Local grocery stores well-stocked with heroes amid crisis




ON THE JOB — Ralphs employee Ricky Flores collects shopping carts in the parking lot April 7 in Moorpark. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

ON THE JOB — Ralphs employee Ricky Flores collects shopping carts in the parking lot April 7 in Moorpark. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

Grocery store employees might not wear capes, but as essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis they’re still known as heroes in their communities.

Kim Price has been a cashier at Ralphs in Moorpark for about 26 years. Recently she’s adopted a new post-shift regimen: she goes home and immediately jumps in the shower while her husband, Ron, a retired firefighter/paramedic, washes her work clothes.

Then together they’ll sanitize the house.

“(Ron’s) been very supportive,” Price said. “He’s been constantly wiping down surfaces, the dining room table, kitchen counter tops. Anything I physically touch, he’ll be right behind me wiping it down.”

Price knows that her job could potentially expose her, and therefore her husband, to the virus.

“I realize that we are basically on the front lines, and we’re in contact with the whole public and people coming in . . . and we don’t know who’s infected,” Price said. “But I’m not dwelling on it.”

For others, it’s harder to set worries aside.

Simi Valley resident Michael Doria has been working at Whole Foods in Thousand Oaks for 12 years. A seafood team member, Doria said he has been taking added precautions, such as wearing extra gloves to protect himself and his customers.

“If I get (coronavirus), with my job, I could potentially spread it to hundreds of people,” he said. “I owe it to the public. I want people to know they can trust me when I give them their fish.”

The store has been limiting its hours of operation to allow for more time to restock and clean, as well as restricting the number of customers allowed inside at a time. Even with these measures, the gravity of the current crisis— and its potential dangers—weighs heavily on the employees.

“I’m constantly thinking about what I touch, what I shouldn’t touch,” said Doria, 31. “I’ve been given this duty—even though I didn’t ask for it—to protect the public. . . . I feel like there’s a big responsibility on my hands.”

Jennifer Nairne of Camarillo, who went to her local Trader Joe’s recently, said, “They are limiting the number of people in the store but also keeping the line moving fast. There is hand sanitizer as you walk in. They have monitors to encourage social distancing in line. They wipe down the cart for you before you go in, and they limit items to discourage hoarding.”

Amid a hiring spree, some grocery stores are offering small incentives. Hourly part-time employees at Ralphs are receiving a one-time bonus of $150. Whole Foods, Albertsons and Vons employees are temporarily receiving a $2 increase in hourly pay.

All Albertsons, Pavilions and Vons stores in Southern California have installed Plexiglas protective “sneeze guard” barriers at check stands, pharmacy windows and Starbucks registers.

“This is an extra step to protect our associates who are in constant contact with the public and provide our customers with extra reassurance as well,” Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran said.

Many stores have placed stickers and tape markers on the floor to help customers maintain a 6-foot space between one another.

It’s still risky. Last week, a Gelson’s Market in Pacific Palisades had to close temporarily after one of its employees contracted COVID-19.

Price said her store director has started additional precautions within the Moorpark Ralphs, including a “top of the hour” announcement at which time every employee pauses to wash their hands, wipe down surfaces and sanitize registers. Ralphs has also installed Plexiglas guards.

“They realize we’re working hard on the front lines,” the 57-year-old said, adding that the store has also been providing daily lunches. “They know this time is hectic for employees.”

Price said the store’s operations shift almost daily—from hours to warehouse shipments.

“We’ll be out of one product, like eggs, for four days, or paper towel products for three or four days, and we’re just trying our best,” she said. “I hope that customers understand that we ourselves are in a bad situation and we’re doing our best to comply with city and company policies, and we’re doing our best to provide. There’s always going to be one or two people who are not so understanding, but in general we’ve been getting positive input.”

Many shoppers have been thanking store employees. Several customers have donated gloves. One customer even brought Price tulips. The cashier said she likes knowing she’s providing an essential service.

“I was in a prayer group about a year or so ago and we were talking about what we do for a living, and I said I was a cashier at Ralphs, and one person said, ‘Oh, you feed people.’ And I had never thought of it like that. And ever since then, I see it as a meaningful occupation that I have, to feed people. And so through this I am doing my part to help my community and make sure people are fed.”