SUPERMARKET SUPERHEROES
FACING UNPRECEDENTED DEMANDS FOR THEIR SERVICES, STAFF AT PETTITT’S SUPERVALU HAVE RISEN TO THE CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, WRITES
FOR many of us it’s now the highlight of our week, a chance to get done up, wear our best gear and pretend we’re off out for a night on the tiles. But while the weekly shop sates our need for social interaction, gets us out of the house for an hour, those charged with keeping those shelves stacked, floors clean and tills busy are working harder than ever before.
Even at 10.30 a.m. on a Thursday the queue outside Pettitt’s SuperValu in St Aidan’s in Wexford is lengthy, going past Ladbrokes, the old Jack Bailey’s pub, almost onto the street.
And inside the store staff are already three hours into a day which officially finishes at 8 p.m. but will see some work late to get a headstart for the following day and the weekend to come.
Yet, as manager Nicky Byrne confirms, spirits remain high in one of Wexford town’s busiest supermarkets.
‘We open at 7.30 a.m. Some of our departments which would usually start at 7 a.m now start at 6 a.m. as it gives them a chance to get more packing in on the floor. We have a night pack then as well – which we always had – but they just do a little more by night now,’ says Nicky.
‘The tiredness is there,’ Nicky admits, ‘everything takes that little bit more effort. Before it was just a case of packing up the shop, but now you have to think about where you stand, how you do it.
‘However, morale is good, we’ve a really good team here. They’ve played a blinder. From the word go everyone has put their shoulder to the wheel.’
This attitude is typified by the group of hardy souls looking after online deliveries, a service which has risen by 250% since the lockdown began. With as many as eight delivery vans
Paul Carr, Elaine Roche, Margaret Roche, Marian McGuire and Jenny Werner making sure everything is running smoothly.
on the road at any given time, additional staff have had to be drafted in from other areas of the shop, new hires recruited to ensure those unable to leave their homes are catered for at all times.
‘It’s been mental,’ says Keith Morrissey as he cleans another pile of trays, ‘the first few weeks were a big shock. We are starting to get used to it over the last couple of weeks though, and now we’re just getting on with it really.’
Even at this early hour, the workers loading, emptying and driving these vans are flat out; dealing with unprecedented levels of demand, while adhering to new social distancing rules, health and safety regulations and guidelines regarding hand sanitisation.
And they do so without complaint, with a smile on their faces, focusing on the job in hand.
Cognisant of the additional effort being made by staff and the sacrifices involved in servicing the public during a pandemic, Pettitt’s have been providing lunches for their workers, supplementing pay cheques with gift vouchers, letting them know they’re valued.
‘It is a strain, there’s a lot of extra work going in there, a lot of extra processing,’ says Nicky. ‘But it’s all for the safety and protection of ourselves and our customers and we just want to make sure everyone gets out of this happy, healthy and safe.’
The panic buying which characterised the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic now seems like a distant memory, but having endured what was an incredibly stressful time for all those working in the retail sector Nicky believes it provided a valuable lesson in terms of how we consume news.
‘There was a lot of apprehension at the start, and I think the social media element was huge in that regard,’ he says.
‘There was misinformation on social media and people had gotten quite worked up over that. I know of people who’ve decided to take a social media detox since then. I myself went from watching the phone hour by hour to saying “I’m going to stick to the reliable sources from now on”.’
Although the days of cramming trolleys full of toilet rolls are no more, customers are gravitating to certain aisles on a more frequent basis as they search for ways to fill these unending days.
‘People are more shopping for their needs now, it’s settled down but there are still some sections doing exceptionally well. Baking produce is one. Sales of home baking ingredients are up 260%. Flour by nearly 300%,’ Nicky says.
‘I think with the kids at home, people are just trying to find ways to keep them occupied, doing a bit of baking or making some buns, it gives them a sense of achievement at home as well.’
Alcohol sales have also risen during the pandemic, and for the man who runs this part of Pettitt’s this means additional hours at what is usually a quiet time of year.
‘I’d normally do less hours at this time of year because it’s quiet but I’m here full-time at the moment. I don’t mind, I like it in here, I keep the place tidy and organised,’ says Peter Hamilton.
And while there’s been an increase in sales across the board, Peter says one drink in particular has been in high demand.
‘The Guinness has gone through the roof, you wouldn’t think that many people go to the pub for a pint of Guinness. But I think a lot of people are drinking just because they’re bored at home.’
While everyone at Pettitt’s is focusing on meeting the demands of their customers, they are also mindful of local businesses, small enterprises which have been hit hard by the coronavirus.
‘We’re supporting our local suppliers, giving them extra space on our shelves,’ says Nicky as we pause by a fridge full of Killowen yogurts.
‘All of our stores nationally have been under huge pressure to get stuff out and our local suppliers have come through for us, bringing extra volume and extra produce, so it’s important we give something back.’
That supermarkets are thriving while other businesses face