Norman Chin, Grocery Store Worker, New York City
I work as a porter at Gristedes Supermarket in New York City. I take care of the bottles and cans, and I do home delivery. I’ll take groceries and deliver cases of water to people on Broadway, on West End Ave. I take care of that.
I’ve been with this company for a long time. I started in 1991. This store on Broadway had its grand opening on April 6, 2005. I’ve worked through the whole pandemic. I don’t mind. I like to work. Job Path NYC, they work with people with disabilities to find jobs and houses, they support me here.
What I do is I put the cans and bottles inside the machine. People bring the bottles and cans here and cash them in. I have to check them. We only take the cans and bottles that are nice and clean. We can’t take any dirty ones. I count how many people bring in. Then we crush them. Every Wednesday they get picked up.
Because of Covid-19, I have to wear this mask. Last week, I had to buy a new mask. I need some breathing space. I don’t like to suffocate. Last summer, in June and July, I suffered from the heat and this mask. I could barely breathe.
When I’m not too busy with the recycling, I go upstairs and do the delivery. Now buildings want me to leave the delivery inside the lobby. I used to have people I saw a lot. I’d bring the groceries inside of the apartment. I don’t see them anymore. They don’t see us, so a lot of people don’t leave tips now.
I don’t know what to say with all of this chaos. The city is changing. So many things are closed. I’ve lived in New York City my whole life. I was born in Chinatown. Now I live in the Bronx in an apartment. I have a good roommate. He’s kind, generous, and thoughtful. He tries to look out for me. In the morning, my roommate Calvin gives me a special wake-up reminder: “Good morning Norman!” Then in the afternoon, I take the 1 train downtown, put on my apron, and go to work.
