^^^Welp, that is how low infections areas all of a sudden aren’t low infection areas anymore. At one time we all came from “no infection” areas. Whether you’re low, medium or high doesn’t make the restrictions more lax.
I am NOT thrilled that my senior goes off to work at Dominoes Pizza 3x a week, despite it being curbside takeout/delivery only. I have much angst about it but haven’t asked him to quit and won’t for several reasons .
1st and foremost - For his mental health ! A lot of seniors are soooo unhappy and going into depression over missing out on all their senior activities - recognition banquets, prom, senior trips, graduation and much more. Getting out of the house to go to work keeps his mind off what he’s missing and alleviates some of that anxiety and the potential to get depressed. I’ve seen it happen with some of his friends; it ‘ain’t pretty ?
- This was/is his first j-o-b and he’s been there for about a year . They worked with him and were super flexible when he had a crazy marching band schedule in the Fall and then a crazier audition schedule /season for getting into college. Read: he couldn’t work a lot of weekends when they needed him most . While this is comparing apples to oranges and Covid19 notwithstanding , he feels obligated to return the favor.. they need him now. He has the time. So essentially giving back what was afforded him, returning the favor, so to speak. Dominoes was the only place that WOULD hire him when he came to an interview telling them of his crazy marching band schedule in the Fall.
- He’s not a quitter. If there’s anything I’ve imparted to my son that stuck , is to Never Quit !! If I told him to quit, it would go against everything I’ve taught him and tried to impart . He’s taking the recommended safety precautions both there and when he gets home... THAT I’m adamant about. Honestly, if I told him to quit, he’d look at me and say “Who are you and what did you do with my Momma?”
- College is crazy expensive. He realizes that his single parent can not afford some of the niceties that he might want so is trying to save up for that. Can’t fault him for wanting to stash some much needed $$$ for college.
Now all that being said, I MIGHT feel differently if he was making deliveries or working at a grocery store where exposure was higher. As it is, he’s an inside CSR where the most people working inside at any given time is 4, and this was when the college kids were on campus . Now there’s usually only he and the shift manager , plus the delivery drivers, working. I still don’t think I’d make him quit though. But, who knows.
Somebody remind me again why ANY restaurant workers are considered essential employees???
Because they are providing food.
Eating out / getting takeout is a luxury, not a necessity ! So yes, they provide food, but you can get food from the grocery store . I see why THOSE employees are essential. Not so much for the restaurants out there. Starbucks essential? I think not.
My kid is still at his part time restaurant job (it’s all takeout/delivery now), which I don’t love. But he’s 18 and I know he feels torn between the health risk vs. his loyalty to a local business that has treated him well and also his desire to provide food to people who need it (they’re able to sell meat, eggs, and milk to customers). It’s hard not to worry and I’ve told him numerous times that he doesn’t need to work if he doesn’t feel safe or doesn’t want to. But as of now, he wants to keep doing it. We’ll see if that changes. They all wear masks and gloves. Very stressful!
Disagree. A good bagger will readily increase checkout line thruput, i.e, customers going thru the line. The faster a checker can work, the faster customers get out the door and stop spreading/being exposed to germs. A faster checker also means less customers lined up outside the door waiting to get in. (Baggers can also retrieve carts from parking lots.)
That said, if the OP’s family can afford it, i.e, doesn’t need the income, I would not have a 16-year old working as a bagger in these conditions.
Curbside pick-up and delivery just might allow some restaurants to get through this extended closure and re-open without declaring bankruptcy. Although orders are way down, restaurants are still ordering from vendors/suppliers. The knee bone is connected to the shin bone, etc.
No, not “essential”, but a fair compromise?
My college freshman is working at the local CVS–he worked there in HS as well. He was a bit nervous and gave serious thought about possibly being exposed to the virus and bringing it home but they have register shields, gloves, masks, and sanitizer available to employees. I think he is grateful to not only have a chance to make some money but also to provide a service and simply get out of the house for an allowed reason.
It is a hard decision to make though, and certainly everyone/every family has to decide for their own safety what is best as we get through this.
Restaurant employees are essential. Maybe we all have the luxury of having kitchen facilities and good grocery stores, but a lot of people rely on carry out food for most of their meals. I also agree that this is partially an attempt to keep some people employed and some businesses afloat.
Ever hear of “food deserts”?
https://socialwork.tulane.edu/blog/food-deserts-in-america
Some (poor) people live in places with limited access to grocery stores. Usually, the take-out and restaurant food options in such places are not so great either (particularly in the context of long term health issues). But closing down some of the already very limited options to those people would make the situation even worse.
Also, some people may live in places with limited food preparation capabilities.
Fair enough ! I concur.
My 20 y/o is working at a bakery that only sells cake. I’m not sure how that is considered essential, but they are still open, and not only that, they are incredibly busy. When this first started I wasn’t too concerned because I assumed they would close, but they didn’t. My daughter had just started working there in early February after returning to her university after a fall study abroad semester. She wanted to stay at school in her off campus apartment.
On the bright side, she is able to practice social distancing with their customers. Most order over the phone and either do curbside pickup or delivery. But unless things have changed in the last week, there are some customers coming into the store it they are able to keep 6’ distance with counter in between. My daughter works both in the front and in the back. However, she does work with a few other staff, and obviously has no idea what kind of social distancing her coworkers are doing outside of work.
I certainly understand the business owner doesn’t want to close when he is trying to keep his business afloat, assuming he is legally allowed to stay open. It sounds like they are busier than usual and from what my daughter tells me, her coworkers all need the income (my daughter does not). But her continued working is the main source of the stress I feel from this mess, especially because she is across the country from us. But she wants to keep working and doesn’t want to let her boss down b/c they are so busy.
I also have a belief that some things are remaining open (by permission) because there is some attempt to not take EVERYTHING away from people. If someone can find joy in getting a cake for a birthday or something, perhaps they will be more able to handle staying home and missing out on so much.
^Yes, a birthday cake meant the world to my 22-year-old daughter on Tuesday. She’s separated from her boyfriend and other college friends. It’s tough.
Thanks for enlightening me about food deserts and sharing the referenced article. Nowhere in that article, though, does it mention folks getting their fresh fruits and vegetables from restaurants. The “poor” people in the deserts wouldn’t be able to afford eating at restaurants, now would they? This is about getting fresh foods to folks which they would normally get from grocery store. Access to grocery stores are limited. In the absence of that, they are talking about ways to bring the grocery store and the fresh foods they afford TO the food deserts. Again, thus solidifying why grocery stores ARE essential. Don’t want to start a debate here, but restaurants are not a means to get those otherwise fresh foods to people. And while I speed read the article, I’m pretty certain that wasn’t mentioned.
Back to the subject at hand… Letting our kids work during this pandemic.
DS19 got hired for the summer to work in a call centre for one of our national banks which is an essential service. Today is his first day of training and they are running it on Skype. Going forward I don’t know whether he’ll be working from home or be required to go into the office. Not a fun job but really well paying. The other upside is if school doesn’t resume in the fall he can keep working.
My point about about baggers isn’t about if they are helpful (they are) but are they essential.
When you have businesses open which are deemed essential, I think they also have to think about which workers are essential to doing business (this is how my husband’s company is operating, minimal staffing and deciding which personnel is essential)
So for instance in a grocery store, cashiers are essential, you can’t operate without them in most cases. Can they work 6’ apart? Cashiers, yes, but can baggers be 6’ away from the cashier? What is the minimum staffing you can have and still be operational? Can you protect your workers and how can you protect them? If you can’t, then you need to find ways to protect them or not use them in that capacity. Can the job be done with less people? Yes, the customer or cashier can bag.
Yes baggers can be put into other positions in the store, wiping down carts or stocking shelves or other essential positions where they can be 6’ from others. But then they aren’t baggers.
When the OP asked if her 16 yo should be working and described how he was working, I felt that what she was described, the job wasn’t essential but a luxury for the operation of the store. So that’s why my opinion was that she could ask her son not to work. Also the family didn’t need the money so the position was a luxury.
The problem is that if the restaurants (often serving cheap unhealthy food) are closed down, then the poor people in these “food deserts” may have difficulty getting any food.
OP, I think it is lovely that you were trying to consider the other baggers. But you could look at it this way…if they all start dropping off the schedule, and the store gets rid of bagging, you have helped them all out! I went to the grocery this morning; there were no baggers. The cashier had to do it, so even though lines were short (2 people), it took a very long time as everyone had full carts. I tried to help bag my own but it was hard to stay distant. And the plexiglass they have put up to protect the cashiers is meaningless when the cashier starts bagging and the customer gets close.
We need a new bagging system for now, and I think it might be “bag your own” for those who are able.
@ClassicMom98 , you absolutely made the right decision, in general and especially given your son’s history! And to hear that anyone in health care has the “we’re all going to get it anyway” attitude is quite alarming. How can she not know about resource shortages? Or PPE shortages? Even aside from that, wouldn’t you want to get it later when there is a cure? Or more known about best ways to treat?
For anyone whose kids are working, please know that many of us are so, so grateful to the grocery store and food service and delivery workers, and many of us really do try to take as many precautions as possible, and are grateful for your service.
While Starbucks may not be essential, our local techies holed up in their tiny rooms in a shared condo will disagree that takeout food is not essential. You would not believe how many of them do not own cooking “equipment.” Not all have access to kitchens or fridge space.