Grocery store employees, now referred to as essential workers, continue to work tirelessly and adapt to the Covid19 environment on a daily basis. While the idea of a future deconfinement is expected in Canada, safety measures will continue to be in place for a long time to come.
This Montreal family grocery store employs about ten people. The majority of them come from migrant youths who have been in Quebec for less than five years, some of them for less than three months. The team being small, the employees hold several positions on a daily basis in order to provide the best service to customers.
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At 8:00 am, the back doors of the grocery store open for deliveries, which will parade all day long to fill the stocks. Since March 2020, many products have been out of stock or deliveries have suffered impressive delays, always unpredictable. It is now difficult to give customers clear information about delivery dates. Nevertheless, the grocery store manages to present – every day – supplied shelves.
Among employees, the way of operating to protect oneself is ambivalent and contradictory. Some employees deliver pallets without protection or masks. Others place cardboard boxes in the middle of the backyard to ensure safe distances between deliverer and receiver. In these confined spaces, it is sometimes difficult to maintain safe distances between colleagues.
The employees listen to the manager’s instructions regarding future deliveries. In a context of pressure, the employees focus on group cohesion and humour to cope with the pressure of work.
Once the parcels have been received, the team puts the products back in the storeroom before putting them on the shelves. The team is small, with some members forced to stay home to look after their children. Employees take on several roles within the store to best suit the environment.
Meanwhile, in the basement, part of the team sorts the spice and dried fruit packets that will be on sale when the store opens. In the semi-darkness, covid19 changes little of the daily routine of these isolated employees who have little contact with customers.
An employee, wearing a mask, puts products on the shelves before the opening of the grocery store, now delayed to 10 am since the beginning of the VIDOC pandemic19.
Once the first orders are received, the team moves on to the shelving. The store is still closed to the public. Fresh products, inventory, etc. The employees take advantage of having empty store to get on with their tasks. Once the store is open, they know that the utmost vigilance will be required. The alleys are not wide and the place is small enough to be close to the customers.
10:00 am, the store opens and customers are already online in front of the window. For the past month, it has been difficult to predict the hours of affluence. The store’s opening hours have been reduced to adapt to the new pace of life. Six customers are limited in the store, as there are already many team members between two departments.
While some customers do not appreciate these measures, which are considered too restrictive, many of them thank the cashiers through the plexiglass window installed since March 2020. The cashiers are now in charge of controlling the number of customers in the grocery store. They also disinfect baskets and trolleys between uses.
