Meet Mackenzie Caldwell (she/her), she’s on the very front lines of the public during all of this: grocery store co-manager. In life pre-Covid19 Pandemic, most of the world had deemed grocery and retail workers as ‘non essential’ and those who work in those stores often are overlooked. Kenz has made each of her employees feel her positive energy, long before COVID-19 had come into our lives. “You have to lead by example, if you walk around miserable with your head down, that isn’t going to help anyone, so you have to walk in positive and take it from there.”
Given the contact many grocery store workers have with the public, they are at a potentially higher risk to fall ill from COVID-19. Mackenzie realizes this, and consistently shows appreciation to her staff. “ My team comes to work every day, and they don’t have to” she says while discussing struggles she faces on a daily basis. “Everyday I go into work not knowing - new policies come down to communicate to my entire team- which is hundreds of people, and they need it mandated in ten minutes. Being on these conference calls, hearing all the policies when it comes to sanitations, masks, what we can and can’t do -and feeding it through chain of command and all the people I’m in charge of.”
The shining of true leadership is seen amongst these times. It had illuminated to me the meaning of essential, the meaning of true heroes. Without these peoples’ will to come into work and stock the shelves, lead their teams with the policies that keep us all safe, we would be in a worse place. It’s truly admirable how Kenz and her other co - manager consistently reassure their staff and point them towards success while keeping them safe too.
With stress, comes down time and to say her routines have changed is an understatement although the chain she works for is trying to limit the time employees are in the stores. “When I get home I strip into cozy clothes, and usually pop open a beer.” The smaller things in life seem to become more appreciated.
This Pandemic has taught her as a person she is “way more social” than she thought she was. “A lot of people who think they are introverts think “oh man, this isn’t working”! “ In regards to the public, Kenz shed light that “It’s crazy to see the two opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to types of people. There’s people who walk into the store and say “thank you so much you’re the reason we can come here and get stuff, then there are people who are like "WHERES all THE FOOD?! Why aren’t you stocking your shelves?! Then there are the people in the middle who don’t really bother you, do their thing and get out.”
When it comes to those at the end of that spectrum aggressively concerned with bare shelves, as Kenz had stated “how do you not understand what’s going on right now.”
Large ‘box’ grocery stores like hers are doing the best they can with what they have. There isn’t anything they’re hiding in the back, so be grateful and as pleasant as you can. As a concerned citizen, I asked Kenz what message she could relay to people at home that are doing their grocery shopping. “We have signs even posted that say if you can- shop alone. Don’t bring your kids, don’t bring your family if you can help it. I have stickers all over the floor for one way aisles so people aren’y passing each other. We have so many procedures in place, so I would just say get in, get out, don’t hoard things- theres a limit on things now for a reason- and thats why this food supply is the way it is because people took advantage of it, panicked, bought too much, and now we need to catch up.” The potential for so much waste is more detrimental to economy and the planet than safely shopping as needed, and that was made clear during this interview.
In closing, her biggest message is to, “understand these people don’t have to show up to work, my team puts their health at risk and don’t have to - they show up for me everyday and for people that come in and treat them poorly at times and complain there’s nothing on the shelves…when we are tired, we are stressed, we are afraid of getting sick. But we are here for you, to feed you, this community.”
Personally, I hope people come out of this pandemic and appreciate humanity. The common thread upon all of these stories is the human connection, and we need to repair that. As Mackenzie stated “we need to appreciate the whole world more,….now we are realizing that we miss it, so don’t take it for granted. I think a lot of good things are going to come out of this …. positive messages being sent, and we are in a time out right now…I think It’s going to be a lot different when we come out of it, I think a lot of protocols will stay in place as far as sanitation and cleanliness.”
Thank you Mackenzie, and all others on the front line in these grocery stores, consistently coming to work each day so we can shop for needs to fuel our families.
This interview made us realize this is a new beginning for a new chapter of life - how we function, how we shop, how we treat other humans. We now realize the importance of what we once overlooked, and after this is all said and done and we are on the cusp of a new chapter, I pray we carry this gratitude forward.
// Please note all quoted statements above are those of Ms. Caldwell and not reflective Faiella Studios.