Empty shelves where cleaning supplies and toilet paper used to be. An almost full corral of shopping carts inside the store. Cashiers waiting restlessly to check out the small quantity of customers shopping. These factors are only a few of the eccentricities now present at Ocean State Job Lot.

I have worked at the chain store in Hooksett as a cashier since last August. Despite only working on weekends during the school year, I have never seen the store change as drastically as it has in the past few weeks. Due to the store’s stock of food, Ocean State Job Lot has been kept open as an essential business during the coronavirus epidemic.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a variety of new measures to be put in place. The implementations started with having every other register closed and making customers stand behind a line before my coworkers and I call them up in order to keep all people six feet apart from each other. We have also been instructed to shower the checkout counters with disinfecting spray after every transaction, and to give away fabric for free that can be made into masks.

I’ve also noticed that the disease has caused a shift in the disposition of customers. Many use the provided Clorox wipes to clean a shopping cart before touching it, and a large quantity of people enter the store wearing gloves and face masks. The store’s hours have even been shortened by the pandemic in an effort to reduce the amount of contact between people in the building. Even with these safety procedures, it isn’t difficult to see how nervous some customers are just to be in a public setting.

Being lucky enough to still work during this confusing time has shown me how serious this issue truly is. Hearing information from news outlets and social media has shown me the radical measures being taken to flatten the curve, but talking to strangers face-to-face has shown me the true impact of the coronavirus on peoples’ lives.

My store is widely visited by older people, many of whom have told me about their personal fears at this time. From stories about loved ones with pre-existing medical conditions that make them extremely susceptible to COVID-19 to daycare workers who fear the spread of the disease at work, a large amount of fear exists for people of all different backgrounds.

Despite this anxiety, an alarming number of the people that come to the store purchase items that I would not consider essential. I’ve seen people rush in solely to buy things like clocks, shelving units and carpets. These objects aren’t necessities, but rather luxuries to purchase and cross off the shopping list.

I understand wanting to buy things that would make living more comfortable, as it’s uncertain when life will return to normal. However, I strongly believe that people should only visit stores to buy food, cleaning or medical supplies. By only shopping for requisites, contact between individuals is reduced to the lowest possible extent.

Many of the customers I’ve interacted with have been extremely grateful and thanked me for working and the store for staying open. However, others have become upset due to a shortage of toilet paper or limit on the amount of disinfecting wipes per person. While I know that this distress comes from nerves over not having enough to stay safe, I urge all people to be patient at any store they are visiting. Employees can’t control what is in their store, and restrictions are only put in place to ensure as many people as possible can get what they need.

Staying away from public locations also means avoiding seeing friends. It’s selfish for people to ignore precautions to just go to the beach with their pals. While it is painful to not be able to see the people you love, avoiding quarantine will only lengthen the amount of time we are asked to stay indoors and increase the risk of individuals contracting and dying from the disease.

While us teenagers are young and have a very small risk of dying, not everyone is lucky enough to possess youth at this time. The genuine concern I’ve seen from people I don’t even know at Ocean State has shown me how important it is to stay home. Don’t be selfish and help spread a virus that is striking terror into the hearts of many, even if these people are only strangers.

If we all work as one and follow the recommended procedures, we can slow down the spread of the virus and speed up the time that it will take for ordinary life to resume. Only go out to get the things that are absolutely needed. Be a responsible citizen and follow the guidelines that are given. Please just do what is right to get rid of this panic as fast as possible.