As of 8 PM Sunday, March 22nd, New York State is officially on lockdown. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has already impacted the global economy, our social life, and the way we work. One of the most significant changes that we are now experiencing is how we are changing the lens in which we view the working class. The list of essential versus non-essential businesses will give you a better idea as to what the pulse of life really is. Our grocery store heroes will go down in history after this is all over.
Grocery stores have now become a risky affair. One the one hand, we need food to survive, but at the same time, we are risking putting ourselves in contact with the virus, or risk passing it along to someone else. Yet, we are relying on grocery stores and their workers to be on the front-lines to continue to keep our society going.
With this amount of demand from grocery stores, it is no surprise that they have become extremely profitable. HEB, a popular Texas-based grocery chain, has been donating its profits to multiple food banks around the state. Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger are ramping up hiring to meet the demand during this trying time.
Moving Forward
How are we going to be viewing them any different? Grocery store heroes are now going to be noticed for the actual value that they bring to society. They should have the same amount of rights as someone who has a desk job. That means higher pay, more sick leave, vacation, and better benefits such as healthcare and retirement. This seems like a great moment to balance the importance of people and their jobs. Because at the moment, it’s not the big-time CEOs that we, as a nation, are relying on to take us through this pandemic, but the people who are in the front lines to try and make sure that we survive.
It will be a great time to value each other and what we do for each other versus trying to play this game of who is more critical to the world because we all are. We all play an essential role in life. And it only took a global pandemic for us to see that finally.