Items

• 
  2020-08-28

  Ay Ay Aisle

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2021

  HIST30060 Reflections on working in a supermarket during a pandemic

  Some reflections on the pandemic from my experience working in a suburban supermarket in Melbourne. I share some general feelings about how COVID changed the environment within supermarkets, as well as several pandemic-related interactions with customers.
• 
  2020-07-10

  HIST30060 Texts from a supermarket service manager regarding COVID cleaning

  These are screenshots of text messages sent from a supermarket manager to a group chat of service team members of a major Australian supermarket in Altona North, Melbourne. They detail the new cleaning regime that became part of the responsibilities of working in a supermarket during the pandemic. These include instructions about wiping down surfaces with sanitiser and keeping 1.5m distance from coworkers. These texts came a few days after Victoria's third lockdown was announced. I worked at the supermarket at the time and it was an extremely chaotic period, made more hectic by ever-changing restrictions and developments in COVID-safe practices. We would get texts like these quite frequently during this third lockdown because it was so important that supermarket essential workers kept abreast of COVID developments and worked to make supermarkets as safe as possible.
• 
  2021-10-06

  Getting out feels like a Resident Evil game

  Getting out and gathering groceries or even running errands makes you feel like you're the protagonist in a Resident Evil game. I'm always vigilant when I go out and I make sure I comply with mask rules and social distancing. As a Resident Evil fan, this made me chuckle.
• 
  2021-05-18

  Zach Pfalzgraf's Pandemic Story

  Never in my life would I have thought that we would be facing a pandemic this big with all the modern technology we have. I was sure surprised and arrogant to think such as everyone can obviously tell. When the pandemic started, I was a junior at the University of Texas at the Permian Basin. The university is located in my hometown of Odessa, Texas. While attending there, I was also a full-time worker at a supermarket across the street from the university. One moment, we had shelves fully stocked and the next moment we had shelves completely bare because of people panic buying. Due to the people panic buying, my family and I panicked as well because we needed to get things like everyone else. Even when we had the things we needed, just because I worked in that supermarket and had to see it every day, I still wasn't really ever able to shake the feeling of anxiety and fear of what would happen to the supply routes the truckers use. It was a mess that I think no one had the answers for in the beginning. However, when public officials said to mask up and kept us up to date on the information they had, that's when we started to have our questions answered. Nonetheless, there were still some who denied this information that also included some ranks within our public officials that I think should have faced some sort of consequence in the long run. I got vaccinated with the Johnson vaccine once my phase of vaccine distribution came up and I still made sure to wear a mask for a great while to keep myself and others safe. This is an experience that I am sure we can all collectively agree on not wanting to repeat.
• 
  2020-03-07

  Shortages worldwide caused people to act violently against each other

  When the pandemic began I would never forget how violently people reacted. Every time I stopped by a grocery store , supermarket or any store the lines were all the way to the back of the store and the lines outside of the store were incredibly long; all you could think about was how long you’d be standing outside and when it was your turn to go in would you even walk out with what you needed. In march of 2020 there was a brawl in Australia over toilet paper. I saw this video going viral on all social media platforms. Three women were recorded fighting in Sydney . Police were called to the scene when they received multiple calls that a woman had been assaulted. The lady had a shopping cart filled with packs of toilet paper leaving the rack empty so another lady grabbed one from her cart and that’s when the fight started . In the video footage you hear “ I just wanted one packet ”. It was heartbreaking seeing people be inconsiderate and violent over necessities . Many stores were experiencing shortages on toilet paper, Lysol, disinfecting wipes, alcohol, hand sanitizer and more. It was like you hit the jackpot when you were able to get your hands on those things . Supermarkets were also experiencing shortage in water and meats , the shelves in supermarkets located by me were completely empty at one point. I barely found good meat or packs of water when I needed to go food shopping. I felt like I had won the lottery when I did find what I was looking for . This pandemic has taught me that people will turn against each other if they have to. Instead of coming together as a community and helping each other out I saw very few good Samaritans give away essential supplies to those in need during this pandemic.
• 
  2021-02-02

  It's a pandemic, let there be cake

  I was at the supermarket this morning and bought a King Cake on impulse. It was pretty pricey for a supermarket cake ($17). But, it only took me 3 seconds to justify it, my 6 yo has been out of school for a year (she’s learning online, but it’s not the same). The 2 yo is also home and they both get stir crazy. I have really found memories of eating King Cake every year at my best friend’s house, they lived in Louisiana and brought the tradition with them to Michigan. The fun, in addition to cinnamon, bread, and icing, is that there’s a small plastic baby inside the cake that someone will find in their piece. I hid the baby in the cake this morning and told the kids they could have a piece after eating breakfast. The tradition is that finding the baby is good luck, and depending on where you are, you might have to make the next cake.
• 
  2020-05-01

  Walmart Associate Checks Coworker’s Temperatures

  The day this photograph was taken was the day that my father, a Wal-Mart employee, was commissioned to begin taking the temperature of all Wal-Mart employees in the store. His regular duties were covered by another employee and each time a fellow coworker entered the building, they had to have their temperature read, recording, and asked a number of questions to ensure it would be safe for them to work their shift that day. This was never a procedure until COVID-19 spread and Wal-Mart employees were deemed “essential workers”.
• 
  04/12/2020

  Essential People Project: Scott Rogers

  As part of Everyday Boston's Essential People project, Jamarri Young interviews Scott Rogers. Scott is a grocery worker, and he describes what it's like to stock the shelves during a pandemic, including the early days of panic buying, his appreciation for his coworkers, and how he misses interacting with his customers
• 
  2020-06-01

  Coronavirus humour

  With everything that we have to be afraid of in the current day, a bit of humour helps to lighten the mood. Someone edited a Daily Mail article, changing germs to germans, as one of the things that can be spread when someone coughs.
• 
  2020-04-17

  Shopping during Covid 19 crisis

  During this special time, people need to wait in line outside the supermarkets. Guards will only let ten people in at once to avoid people getting infected.
• 
  2020-03-29

  Pandemic Monopoly

  HUM 402 The image depicts the creation of Pandemic Monopoly by a Hobart resident. The homemade board game uses toilet paper as currency, referring to the toilet paper shortage seen across Tasmanian supermarkets. The board game presents players with the opportunity to 'own' key Hobart locations. However, instead of mortgage, houses and hotels, the game allows players to buy hospitals and clinics to place on the properties. Centrelink, the Australian governments social security service, features heavily on the board game, indicating the rise in unemployment due to the pandemic. Whilst being used for comical purposes, the game also critiques the Tasmanian governments early handling of Covid-19 crisis via a chance card, which states "You have a fever, dry cough and Pneumonia to boot but despite having all of the symptoms, you haven't knowingly come into contact with a known carried so they won't test you for Covid-19. The Royal Hobart Hospital sends you home. Get out of iso [isolation] free." This refers to the Tasmanian government in early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic refusing to test individuals who had not been in contact with a known case, or had not left the country.
• 
  2020-04-25

  Social Distancing at the Supermarket

  This photo depicts a supermarket in Tasmania, Australia, where social distancing measures are being enforced. Red tape is used to create a line where customers have to queue prior to entering the store. The staff member to the left of the image is counting the customers as they enter the store to enforce the customer limit.
• 
  2020-05-01

  THE NEW NORMAL.

  This photograph shows one of the many precautions that grocery stores are making to abide by the COVID-19 social distancing rule/firm suggestions. The picture is reminding you to stay 6 feet apart from customers and also employees. $
• 
  2020-05-01

  Maskers in Bronx 7, Cashier

  A cashier at the supermarket takes a moment to take a picture. She stands smiling (I think) wearing a face shield and mask over her mouth.
• 
  2020-04-14

  Publix Directs Traffic in Its Stores - The Wrong Way

  Publix tried to create mechanisms to help with social distancing in the store. Some people followed the traffic signs. Others did not. Some people never looked up!
• 
  2020-04-14

  Publix Directs Traffic in Its Stores - The Right Way

  The week of 4/13 Publix began putting up signs to direct traffic within the stores to help with social distancing. Not everyone followed the rules.
• 
  2020-04-16

  Adventures During the Epidemic

  During the pandemic, we could only stay home every day. We could not go out at all, and every day is so boring. We studied and played on our phones a lot, but even now playing on our phones is boring. What I remember vividly is that during the outbreak, I tasted all the ice cream at the supermarket. One of the flavors tasted disgusting and made me vomit. It had onions, meat floss, milk, and cumin. The taste is unforgettable.
• 
  2020-04-11

  Criolladas: Porque somos seres así?

  Presidente: Solamente puede salir una persona por familia. Peruanos: Vamos de paseo familiar al supermercado.
• 
  2020-04-04

  Women lined up outside Tottus supermarket

  Peru is controlling the movement of men and women by allowing women to go out certain days, and women to go out other day to shop. This video shows women lined up and spaced apart to enter the Tottus supermarket in Arequipa, Peru.
• 
  2020-03-03

  Empty shelves

  First sign of empty shelves in early March
• 
  2020-03-20

  Empty Shelves

  This image shows empty shelves at Roche Bros. Supermarket in Natick, MA. This is the toilet paper and paper towel aisle. They are completely empty, showing that people are still panic buying these products despite recommendations that these are not the priority and should be bought according to need rather than fear.
• 
  2020-03-17

  Pasta Aisle at Stop and Shop

  Pasta along with other nonperishables (canned vegetables, pasta sauces, frozen entrees etc) were in high demand leaving the shelves bare. This is a result of Covid-19 "Panic Buying."