When COVID-19 hit our community, many teenagers lost their jobs at local businesses. However, for very few students at Liberty, COVID-19 brought a new job experience like no other.

Junior Kelci Crandall works every day at the nearby Target in Lake St. Louis. According to Crandall, the general atmosphere of the store has changed tremendously since the pandemic has occurred.

“Our store follows social distancing by placing titles 6 feet apart from one another for customers standing in line. We also clean the carts along with counting and managing the number of guests that walk in and out of the building,” Crandall said.

Working a few hours each day, Crandall’s responsibility at the store is to work the cash register or help with drive-ups.

“Drive ups have been crazier than ever since the pandemic started. In my opinion, the customers are stocking up on way too much stuff,” Crandall said.

As an employee during a pandemic, Crandall has received criticism from numerous customers involving the situation.

“I think customers need to stay at home and stop buying nonessential things. I feel a good portion of our customers are overreacting. We have a line of people everyday before we open to get toilet paper,” Crandall said.

During an unsettling and frantic time, for the sake of our retail employees and community, it is important that we buy essential goods only when needed.