the grocery store i currently work at actually just handed out these coupons to us for a "Free Sandwich" at McDonalds", which is like... at first, similarly, i had the consideration that its a nice gesture. right?
.
except that 1) the closest McDonald's is at least 20 minutes away (we're one of the only "major" cities in the country that dont have a McDonalds) and 2) why the fuck do you think during a pandemic im going to either want to leave my house for any non-essential reason, and on top of that, go put some other poor "essential worker" at risk so i can get a fucking quarter pounder? are you serious? it would cost me more in gas to go and get that Big Mac.
you cant even say that their hearts are in the right place - theyre not doing it because theyre grateful or the care, otherwise it would be FREE. they do it for the publicity. and not just for Pepsi, i mean: considering how much money a lot of grocery stores are making given the current circumstances, letting employees grab a free beverage or a snack from the shelves at the start of their shift would go a long way. how much are those giant jugs of Poland Spring? a buck thirty? a bag of gummies or a small pack of chips?
its hard not to be bitter when the gesture doesnt really stand up to any scrutiny. its not that theyre really trying their best to do something nice for their "heroes".
(having said that, it would be unfair not to throw a little credit when its due: my grocery store is giving us an extra $2 an hour during all this, which counts for a lot, and they are also running a monthly(?) drawing where if you buy something at the store and hand in your receipt, you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate for the store. shit like that actually kind of means something, even if they should really just draw a name or three from every employee in the store instead of putting it behind a buy-wall, but whatever.)
