Anonymous #1

SOPHIA: So why don’t we start at the beginning of this ongoing story. When did you first hear about the coronavirus?

INTERVIEWEE: I first heard about it on Twitter. I would say November/December - when it first hit China. I didn’t really think anything of it. I was like “Oh that really sucks”. That’s when I first heard about it. And it wasn’t like a bunch of news, media, outbreak, like attention. You would hear about it here and then but then it just got out of control.

SOPHIA: At first did you really worry about it or were you just like “Well, that’s China’s problem”?

INTERVIEWEE: Well, I mean I did worry about it. I’ve never heard of a country get that sick at once. I have never seen anything like - you know how Wuhan closed down and everything? I had never seen that. But I didn’t think it could spread that fast, to so many places, so I wasn’t really concerned at first. I figured that they would take more care of the airports but no. 

SOPHIA: So the coronavirus was first recorded in Wuhan, China and then it came to America. The first case in America was in California. The first couple cases were in California, which is obviously “West America”. It took awhile for it to get to us. So at what point did the virus really start to affect you - in your life?

INTERVIEWEE: I think it was when it first started hitting Boston and the numbers kept going up. My mom would panic, you know? She would panic and it really did start affecting me when she told [me and my siblings]  “You can’t go out here anymore”, “You can’t work this many hours”, “You have to stay home”. At home, when we would come home we would have to take off our shoes, disinfect everything. Anything that would enter the house you would have to sanitize it and wipe it. That was normal. Even doing big grocery shoppings we would have to wipe down everything, just to make sure.

SOPHIA: When did you guys start doing that?

INTERVIEWEE: After [the virus] started hitting here. As soon as that happened and people started panicking for two weeks. I remember I was working and the lines were absurd. After that - February/March.

SOPHIA: Speaking of work, when did you first start working at Market Basket?

INTERVIEWEE: Last year in April. I just made a year this year.

SOPHIA: What did you do when you started working / before the virus?

INTERVIEWEE: Before the virus, it was just normal. You go to work. I would take off my clothes and put them in the dirty hamper but it wasn’t an excessive need to come home everyday and shower and sanitize my phone and everything I was wearing.

SOPHIA: How many hours would you work before? This is all before the pandemic.

INTERVIEWEE: I would say 25 - 35 hours.

SOPHIA: If you don’t mind, how much did you make an hour?

INTERVIEWEE: Before pandemic - I think they changed the wage. Before, like a year ago I think it was $12/hr.

SOPHIA: So now - well, let’s start with when did you stop working at Market Basket?

INTERVIEWEE: Because of pandemic?

SOPHIA: Did you stop for any other reason?

INTERVIEWEE: I mostly stopped pandemic wise because my mom was pregnant and that was the main concern of the house. So, I stopped working around April. Yeah. That's when I would take my really big gaps of “Hey, I need two weeks off” or “Hey I need three weeks off”. That’s when I stopped working.

SOPHIA: So you were working around the time school shut down and people really started to panic about the virus, right?

INTERVIEWEE: Yeah. I wouldn’t even be on schedule and they would have to call me in because the amount of people that were going into the store and the amounts that they were buying - it was getting absurd. So they just needed everyone that they could get.

SOPHIA: So how many hours would you work a week then? 

INTERVIEWEE: I think it was about the same. I would say 35 hours maybe 40, because when it started hitting I was like “I do need to save money. I need to get as much money as possible.” so when they would call me in I wouldn’t mind. But it was again, my mom bugging like “You can’t work that many hours, be in that place for so long. That’s dangerous”. I’d say my hours stayed the same. I would work 5 / 6 days a week.

SOPHIA: That’s - wow. Did your pay change during the pandemic?

INTERVIEWEE: It did go up because now it’s $12.75/hr but I don’t know if that’s because of the pandemic or in general. I think they changed it in Massachusetts. It did change. I remember the first couple checks that I got during [the pandemic] the company would send me my check but they would also send me a little bonus. The bonus would depend on how much I’d make, but there was a week where I made $400 and they gave me a $200 bonus with a thank you letter being like “I appreciate you working it means a lot to me”. I think they gave the bonus three times while I was there.

SOPHIA: Speaking on stuff like that - things companies would do. I know that at other supermarkets the company would allow the workers to do grocery shopping first and then they would open it up for the public. Did Market Basket ever do things like that for you? Other than the bonuses. 

INTERVIEWEE: For employees, no. But I know for elderly people they did. I know that they could go in at 6 - it would just be open at 6 for them and then 7 for the public, the general public. But for employees? No. I mean, I saw a lot of women that had households and children. On their breaks they would go shopping or their lunches they would go shopping. So no they didn’t have anything like that for us.

SOPHIA: So who, what demographic basically makes up Market Basket? Is it basically adults that are working? Senior citizens? Or teenagers like you?

INTERVIEWEE: It honestly depends the time of day. During the morning, like I said when they would call me in, I would have to be there at 6.So 6-4 it would be the older women. The ones that can’t spend their whole day in Market Basket because of their kids and responsibilities. In the morning it’s mostly older women. Closing time it’s mostly teenagers, like girls 16 through whatever age. I think 18. So yeah, it really just depends the time of day but in general I think it’s more teenagers working there than grown women or men.

SOPHIA: Do you think that the teenagers were more worried working during that time or was it the older women and older men?

INTERVIEWEE: No it was definitely more the teenagers. I know a lot of women that had their hours cut on purpose and didn’t want to be there for their safety. I think the teenagers -  they saw it as an opportunity for more hours. I don’t think they really cared about how much they were there because I would see girls and guys be there 7 times a week - every time I would go. Always working. I think they saw it as an opportunity for more hours. They didn’t really put their safety first.

SOPHIA: So you stopped working partly because of the pandemic and your mom being pregnant?

INTERVIEWEE: Yeah.

SOPHIA: How was your mom’s pregnancy? Did you get to go to the hospital with her? Did she have to go alone?

INTERVIEWEE: So she would have appointments and she couldn’t have anyone there. I think the part that really bummed her out was that we couldn’t be at her pregnancy. Like Mass General only allowed my dad to be there and he had to stay in the room the whole time. They couldn’t even go to the cafeteria. She would have doctors appointments and she would just get nervous to go to the hospital alone. 

SOPHIA: No yeah I definitely get that. So you stopped working officially by April-ish? May-ish?

INTERVIEWEE: Yeah. I think in April I took two weeks off, but it wasn’t my choice. My manager called me - I went to go call out that day - and I had just woken up. I don’t know if that’s why I sounded so dead on the phone. I think he thought I was sick. He was like “You know what? Just don’t come for two weeks”. I was like “Okay, that’s fine”. So I didn’t go in for two weeks and then I think I worked like a week or two and then I took another three weeks off. And then I started working less and less hours. I think like once a week. Right now, I have three weeks off because I started driving school and I had to attend it. But I haven’t been working at all. I think like in four weeks.

SOPHIA: So like a month?

INTERVIEWEE: Yeah.

SOPHIA: You told me you filed for unemployment-

INTERVIEWEE: Yeah that’s partly why I haven’t been working. It’s a good amount of money. Then again, I wouldn’t spend it on myself. I felt bad because you know my parents don’t qualify for unemployment and they didn’t receive anything from the government so whatever I would have I would just put it towards the house. If we needed groceries that’s where it would go. If my dad is missing a bill. So that money did help but it wasn’t just for me.

SOPHIA: I actually don’t know much about unemployment so how did you apply for unemployment?

INTERVIEWEE: I heard about it through a friend. I was like “No. That’s absurd, $600 a week for free? That’s some type of scam”. [My friend] was like “No no no”. It’s a government website and you go and you just file how much you would make a week. How many hours you’re working. Depending on that they calculate how much money they should send you. I make a claim every sunday, that’s what you’re supposed to do. You make a claim every Sunday. For this Sunday, about how many hours I worked last week - if I worked at all. They tell you how much you’re eligible for but they send you extra money. That’s how I did it. I thought it was a scam at first. But when I saw that money in my account I was like “Oh”. 

SOPHIA: When did you start receiving those benefits? Let’s say you applied last Sunday, when would you receive those benefits, initially?

INTERVIEWEE: It takes about three to four business days. The first time I ever got it it took a week so I did think it was a scam. The first week it did take a while. But now, what’s today? Today’s Wednesday? Thursday?

SOPHIA: It’s Wednesday.

INTERVIEWEE: It’s Wednesday? Yeah. So last week I forgot to make my claim throughout the week. So I didn’t get to do it between that time period. But this Sunday that just passed I made a claim for two weeks and it’s Wednesday and it just hit my bank account this morning.

SOPHIA: Okay. Thank you. Who are you quarantining with at home?

INTERVIEWEE: Me, my three siblings and my two parents. So six people.

SOPHIA: Six people? What’s that like?

INTERVIEWEE: It’s the same but not really the same. I would just go out more and not see [my siblings] as much. I’m not complaining but spending this much time with my siblings especially when my mom has us on lockdown lockdown it was just weird not leaving the four walls of the house and constantly having to talk to [my siblings]. 

SOPHIA: Is that how you mostly spent your time? Just talking to them?

 INTERVIEWEE: Yeah. I mean at first I would just spend hours in my room but now I think we’ve gotten along more. It did help because I remember my parents would also talk about how we don’t spend time together as a family and they took this opportunity and took advantage of it. Would just make us hangout constantly. 

SOPHIA: So you were on lockdown by your mom. But have you been going on recently? Like to beaches and stores and stuff? 

INTERVIEWEE: She’s still really strict about it. For me to ask for permission I have to be like “I’ll only go out two times this week”. Saturday there was someone having a get together at a pool. It was only three people but still, I was like “Please, if you let me go out now I won’t go out ‘til next week”. I really do have to pick and choose where I have to go. But beaches? No. I still get - not that I’m traumatized by it but large crowds now I look at them differently. If I were to get invited to a party with like fourty - like a good amount of people - I would debate going. Just because everything is open doesn’t mean the virus is gone. It’s still there, if anything it’s worse because so many people are starting to get together because of the hot weather. I haven't gone to beaches when it’s packed. If I do go to the beach I go at night and I don’t really stand close to that many people. 

SOPHIA: Would you wanna go back to school in the fall?

INTERVIEWEE: No. I would not. And it’s not because I don’t want to do school. I prefer doing physical school over online school because online school is just dreading. It’s so much more motivation. I just don’t think it’s safe. Not even just for high school  but for kids. Like the kids that are in elementary school. They aren’t gonna want to follow social distancing. At [my] school there’s a lot of kids. I think it would be very hard to manage the social distancing. You know no large groups or everything like that.

SOPHIA: I definitely get that. Do you think like - this is just like a random question. But like when do you think this will end for us? Not for other countries because they’ve been doing it. But for us.

INTERVIEWEE: That’s all so crazy like other countries have already, you know they - like Spain? You can travel to Spain now. I have a friend right now that’s in Spain and she’s living her best life because they can control it. I just think it’s crazy how in the United States your safety is a political issue. Wearing a mask is a political issue. That’s crazy to me. At this point, I think for it to be completely gone and everything to reopen I don’t even think next year it’s gonna be fine. I think in like a year or two everything will be back to normal.

SOPHIA: Let’s say, theoretical, that it’ll take until like 2022 for America to completely reopen. Are you going to continue to file for unemployment until then? I know that’s a concern for a lot of people. What are you gonna do ‘til then?

INTERVIEWEE: Right now they’re giving - you know how I said that you’re eligible for a certain amount of money? Technically I’m only eligible for $120, it’s around $120 that I’m eligible for. But the government sends $600 extra so what I’ve heard is that by the end of July they’re gonna stop giving the $600 and it’s just gonna be what you’re eligible for. So, right now I know that tomorrow or sometime next week I have to go to the building. I was out for five weeks in total when I was eligible for [unemployment] so I wanna see if I can claim that money before it’s all over. If it is over, I mean I do have to get back to work. Which it doesn’t make sense because I’m gonna have to work way more hours and I’m not even gonna get close to what I’m making right now. So speaking like next year, I think I would just have to get back to work.

SOPHIA: That’s really scary. That sucks because you’re so young. That’s really scary. I’m so sorry. I actually don’t have any other questions. Do you want to say anything to Revere TV? To America? To Revere?

INTERVIEWEE: No I’m okay, thank you.