With those words, grocery store owner just pushes forward
Albert and Lisa Rodriguez have owned and operated My Town Marketplace in Highland Falls for the past 10 years, opening after the community went without a grocery store for several years. In that sense, they became ‘vital’ the minute they opened, but perhaps they’ve never been more important to this community than over the last few weeks.
Albert Rodriguez said the normal 50 or so hours he spends a week on site at this and his other two stores (in Ulster County’s Rosendale and Stone Ridge) has turned into 60, 70 or more hours as he works to get supplies in, keep his stores stocked, keep his employees and customers safe and healthy by the constant sanitizing of stores and their equipment.
He’s tired.
But, he’s still there, and the grocery store is still open daily. He’s recently reduced the store hours, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (with 8-9 a.m. reserved, please, for senior citizens). That new earlier closing time is, he said this week, “for the safety of my employees”.
The Marketplace’s 20 or so employees are mostly local residents, and are about a 50/50 mix of part and full time. This week Rodriguez put up Plexiglas screens in front of the checkout registers, and arrows on the floor for customers to follow to help the store “flow” better with everyone going in the same direction. He was also working on a way to keep people the recommended six feet apart at the checkout area.
While the Marketplace doesn’t currently have the capability to offer curbside pickup or delivery of groceries, he said he is doing his best to work with community residents to help them get groceries if they can’t get to the store. Several people have told him, for instance, that they’re willing to pick up and drop off groceries to those who live in town; but unfortunately he doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to coordinate that yet.
(Editor’s note: there are community groups and individuals who want to help others get groceries; reach out via social media, or by calling local municipal offices to find out if they can connect you with the help you need. MJP)
So, the most pressing question when talking to a retailer these days is …. what about the toilet paper?
“It’s not just toilet paper, it’s all paper,” Rodriguez said. “I ask for 50 boxes and I get four. I put them out and they’re gone instantly. People are still stocking up.”
He said he’s noticed that every time there is any kind of major “announcement” on the news — like last week’s declaration that Americans should wear face masks when outside — the store nearly immediately gets busy.
Both his volume and sales are up, which he said normally would be great, but right now, it’s really rather heartbreaking.
“It seems like there is some new recommendation every day,” he said, “and people feel so much uncertainty.”
Rodriguez said in his line of work right now he’s stuck in a “reactive instead of proactive” state, despite all his efforts for life to be the other way.
“It was like a bomb went off a couple of weeks ago and people cleaned us out,” he said. “We keep trying to get back ahead, and we’re doing the best we can, every single day,” he said of his employees, for which he expressed gratitude for their work ethic.
He also expressed appreciation for his customers and how they have been “really understanding”.
“I’ve only had one person accuse me of price gauging,” he said, “and that was over the price of eggs. I couldn’t get eggs from my regular supplier, but wanted to make sure I had eggs here. So I bought organic, free-range eggs that, unfortunately, cost more. It was all I could find.”
The store is limiting the number of some items — like paper products — customers can purchase, just to make sure that they serve as many people as possible.
Rodriguez did note — if you need a smile — that there are lots and lots of baking products going out the door of the store. “I guess people need something to do since they’re stuck at home,” he said. “There was a week or so when we couldn’t keep flour on the shelves.”
There’s something to look forward to at My Town Marketplace, too — once this is all over, he’s got a 65″ screen television he’s planning to raffle off as they start promoting sending out their weekly fliers via email.
“We had just started to collect the emails (which is how people sign up for the raffle) when all this happened. We will do it down the road.”
A final note from Rodriguez?
“Thank you again to the community for your patience,” he said. “I hope everyone stays well. When you come in, please work with us to keep everyone healthy, by keeping your distance from others, and following all the guidelines we have in place. And give our staff some space, that helps us all.”
