This semester at PNW has been hard on everyone. The world has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, everything changed. Students went from in-person to online classes. Non-essential stores closed for an extended period of time.

My employer, The Home Depot, is an essential store, which has stayed open. It has not been the best experience with customers and people.

Many customers who come into The Home Depot are regulars, people who come in daily and we know personally. Then there are people who have just decided to do home improvement jobs simply because they’re quarantined and home to do it.

Before COVID-19, we used to see a certain number of people during the week and a lot more on the weekends. Now we see more people during the week and even more on the weekend.

The people I deal with now are ruder and do not want to tolerate long waits. They tend to complain a lot more. I also notice they do not want to follow the social distancing we are forced to do in the store.

As a cashier, I have to be able to keep myself safe so I can properly get the job done. If we are not able to do that, we could potentially get sick and get others sick, especially those we live with.

The world will continue to change, especially with the pandemic. I just hope the people tend to be nicer to the people who are risking their lives every day. We need to be kinder to the people who are working essential jobs.