- Insider spoke to a former grocery worker who left their job amid the pandemic, feeling underpaid and undervalued.
- They said it was hard to leave because their job — and insurance — felt safe, but it was ultimately the right move.
- This is their story, as told to writer Fortesa Latifi.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a former grocery employee who quit their job during the pandemic. They spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their career, but Insider has verified their identity and former employment. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Throughout the pandemic, I worked full-time as a team lead at a national grocery store chain. The pressure was intense in the early stages of the pandemic, but I also felt fulfilled. I took pride in instructing my team and looking out for the people I worked with. I tried hard to bring joy to the customers visiting our store in such uncertain, dangerous times. I felt there was true value to be found in the work I was doing.
But, like so many other people who have reevaluated their work lives in the Great Resignation, I had to leave a job I cared about because I wasn't valued.
When COVID-19 first hit, I felt really appreciated by the customers. After all, I was an essential worker. But then, the conversation shifted, and people started being selfish again.
Suddenly, instead of being an essential worker, I was a low-skill worker. I also felt overworked and underappreciated. I was a full-time student in addition to a full-time employee, and I didn't have any leftover time. I couldn't even get haircuts or schedule doctor's appointments because I was so busy.
One of the best parts of my job was that I had health insurance, but I was so busy that I don't think I used it once in my two and a half years at the job. I feel like I spent so much time holed up in a grocery store that didn't care about me at all.
It didn't help that when I had my two-year review, I realized I'd been underpaid by $2 an hour since I'd started the job. It was shocking. I spent three months trying to figure out the situation with management and human resources, but I was left with empty promises.
I ended up resigning in November and taking my case to the California Labor Department, where it is currently in progress. It's been estimated that the store owes me $5,000 in back pay.
Leaving my job was terrifying. Even though I thought there were better opportunities out there, I also felt safe in my job. I had health insurance and consistent hours. I asked people I trust for advice: Should I take the leap and try to find something new?
It was scary, but after working in a grocery store during a pandemic, I knew my worth and I knew I was being underappreciated and undervalued. I also knew I had skills I could take elsewhere for more pay.
Now, I work at a university box office and I make $5 more per hour than I did at the grocery store. I can even do my homework in my downtime. It's strange, because I look back and wonder why I held onto that job for so long when there are so many options for workers right now.
It's scary to leave a safe job even if you're not being treated well, and it felt like working at the grocery store was the only thing I could do. It was so bad that I had coworkers sobbing on their breaks, yet so many of us stayed. I'm really glad not to be there anymore.
Even though I'm still trying to get the back pay I'm rightfully owed, I'm so much happier now in my new job. As an aspiring screenwriter, I'm writing a screenplay based on what I went through and my small part in the Great Resignation.
It makes me think: In history, we study these revolutions and protests and walkouts, and it's easy to think those moments got us all the rights we'll ever need. But that's not true. There are still things we need, and we need to fight for them now. There's no end to the need for progress — the goal posts move as the world changes.
I hope other people can see how valuable they are, and I hope they don't have to accept a situation where they're treated badly or underappreciated at work.
Plus, there's more to life than work. We're not meant to just work constantly and not put any time into our actual lives and relationships and doing what we love.
I know my worth now, and I know what I want from my life. I hope other people find that for themselves, too.