You may be “sheltering in place,” as they say, but as a cashier down to the A&P, I’m on the front lines of this thing. Global pandemic! Go figure! Folks have totally lost their minds, buying three, four, five hundred dollars worth of unrelated stuff! It’s like that old game show Supermarket Sweep; they’re just throwing things into their carts. The biggies, of course, are toilet paper, milk, and chicken. Why? If you’re going to be stuck inside, wouldn’t you want a nice cut of meat to look forward to? And think of it: you have all this time to slow roast. It’s perfect! The toilet paper baffles me, though. It just don’t make no sense. I guess to a lot of folks, nothing says “apocalypse” more than a bathroom without toilet paper.
Also, you need to buy stuff you’d want it eat if, God forbid, you got sick with this thing. My hunch is, that’s not Doritos Flaming Hot Limon. I mean, what is Limon, anyway? I don’t want to know! How about some oatmeal or cream of wheat, saltines, apple juice, bread for toast, mac and cheese? And yes, make some chicken soup, just in case. But people, you’re gonna need a whole chicken for that, not boneless breast. And in my humble opinion, people are not buying enough booze and chocolate. I’m just saying.
I know at some of them big supermarkets, everything is gone by the time us employees get a chance to buy anything. Luckily here at the A&P, we can come in a hour before we open, buy what we need, and have a family member take it home if we have to start our shift.
And yes, just like in the big city, we have senior shopping hours to protect our old folks (which, apparently everyone over sixty: ouch). Let’s face it, a good half of Mahoosuc Mills is over sixty. So instead of confining it to 5:30-7:00 am one day a week, we have senior shopping Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the younguns on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. (We’re closed to the public on Sunday so they can do a thorough disinfecting and stock the shelves good.”) So far, that seems to be working.
The folks that are hoarding burn me up, but for everyone one of those there are many more
acts of good ol’ Maine kindness. The A&P is doing grocery deliveries to shut-ins, and neighbors are pulling together to make sure everyone has what they need. It’s so important to support small businesses right now, and some of them are getting inventive. Up to Bouchard’s farm, they have drive through hours for fresh greens and eggs. The Busy Bee is delivering curb side and have brought back their maple bacon donut as a morale booster in these trying times.
Gotta admit, it’s not a bad time of year to be working from home, or homeschooling, or both. Imagine if this were the dead of winter. Oh now, that would be hard! Instead, it’s springtime in Maine. There’s yard work to do and spring cleaning. Charlie’s decided to paint the kitchen, and heck, I’m not stopping him. The kids can play outside and you can take long walks with your family. (And a neighbor if you keep your distance.) The birds are singing and the first little shoots of green are poking up into this crazy, new world we find ourselves living in.
Stay safe, everyone! And remember: any excuse to laugh is a good one!
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: On the Front Lines: Down to the A&P
Upcoming Shows (at this moment in time)
May 1 & 2: The Moose in Me, The Moose in You!, The Footlights Theatre, 7:30pm, Falmouth, ME
May 13: Book Reading, Windham Public Library, 6:00pm, Windham, ME
May 14, Book Reading, Wiggin Memorial Library, 6:00pm, Stratham, NH
Watch Susan’s TEDxPortsmouth Talk