While Marty was off the floor, Stop & Shop’s human workers were expected to carry out business as usual. Millions of grocery store employees like Don — who never imagined they’d have to put their lives on the line at their jobs — were told that they, like medical professionals and first responders, were essential workers. So they cautiously reported to stores while restaurants, bars, movie theaters, salons, and a variety of other businesses closed their doors until public gatherings were deemed safe again.
Over the past nine months, Stop & Shop has developed and implemented a series of COVID-19 safety protocols designed to protect workers and customers in stores. In addition to instituting one-way aisles to promote social distancing, stores have installed plastic barriers at service counters and cash registers, ramped up cleaning procedures, and provided workers with PPE, including gloves, face masks, and face shields.
“Ensuring that our associates continue to have the necessary tools to protect themselves and our customers has remained a top priority for Stop & Shop,” O’Brien assured Mashable. But in the early days of the pandemic, grocery store employees were terrified to go to work.
As March progressed, COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the United States and experts struggled to understand the virus. Unsure of how long lockdowns would last, panicked shoppers started flooding stores to stock up on supplies like bread, milk, eggs, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and cleaning products. Stores were placing limits on items but still getting wiped out of goods, and the more people shopped the more workers feared for their safety.