Hearing peoples stories is what I love about blogging. We’re able to share experiences that we can somehow relate to and the best part is, we at one point, were strangers. We can laugh, cry, and feel for one another because the stories and experiences we share are what brings us together. Every comment I get for each post, I become very excited and giddy but as long as someone can relate to the material or at least find some sort of humor in it, is what keeps me going.
One reader sent in a story that goes way back and he wrote me an email that has touched me and my many co-workers that I have shown.
I wrote Steve an email about how lucky he was to have moved on from the grocery biz and this was his reply…
Good to hear from you. Please, do not consider yourself “unlucky” because you stayed in the grocery biz. I practiced law for many years and saw many ugly things I would have never seen had I stayed in retail. I practiced law in Wenatchee, where I am from and live now, and in Vancouver, WA, for many years. As I look back, some of the nicest people I ever met were my co-workers in the grocery business. So, consider yourself “lucky”! Looking forward to seeing more on your site.
Thank you Steve and you’re right. Some of the nicest people I ever met were my co-workers in the grocery business. You guys are the best!
So with Mostlygrocery 100th post, I would like to introduce Steve’s story…
Flashback to summer, 1973. I remember this as if it were yesterday! I’m working as a night stocker at a Safeway in Wenatchee prior to leaving for college. It is early in the morning, our shift is almost over. The store has opened and a few people are milling about. Larry, my short, bald, always smiling co-worker, is pulling a big pallet of overstock with a manual pallet jack. He errs somewhat as he gauges a turn. The pallet crashes into a HUGE end display of large jars of pickles, and they tumble down like an avalanche in the Alps; to me, the event is in slow motion. Pickles, pickle juice and the overpowering smell of vinegar everywhere. Several people have pickle juice on their feet including, of course, me and Larry. There is a silent moment while everyone surveys and assesses the magnitude of the Pickle Avalanche. The best part: Without missing a beat, Larry looks around at the shocked shoppers and calmly announces: “Hi, folks, here’s dinner!” Ha! I’ve often thought maybe I should have stayed in the enjoyable grocery business rather than practicing law!
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats on your 100th post!!
Keep it up, and continue being yourself!
Thank you for the kind words Alicia!
Congrats on 100th.
BTW, I love the smell of pickles! They are my favorite ‘come in from drinking and stare at the fridge until you finally grab……yep, the pickles’. LOL, Always do that, get one pickle out, totally molest it. It’s insane, but I never get hangovers. Hhhmmmmmm
In the grocery store customers become equals for the only time in their lives, fantasies of meals, wanting to hurry home and eat the purchases. rich people and regular people feel the same.
Secretia
Congrats on your 100th post. I’ve been enjoying your blog ever since I found you from your comment on my Ventripotent Vegetarian blog. I used to work as a bank teller and there appear to be many similarities between grocery clerk experiences and bank teller experiences — customer wise, anyway. Good stuff!
congrats on the 100th! I am two away! Yes, everyone is equal at the grocery store…we’re all there for the same reason. Grocery stores generally employ the nicest people…it’s sometimes the other customers who don’t make the trip as pleasant as it could be!
Yay for your 100th post!! My husband is 48 and has worked in the grocery biz since he was 16 – he’s in their main office now. My son (21) is a grocery clerk and my daughter (20) is a checker. We met while working at the same store many years ago. Awwwe. ha ha I’ve forwarded your blog to them and I can’t wait to go back and read more. I’m sure this will be a BIG favorite around here!!! ?
happy 100!
looking forward to more!
hear, hear!
great post paul! congrats on your 100th post!
congrats on 100! I worked in a schnucks grocery store and you are right, the people there are awesome. Pickles tho? Ummm, no!! I’d have left the building. I don’t do pickles at all. It makes me nuts when husband makes me buy them!
I used to work in a grocery store, too, and you are so right. The people were nice (most of them) and the ones that weren’t made nice fodder for the rest of us during slow times in our shift, lol.
Congrats on the 100th… Great story. I remember ruining half a pallet of dairy stuff by getting in the stockers way while pushing the floor machine as a young bagger myself. Glad that I found your blog!
Hi Paul I wanted to thank you for dropping off some encouragement to my sight. Perhaps it will give me the push I need to get my creative juices flowing again.
Also I really like the creativeness here!
Peace,
Meagan
Congrats on 100 posts, Paul and thanks for stopping by my blog!
I wanted to tell you that Celebrity was the name of the cruise line and I don’t think there were any celebrities on board. Would have been cool, though!
Congratulations on your 100th post, and thanks so much for stopping by my blog and commenting. Please come back again, anytime!
You know, no matter where in life we work we encounter doo doo people and angels…they’re all mixed it. So much of it has to do with our own sense of self and how we can release the bad folks and their negative energy and replenish our spirits with goodness. So glad we have our blogger’s world to help us with that!
I mentioned that I had worked in retail. Working with the customers sucked and didn’t. The people I worked with were almost always great though. I find that true in a lot of jobs.
Congratulations on your centennial post! Awesome stuff Paul, keep it going!
Hey you’ll love this…in the spirit of this post.
Tonight I stopped by my local ghettomart and this lady (a customer) was trying to carry or move a heavy object, not sure what it was, but in the process she knocked over two or three large glass containers of instant coffee. CRASH all over the floor. Coffee grounds and glass shards all over…they had this poor kid sweep up the mess. I admit, pickles would have been way more hilarious hahaha