Before the COVID-19 epidemic, we’d almost never shopped at Carnival Grocery. It seemed like a fine store, but places like Pete’s Fresh and Jewel are simply closer to us. However, because the folks at Carnival will collect an order for you, and provide curbside carryout and delivery if necessary, we decided to order some groceries from them. When we picked up our groceries at the store, we were pleased that the cashier was wearing a mask, just as we were. Masks, though they may not offer full protection to the wearer, are a way of preserving the health of others.
After stopping at Carnival, we went shopping at another store for a relatively expensive (over $600) item. None of the salespeople in the store were wearing masks. Failure to wear a mask, in a job with lots of customer contact, is not only antisocial but unhygienic. Though the store had what I wanted, I left without buying anything.
A few days later, I called the store and asked, “Are your employees wearing masks yet?” The man who answered replied “No,” and his voice betrayed irritation. For my health’s sake (and I am in a compromised group), I’ve decided not to do business with that store until at least the end of this epidemic, though perhaps never again.
Some might argue that masks are hard to come by, but even a bandana across the nose and mouth is better than nothing.
When a store’s employees are not wearing masks, the message sent is that the store simply doesn’t care much about their customers except as a source of revenue. If that’s their attitude, OK, but they’re not getting my business until they wise up and put on the damn masks.
David Hammond
Oak Park
