The Real People of Wal-Mart

I'm tired, so this will be a short post. For those who don't know, I'm working two jobs right now. My "night job" is as a fill-in on air personality for 99.9 KTDY, which I do when one of the KTDY stars are out and need a "sub."

My "day" job is working as a merchandiser for Advantage Sales and Marketing, who services a number of companies, including SC Johnson ("A Family Company"). I work with SC Johnson products like Glade, Windex, and Ziploc. My merchandiser job takes me to all the Albertson's in Lafayette, the one in Broussard, and the one in Alexandria. The rest of the stores are, of course, Wal Marts, including the ones here in the Hub City and even all the way to distant Oakdale.

I worked as a merchandiser for Archway Cookies back at the turn of the new century, so this gig wasn't a completely unfamiliar experience. But that was roughly a decade ago, and what has changed is the advent of social media.

In that time, it's become a meme and a trend to photograph and mock people who shop at Wal Mart. We all know the site, which I won't plug here. It also seems that the employees of Wal Mart get bashed as well, as I've read dozens of diatribes and rants about Wal Mart employees.

A big part of what I do as a merchandiser involves doing the work these folks do, specifically, stocking. It's not easy, it's thankless, and it's what they're constantly required to do when they aren't helping a customer or making trips to the back room to get more product to put on the shelves. These folks are also victims of Obamacare and thus, their hours have been cut and they've lost benefits. This means less money for the same hard work, even if it's for fewer hours, and in the case of many folks, the necessity of a second job to make ends meet.

My point is this: the next time you're at Wal Mart and you see something on the floor, consider picking it up. That simple act will make someone's hard day a little easier. When you're standing in that check-out line, fit to be tied because there's only a few lanes open, remember that Wal Mart is having trouble keeping employees just like a lot of places are. Remember too that the people behind those counters are tired, overworked, and stressed, just like you and I are. They have families they want to support and would rather be with them than working a thankless job. Try to find the strength to be patient and kind and know that the cashiers aren't the ones who are to blame for the lack of other cashiers.

Also, realize that when a Wal Mart is clean and the shelves look stocked and appealing, that work was very likely done by an overnight crew who, I've learned, sometimes have to come right back a few hours later and work another shift.

Above all, please remember that each person you encounter brings with them the invisible baggage of their last five minutes, five hours, five days, five years, and more. And with only two hands to carry all that baggage, everyone needs a hand now and then.