We Are Fucking Essential—It's Time We Act Like It
Captured by Mitchell Royel. Now playing: "Handlebars" by Flobots.
The narrative around essential workers has shifted dramatically over the past few years, yet one truth remains constant: grocery workers stand at the frontlines of American resilience. As someone who works first class in grocery at Erewhon Market, I'm writing to my fellow grocers with a message that can no longer wait—we are essential workers, standing shoulder to shoulder with nurses, teachers, and first responders. It's time we recognized this reality and embraced the profound responsibility that comes with it.
The Weight of Essential Service
When crisis strikes—whether pandemic, natural disaster, or economic uncertainty—society doesn't look to politicians for sustenance. They look to us. We are the guardians of America's food security, ensuring families have access to nutrition, communities remain fed, and the basic foundation of civilized society remains intact.
This isn't hyperbole; it's fact. While others worked from home, we showed up. While supply chains faltered, we adapted. While uncertainty gripped the nation, we provided stability through the simple yet profound act of keeping our doors open and our shelves stocked.
Beyond the Transaction
Our responsibility extends far beyond scanning barcodes and stocking shelves—we are stewards of community wellbeing. Every interaction we have shapes someone's day, potentially their week. The elderly customer who depends on our assistance, the working parent grabbing essentials between shifts, the family stretching their budget to feed their children—they all rely on our professionalism, knowledge, and care.
Personal responsibility isn't a political stance—it's a fundamental life philosophy, and nowhere is this more evident than in grocery work. We make daily decisions that impact hundreds of lives: maintaining food safety standards, providing accurate information about products, treating every customer with dignity regardless of their circumstances.
Elevating Our Profession
Teachers shape minds. Nurses heal bodies. We nourish communities. This parallel isn't coincidental—it's foundational to understanding our role in society's fabric. Yet too often, we allow others to diminish our contribution, to treat grocery work as "just a job" rather than the essential service it represents.
Empowerment isn't granted; it's seized. We must stop accepting narratives that position grocery work as temporary, transitional, or somehow less valuable than other essential services. Our expertise in food systems, customer service, inventory management, and crisis response represents specialized knowledge that keeps America functioning.
The Ethos of Service
True empowerment begins when we stop asking what society owes us and start investing in our own capacity for growth and transformation within our essential role. This means embracing the ethos of service—understanding that our work carries moral weight and societal significance.
Every shift is an opportunity to demonstrate excellence. Every customer interaction is a chance to embody the values that make essential workers truly essential: reliability, competence, integrity, and genuine care for community wellbeing.
Professional Pride and Personal Agency
Success is a decision made daily through disciplined action and unwavering commitment. For grocery workers, this means:
Maintaining the highest standards of food safety and customer service
Continuously developing our knowledge of products, nutrition, and industry best practices
Taking ownership of our role in community health and food security
Refusing to accept diminished expectations from ourselves or others
We are not victims of circumstance—we are professionals providing essential services. The greatest threat to individual liberty isn't external constraint—it's the internalized belief that one cannot transcend current circumstances.
Our Responsibility to the People
With essential worker status comes essential worker responsibility. We serve the people—not corporate metrics, not profit margins, but the fundamental human need for sustenance and dignity in the shopping experience.
This responsibility demands:
Intellectual courage in advocating for food safety and customer wellbeing
Personal accountability in maintaining professional standards regardless of external pressures
Community commitment that recognizes our role in local food security
Professional integrity that honors the trust placed in us by every customer
The Path Forward
To my fellow grocers: professional excellence is our most potent weapon. We must reject narratives that diminish our contribution and embrace the reality of our essential status. This isn't about demanding recognition—it's about earning it through unwavering commitment to the communities we serve.
Stay informed about food systems, nutrition, and industry developments. Stay principled in your commitment to customer service and community wellbeing. And never compromise your professional standards for momentary convenience or external pressure.
We are essential workers. We are community stewards. We are the backbone of America's food security.
It's time we acted like it.
The author works in first class grocery at Erewhon Market and believes in the dignity and essential nature of grocery work. This perspective represents personal views on professional responsibility and community service.
-Mitchell Royel