The clock hits six o’clock and the line is Disneyland-esque. I’m working as efficiently as possible to scan items and I’m only midway through my shift. A customer — let’s call him Chad — slams his groceries on the conveyor belt like he’s preparing for a zombie apocalypse: 25 cases of beer, 30 packs of premium ribs and an unnecessary amount of potato chips.
While I’m scanning his items as quickly as I can, Chad stands idly, glued to his phone. I say politely, “Feel free to bag if you’d like.” He chuckles with his eyes still on his phone. “Nah, I’m good.” You know who’s not good, Chad? Me. I am not good. I was trapped bagging for twenty minutes before I could get to the next customer.
This scenario happens universally in every grocery store: long lines and overworked cashiers. Rush hour is every hour. This nonstop rush is made worse by entitled customers who think bagging their own groceries is beneath them. It slows down the checkout process, adds unnecessary stress to grocery workers and quite frankly, shows a lack of basic human decency.
I spent my winter breaks as a cashier at a local Asian grocery store, and the entitlement I’ve faced from customers was staggering.
Customers came in with over 100 items, failing to even acknowledge my existence. As I scanned their items and prepared to bag them, the customer was always on a call or immersed in their phone, refusing to help. Even after I finished bagging, customers would complain to me saying I took too long or I didn’t bag the way they wanted me to.
Grocery store workers move as quickly as possible — meanwhile, customers look the other way, fully capable of helping but choosing not to.
Just a few years ago, we took the time to honor those who kept society running. Now, we don’t even look them in the eye.
During the pandemic, there was a cultural moment where we celebrated and appreciated essential workers. Parades commended healthcare providers for treating us, grocery workers were praised for keeping the shelves stocked and delivery workers were recognized for delivering our necessities.
With our return to normalcy came a return to the status quo, causing that short-lived gratitude and respect to vanish instantly. The invisible workforce, the people who make society function at the crack of dawn, are once again neglected, underappreciated and disrespected.
In the U.S., where we commemorate the American Dream claiming anyone who comes to this country can succeed, we have forgotten the reality of labor that we depend on to achieve that success. This patriotic idealism promising an equitable shot at success, now intensifies class divides.
Our nation depends on unskilled workers — employees whose tasks require minimal education, like grocery cashiers or food delivery workers — and skilled workers — employees with special skill training, like doctors or professors. But the modern American Dream doesn’t teach us to respect these people equally. Instead, unskilled laborers have come to serve as warnings of what could happen if we don’t work hard enough.
We have been conditioned to view unskilled workers as warnings. We defend treating them as if they have no inherent value as people. The people who serve our food in dining halls, clean our bathrooms and bag groceries are not stepping stones to someone else’s success story. They’re human beings who are essential to the function of our society.
Somewhere along the way, we forgot that grocery store employees and other essential workers are not personal assistants.
This isn’t just about bagging groceries; it’s about how we truly value labor and the people who do it.
We’ve built a social credit system in which we treat essential workers as expendables while depending on them completely. If we fail to forget the humanity of the labor that helps us, we’re heading towards a future where we will always value productivity over people. A future where we view people as unnecessary costs rather than essential contributors.
Some may argue that “it’s not my job.” But this argument misses the whole point.
Sure, it’s their job, but that doesn’t mean we should be ignorant of the circumstances under which they work — demanding hours, low wages and little appreciation.
Just because something isn’t contractually required doesn’t mean it isn’t the right thing to do. Helping bag a few items or saying hello to the worker isn’t about doing their job — it’s about recognizing the effort and the fact that we all benefit from their labor.
At the Claremont Colleges, we belong to one of the most intellectual and privileged communities. Many of us will go on to become highly skilled workers. But let us not forget the responsibility of treating people with dignity regardless of profession. It’s time to make small, active changes in the way we treat workers. Start with something minute, like bagging your groceries. It’s basic decency.
Daniel Han Tae Choi PO ’28 is an economics major from Chino Hills, California. He loves going out to cafes, eating KBBQ and chilling at the beach.
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