Retail workers, low-wage heroes of the pandemic, brace for Black Friday crowds during COVID-19 surge
Upstairs at the 4th Avenue Target in Sacramento, there are at least 15 pallets filled exclusively with flat-screen TVs. To at least one worker, it’s a troubling sign of a potentially chaotic Black Friday this year.
“That means everyone who wants those TVs all are going to swarm the store to have them,” said the employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution.
“I was so mad,” she continued. “I feel like plowing through them. Had they toppled, they would go like dominoes, and what are they going to do, fire me?”
Retail workers across California are bracing themselves for a flood of Black Friday customers, undeterred by the coronavirus pandemic in the pursuit of a good deal, just as COVID-19 cases surge across the region.
Deemed essential workers, retail employees at big box stores and malls — low-paid and disproportionately people of color who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 — say customers and companies continue to disregard their safety.
Many are demanding companies provide workers with hazard pay, access to more paid and unpaid leave as well as safety measures such as immediate and transparent notification of positive cases in stores.
“Working Black Friday this year comes with an obvious danger,” said Melissa Love, a Walmart worker in Southern California and a member of the labor advocacy group United for Respect.
“When the CDC is saying that Americans should not gather our families for Thanksgiving dinner,” she continued, “I do not believe that Walmart should be trying to entice crowds into our stores on Black Friday, and risk a Walmart super-spreader event.”
Lines out the door
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled Black Friday shopping a higher risk activity that people should avoid to prevent the spread of the virus.
That declaration comes as retail workers say they’ve seen aisles grow increasingly busy in the last two weeks since most of California, including the Sacramento region, shifted back into the strictest shutdown status, forcing retailers and shopping malls to reduce to 25% capacity.
Still, crowds are forming, as customers get their shopping for the holidays done early, or panic-buy toilet paper in bulk again.
When the new Playstation 5 was released earlier this month, there was a line out the door of the local Target from midnight, despite the store not opening until 7 a.m.
“We had a huge line, and we kept telling customers we only have nine (consoles),“ said the 4th Avenue Target employee. “There was a good 150 people just standing outside.”
Some retailers have extended Black Friday deals throughout the month of November, or spread out over several weekends. Others have reduced capacity at stores across the country, increased cleanings, and are beefing up their curbside pick-up options.
“We’ve invested nearly $1 billion more this year in the well-being, health and safety of our team members and will continue to listen and respond to changing team member needs,” said Target spokeswoman Jackie Zabielski in an email.
Some workers question the decision to allow some of the best discounts on popular items such as electronics and game consoles to continue to be in-store-only rather than online. Many worry that people, anxious to cultivate a sense of normalcy, will line up in droves like past Black Fridays.
‘There is not enough help’
Early in the pandemic, retail employees were among the many essential workers lauded as heroes, continuing to show up and serve their community despite growing COVID-19 infections. In some cases, companies gave workers hazard pay and bonuses.
Though California has not made data about COVID-19 outbreaks at workplaces widely available (unlike Oregon, for instance), available research reveals that those in the retail sector are some of the most at-risk workers — and are disproportionately low-income and nonwhite.
That’s particularly worrisome, as California and the country has seen Black, Latino and Pacific Islander residents die at alarming rates from the virus. Public health experts have pointed to longstanding health disparities — fueled by inaccessible or expensive healthcare rooted in decades of racist policies — as putting people of color already at a higher risk for severe illness.
Throughout the pandemic, retail workers say they’ve encountered customers who have refused to wear masks or cover both their nose and mouth properly, and faced angry screeds from those arguing safety precautions infringe on their rights and that the pandemic is a hoax.
Some workers say management at their store has done little to help them as they counter those customers.
Judith Michel, who works at Food 4 Less grocery store in Southern California, said in one day she saw four customers not wearing masks. Only managers, not workers, can tell those customers to wear a mask, Michel said.
Other trends at work have been concerning. Michel also said the store has stopped counting the number of people who enter the building. Lines reach all the way through the aisles at times, she said. When one of her co-workers tested positive for COVID-19, she wasn’t told whether she was exposed.
“If it’s worse now, it’s even going to get worse. ... Numbers are going higher, so customers are panicking. Lines are getting longer and longer,” Michel said. “We’re exposing ourselves more and there is not enough help.”
Food 4 Less didn’t respond to a request for comment. But its parent company Kroger has told other media that it has invested over $1 billion for its workers since March, such as providing them with paid emergency leave.
Some workers, worn down, have quit to avoid exposure, or tried to get fired on purpose to secure unemployment benefits. Some of those who spoke with the Bee said they live with elderly family members, or with individuals who are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Steven Carcano was working at Arden Fair mall at a shoe store until the end of March, when he quit to protect his family after seeing few safety precautions — social distancing, limiting the number of customers inside, proper mask-usage — enforced at the shopping center.
Carcano said he sympathizes with people who are working in retail now. People have got to pay bills, he said, and retailers are some of the only employers hiring. But he said he would be hard-pressed to return to the industry.
“No, no way, I’m not doing it,” he said, regarding hypothetically working Black Friday. “You’re kind of just asking to get COVID, especially now since everything is spiking up.”
Some essential workers say they can’t find a safer job, or can’t afford to get fired and wait for checks to kick in. The benefits aren’t sufficient for most families; having a permanent dig on their record would make finding future jobs post-pandemic even harder.
Every day, they weigh the risks — put themselves and their loved ones in harm’s way, or see their bank accounts dry up and debts pile.
“My check is literally about $900, every two weeks,” said the 4th Avenue Target employee. She owes a combined $1,000 to PG&E and SMUD for her utilities, and all her money goes towards bills and food. “My job is the only thing that’s coming in.”
Demanding changes
Even as workers struggle, some retail companies have reaped billions during the pandemic. Amazon, Lowe’s, Walmart, Target and more have made ballooning profits compared to last year, according to an analysis from the Brookings Institution.
With few exceptions, retail workers have yet to see these earnings lead to meaningful increases in pay or benefits.
Entry-level Walmart employees got a pay increase of just $0.63 per hour since the pandemic began, the analysis found. Best Buy and Target have permanently increased minimum wages to $15, but millions of retail workers are still in financially precarious situations.
“On average, it has been 133 days since the retail workers in our analysis last received any hazard pay,” the analysis found.
Unions and advocacy groups are pushing for retail companies to provide better pay and more support for workers.
United for Respect unveiled the Five to Survive campaign this week, advocating for $5 per hour “essential pay,” 14 days of paid sick leave separate from vacation, immediate notifications of positive cases, and other safety measures.
“Don’t be fooled by their corporate spin,” said Bianca Agustin, the group’s research director. “They choose to prioritize profits and personal enrichment over keeping essential workers healthy and secure during an economically crippling pandemic.”
How shoppers can help retail workers
People should try to avoid crowds when they shop. But if people want to shop in person, the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union recommends shoppers to take following steps to limit the COVID-19 exposure workers face:
Wearing a mask at all times while shopping
Sanitizing their hands before and after entering a store
Staying 6-feet apart from workers and other customers
Most importantly, treating workers with dignity and respect while shopping
Many major retail stores and shopping malls are also offering curbside pickup, to further reduce exposure.
This story was originally published November 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
