A Culture Is No Better Than It's Grocery Stores

[nfotxn]

What's funny about the place that I work is how much I feel I've become part of the community there. You can't live without food and the supermarket is one of the last social refuges in our increasingly depersonalized and disconnected world of selfish convenience.

Slowly I am coming to know my regulars and characters who are like fixtures of the store. There is Wheelchair Nazi, a disabled man with a German accent and a swastika in his wallet. Or Ms. Simple who clearly lives in a group home and spends her few pennies on snacks and things for her and her housemates. There is also Out Tranny whom I haven't connected with really but I think suspects something. How do you say "Hey, I'm a freak too! Cash-back on your debit card?". Organic Hippie Daddy hasn't been around in a while but he is always so kind, friendly and leisurely paced. Big Gal hasn't been around with her sardonic sense of humour and been-there done-that attitude as well. Always good for a much needed laugh. My Check-Out boyfriend came in today and overheard it was my birthday today and called me "just a pup". It is now clinched: he is totally a gay. Not that it wasn't before. But only gays call beards "bearish" and people 23-years-old "pups". I think he just likes having another gay at the grocery store though, so nothing serious. This is a medium sized city after all. It's totally easy to be out but the sheer improbability of finding another gay in day to day life is a tad daunting as to no longer become a point of contemplation in common interaction.

The corporate overlords at Head Office looking for new and exciting ways to exploit the workforce can go. But I really love the people where I work. Sure there are unhappy people and sometimes they can be really hurtful. But my honest perspective is that they've probably some reason to act that way. It'd be best if they didn't but if I had a terminally ill loved one or unsure of how I'd keep my home I think it's likely I might be a bit bitchy to the grocery store clerk as well. It's when you are kind in return and catch them off guard... then you affect the world. To make the world just a tiny bit smaller, warmer and friendly... that's what motivates me to take the shit hours, pay and occasional abuse. Because everyone knows the world is a cold enough place.

Comments

[mikiedoggie.livejournal.com]

Its a little late, but happy birthday handsome! And if you're a pup, I'd love to scratch you behind the ears!!

[werecub.livejournal.com]

Y'all should organize a union (is that legal in Canada?)

I worked at a supermarket 5 years ago back home in New York and we were part of the Teamsters union. It was great. AFter a month you got a $.25 raise and had to pay union dues, but you also went form a temporary employee to part-time. The best part of this was that the union's deal with the supermarket was that 28 hours a week was the cap for part-time. After that you got time-and-a-half overtime pay, and anything over 40 hours was double time. Also i worked the lat night shift, 5pm to 1am, so because i worked after midnight i got time and a half hazard pay. We also got time and a half for working on sundays and 4 hour holiday pay for all national holidays.

It was a sweet job.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we're unionized. Why would you think they'd be illegal? This is actually the first time I didn't use my Local Unionized Grocery Franchise euphemism to refer to work.

My union is the first in North America to get Wal-Mart workers into negotiating collective agreement. That still doesn't mean that our management are any less dorky. Currently our Franchisee is trying to buy out of his current franchise into another under the same parent company in order to re-hire workers off their premium rates back at the starting rate. The union is defending us but there are still things businesses can do to fuck with their workers despite union protection.

[werecub.livejournal.com]

Didn't know what the union laws were up there.

Here there are certain industries which are not allowed to unionize. Mostly white collar industries but still.

I guess the advantage of the place i worked was that it wasn't a franchise, it was a branch of a supermarket that operated in three different states, but was centered out of new jersey. So there would be no way for them to re-hire everyone at non union rates.

Also, with all the union perks I made more at my cashier job than i ahve at any job since.

Here in Louisiana, none of the grocery stores are unionized. I always feel bad for the cashiers here because i made twice over what they make doing the same job or less.

[aadroma.livejournal.com]

Is your checkout boyfriend at least cute? :: chuckle ::

Happy belated, nena ... (HUG)

Perspective and stuff

[whiskerfish.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this!
The overall feel of this makes me wanna fly to Toronto to give you a big hug. (a thought that crosses my mind several times a day anyhow but this seemed like the perfect time to annouce to the world my e-fatuation)

[sonoranbear.livejournal.com]

But you still haven't answered the hard question:

Paper?

or

Plastic?

[iposthuman.livejournal.com]

I'd be the never takes his headphones off and tries to read lips very poorly fag. Happy belated! ;-)

Happy Birthday BC!

[mindplay.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this post. I really enjoyed the wonderful descriptions of and the names you've given to the characters that frequent the store.

[diesel-pioneer.livejournal.com]

happy birthday for yesterday! your present is the image from the most recent designobserver entry:

[abearius.livejournal.com]

Your description of the grocery store makes me want to rush down with a check book and a fist full of cupons! Happy Birthday, you studly pup.

[estudioso.livejournal.com]

¡Feliz cumpleaños! (Happy birthday!)

[http://users.livejournal.com/speedy_/]

That is one good thing about living in Canada, you'll find several cultures merged into one. try to get the best of all this cultures and you'll become richer!

[http://users.livejournal.com/speedy_/]

Happy Birthday BTW

[xkot.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, little pup :)

[sinnabor.livejournal.com]

Happy Birfday!

I never got any sense of community in the Safeway in San Jose. I think there's a cultural difference here. Or I need to spend more time shopping in the small markets.

And you are a pup. :-)

[iahklu.livejournal.com]

i want to kiss your user icon.

oh, and that thing i posted the other day was "happy birthday" in japanese, but you probably figured that out already...

[andywhobear.livejournal.com]

I also work at a grocery store and it is becoming the best place I have worked at in a long time. Getting to know your "regulars" makes the job all the more fun. I love running into customers outside of work. I'm starting to be called "that Trader Joe's guy". I actually ran into a couple at the Michigan Bear Fest who knew me from the store!

[jawnbc]

happy belated birthday mo' fo'!
Bonne fête à toi!
Bonne fête à toi!
Bonne fête!
Bonne fête!
Bonne fête à toi!

[durabear]

I'm now totally frightened to think of the nickname the people at the stores I frequent have for me...

as if I weren't paranoid enough! :-)

Thanks for a funny post buddy!