There Are Rules

by Kevin Brown

It is just a grocery store, but there are rules:
the bagger must bag

all beer unless he (or she) is under
eighteen, at which point the customer or cashier
must cover it; stickers from fresh
fruit are not allowed

on nametags, as they cover the corporate
logo; similarly, nicknames are forbidden, as are attempts
to be clever, with names such as Clyde
or Elvis, as impersonating

others could cause customer complaints
to be misfiled, even though it is just
a grocery store; there are rules:
buggies

are called bascarts, baggers, courtesy clerks,
who must put ten items in each bag by building
the sides first then fill
the middle, plastic, the default, unless the patron pushes
for paper, cloth bags a nuisance

to be tolerated, as the customer is convinced
they will save the planet, even though it is just
a grocery store; there are rules:
all employees must be back
from break in under fifteen minutes
unless a shift exceeds six hours, though only a few

full-time employees, mainly minor
managers, make enough to earn
such shifts, while Ryan returns to his register,

back from the hospital, no health
benefits to supplement his surgery
expenses after his not-technically-full-time five years
here because, after all, it is just
a grocery store, and there are rules.

Patricia Barone Well said! I enjoyed your satire and the underestated pathos.

Sep 09 at 6:33pm