My first "real" job was at our local grocery store, The Town & Country IGA. My great uncle operated it and hired me, my cousin and friend I call "Danielle" and another cousin, same age, that we'll call "Brett." My great uncle was actually Danielle and Brett's grandpa and I think that maybe Danielle's dad was working there too at the time. I would guess we were about 14 years old when we first started.
I have always loved punching buttons so the cash register was awesome. I am a people person and thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone come and go, knowing what kind of cigarettes so and so wanted before they even got to the counter, helping the elderly ones to their cars, etc. I would usually know what was going on in town. It was a good way to learn families too. I'd figure out who went with this family or that one, but never knew that was their dad, etc. I guess that may qualify me as a tad nosey? I loved everything about working at that little grocery store.
And we had fun...so much fun. The three cousins didn't always work together, you now, that may be a little dangerous, but occasionally we would be in there together. The older women we worked with were a hoot too. I honestly don't think I ever really dreaded going to work there. The hours were great, we were off at 8 in the summer and 7 in the winter. Poor Brett unloaded trucks that came in the wee hours of the morning, say around 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. He was often late to school on truck days because he would go back home and crash.
That gets me to my point...ha...you know I have one, right? I have a dream to own and operate a grocery store. I would prefer it be a Save-A-Lot grocery store because we do not have one in our county. The closest stores are 30 minutes away and I think our little town has a need for it. We have several living in the community who qualify as "poverty" and with the price of gasoline and such, it would be great to have something real close by.
I really enjoyed seeing people on a daily basis, helping folks find things or carry their groceries to their cars, punching those buttons on the register. Now, I see they use a hand-held scanner. What is up with that? Buttons, people, buttons is where it's at. You're missing the fun of it if you don't get to push them! Our little store has a program where the elderly can call in orders and they will deliver them to their homes. I would love to continue that tradition. We do not have mass transit around here so if you don't have a car or license and live too far, you have few options.
The customers. We had a customer who was deaf. I would see him walk in and knew what cigarettes to grab before he had to point. There was an elderly man who always came in and bought lots of Shasta (that's a brand of pop for you young ones). I figured out later that he probably wasn't a big Shasta drinker, it was what he mixed with the Shasta that kept him coming back for more. I also learned a lesson on judging a book by its cover. There was an elderly couple that came in to do their weekly shopping. The fella wore the same clothes and they weren't in great condition and he also had a slight odor about him. His wife was friendly but pretty simple. I figured they were a poor couple struggling to get by. I was told after he passed away, that they were worth tons of moola. Really? I wouldn't have guessed it...Shame on me.
It was such a good job for a teenager too. You had awesome hours and you were right here. You didn't have to drive over to a neighboring town to get to work or drive home late at night and in bad weather. You could still hit the ball game or go out with your friends after closing. Since I was only 14 when I started working at the store, my parents could drop me off and pick me up and it wasn't a terrible inconvenience. It was closed most major holidays, and even if it was open, they were flexible and the hours were shortened.
Our cousin still runs the Town and Country Foods grocery store, so I'm probably going to have to wait for a while until he sells or retires...and I suppose I probably need a lot of savings for start-up and franchise costs too. I may need to take some courses on running a grocery store, how to order, accounting, etc. After all, I was young and just punched buttons, bagged groceries and stocked shelves. Actually, now that I think about it, I may not be ready for this right now, but someday maybe I will have myself a grocery store!
1 comment:
This is great. I was raised in a grocery store!! My mom and dad owned a little grocery back in the day when our little town boasted of four grocery stores. Now we don't even have one, just a quick market and Dollar General. Although there is a guy getting ready to open one the first of November. You want his name? lol
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