My Weekly Supermarket Trip Was Not Like the Last One
I live in St. Paul, MN, as many of you know. The supermarket I shop at is located in a suburb just north of St. Paul. It is the closest Cub supermarket to my house.
To get there, I drive past a large Target store. Today, that store is boarded up and the street entrances to the parking lot are blocked off. My Cub store was open, but has plywood attached to the doors and is shutting down at 7 PM.
Unlike my last three weekly visits, today found the parking lot full of cars. Inside, long lines were already backed up to get to the checkout aisles. I thought about skipping my visit, but that situation will not improve anytime today, so I did my week's shopping, wearing a mask and doing my best to avoid close encounters with other shoppers.
I have never seen the store that crowded at any time - not even on the day before Thanksgiving. After finishing putting everything on my list in the shopping cart, I joined the line. There were two. One led to the self-check lines. The other led to the four checkout aisles that were being operated by store employees. Both lines extended to the far interior wall of the supermarket. I estimate there were 40 people waiting in each line.
I chose the employee-served line, because I have seen what happens when people who are unfamiliar with the self-check units get to them with a full cart of groceries. It is not a pretty scene. I was right to do so, since by the time my line reached that area, all four self-check stations were out of order with a Cub employee trying to correct the problems.
Anyhow, everyone was patient, except for a couple of people who attempted to jump the line for the checkout aisles. Those people were advised about where the end of the line was by someone other than myself. They were not amused.
Why was the store so crowded? The looting and rioting that has been taking place now for 4 days in the Twin Cities is the reason. Many Cub stores are locked up. My Cub foods is distant from the problem, and remains open, although I can't say for how long. People need food. They are going to the stores that remain open.
The sanitation procedures are still in place, which slows down the checkout lines, and people were patient, even though they were also frustrated. I kept it in mind that some Cub food stores have been looted or burned. It is my good fortune that the one closest to me has not had that happen. I can be patient. I must be patient.
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