As An “Essential” Grocery Worker Crypto Has Been A Lifeline

At the start of the pandemic we were made to feel very important as grocery workers. Most of us were given hazard pay and the initial heros relief package included up to $25K in hazard pay for frontline essential workers. We were overworked, anxious, and exhausted but there was hope that we could change our lives with that money.

Unfortunately that hope quickly faded as $25K changed to $5K and then ultimately $0. The company hazard pay didn't last long either. Upper management ignored capacity limits and the store was flooded with customers. We received notifications about new cases at our location on a near daily basis. Most of my coworkers stopped coming in and those of us who remained were expected to take on additional workload without additional pay. One of my coworker's parents passed away. Another coworker committed suicide.

Things became dark very quickly and it still feels that way at times.

Fortunately a few of my coworkers and I decided to take what little bonus money we received and put it into crypto. It gives us a sense of renewed hope to know that one day we might actually get that $25K. Actually it's more a feeling of excitement than hope because we're doing our research and making smart moves and are confident that our investments will pay off.

Anyways just wanted to share this perspective and vent a bit because I've been feeling especially down and forgotten about at work this past week. And please be kind to your local grocery/restaurant workers and understand that many of us are still stretched thin and near our breaking points. One kind word or compliment versus a complaint over something we likely can't control makes a world of difference.