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I was very disheartened to read about the recent alleged assault of an employee at the Orillia Home Hardware store on King Street.
My wife and I have shopped there regularly for about 20 years now and have never had anything but a positive experience. Not only does the store invariably have what we are looking for, but the staff have always been knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.
And now more than ever, as they endure long hours, expose themselves to risk and work in a totally unfamiliar way – all to serve us as best they can under the circumstances – they deserve our understanding, gratitude and accolades, not anger or aggression.
Indeed I was going to send a note to you about this store even before the above incident.
Last weekend, my wife and I had to avail ourselves of the curbside pickup service they are now providing, and I must say it was a seamless, safe and pleasant experience – our usual.
More to the point, however, was the conversation I had with the lady on the phone who took my order. I had asked how she was managing, given the conditions under which she was now working, and she explained how difficult it was - for several reasons.
She bemoaned the fact that many staff had to be laid off. She explained how the remaining staff were now working in two teams, without any contact between members of one team and the other: if one employee became ill and tested positive for the coronavirus, the rest of that team would have to self-isolate while the other team would still be available to work.
She described how meticulous they had to be about cleaning. And then she described her personal situation: elderly parents, both with risk factors for COVID-19 whom she had placed on “house arrest” – meaning she had to do all their shopping, etc.
A husband who also was at risk if he became ill. And exhausting four-day shifts after which, as she put it, she “likely could be found curled up in a corner somewhere quivering and crying.”
A friend had asked her why she doesn’t just take the available funds from the federal government and stop working for the moment: her answer – “because I love this community and this is one way I can support it.” That is my definition of a hero.
Larry Grossman
Orillia
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