Grocery Shopping in Early Covid-19 Days

Grocery Shopping in Early Covid-19 Days

SWSNBNOSM and I ventured out to buy groceries and gasoline. Since the price of gas about $0.20 cheaper in nearby Daleville, we decided to shop at the Kroger there. 

I have rarely felt so uncomfortable. The store was quite crowded. With our faces covered and our fresh latex gloves on, we were in a distinct minority Few shoppers were even slightly concerned with their proximity to us. Every time one of them headed toward us, we scurried away like ghost crabs on a beach at night.

We happened upon one of those shopper's shoppers. This guy had a cart with 8 open paper grocery bags labeled with a bar code sticker. He used a handheld device to fill each bag, scanning each item and beeping the bag as he placed them into the proper bag. Amazing technology. Such a fabulous service. However, this man wore no mask and no gloves and was moving at will across the store oblivious to scurrying ghost crabs he encountered. 

That shopper's shopper wasn't alone, however. That Kroger was loaded with busy employees. Almost none of them was wearing any kind of protective gear as they handled produce, restocked shelves, bagged groceries, and checked out items. Of the 20-30 store employees I saw, only two were wearing masks.
When we were checking out, SWSNBNOFB chose the self-checkout, which was uncrowded, She purposely picked one unit on the end of the bank of automated, robotic checkers. Almost immediately, a couple entered the checking area and decided to use the machine two feet away from us, despite there being 8 other machines not next to us that were open. 

After paying, we fled to our car.