think of my time at Target as a glitch in the matrix; a bizarre patch of time that tested the strength of a part-time sales associate, and humanity. -
2021-04-20
Normal Life thru pandemic state
The object of my writing was to inform others my life was fairly regular throughout this lovely pandemic. It is important to me because I must stay focused on the importance of even though there are crazy things in life that happen, the silver lining, is always to focus on the positive. -
2020-03-28
Grocery Shopping in a Pandemic
My son and I grocery shopping at Trader Joe's in Castro Valley - everyone knows the drill, you find the marker on the ground to tell you where to stand so you're 6 feet behind the person in front of you. You wear your mask. The line goes fairly quickly, and I've never heard anyone act entitled or complain. (note: I submitted this but I think the photo didn't attach) -
2020-06-09
Eh? (Canada's Response to Coronavrius)
Caption below the picture: "This is a Dairy Queen drive through in Canada where they social distance by using debit machines zip tied to a hockey stick. You can't make this up." Canada seems to be innovating to still allow essential businesses to function safely. Curious to see if the US will follow suit, perhaps with baseball bats? -
04/22/2020
No Mask No Service
Contra Costa County in California issued an ordinance requiring patrons to wear masks when entering any open essential business during the shelter in place order which began March 13, 2020. Businesses within the town of Danville, as well as local government, worked hard to spread word of the new ordinance. *Crumbs (Danville, California), Town of Danville -
2020-03-10
Many People Aren't Social Distancing
I work at a Starbucks in Columbus, GA. Before the pandemic began we were already one of the busiest stores in our area, after the pandemic began it only got worse. Everyday we had lines double wrapped around our building, with people waiting 25 minutes or more. I didn't realize how "essential" we were until we were presented with situations like this on a daily basis. -
2020-04-28
Fast Food Worker
A personal account of a fast-food worker during the pandemic. -
03/26/2020
Walgreens Prescribes “Social Distancing”
As the COVID-19 spreads across the world, essential businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies take precautionary measures. Following the guidelines issued by the CDC, businesses such as Walgreens request that while in (and out of) their pharmacy, customers distance themselves by at least 6 feet. Inside the pharmacy, customers distance themselves physically and socially, exchanging looks from 6 feet away that seem to say, “you are too close to me.” Tape across the floor dictates the CDC’s guidelines of what is too close. Novelist George Orwell’s writings come to mind, whose literature warns of dystopian societies. The entire Walgreens experience, from walking in, to shopping, to walking out, reminds customers of the often asymptomatic virus that anyone could have. #DePaulHST391 -
2020-03-27
Essential Businesses
A viral tweet making fun of the difference between the 1920 Spanish flu outbreak and today's coronavirus. In 1920 Prohibition was in effect, but today liquor stores are considered essential businesses, not effected by mandatory closures.