A few businesses in Michigan have gotten a lot of attention for their poorly justified opposition to the stay-at-home order signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan). I for one have written twice about the Capri Drive-In Theater in Coldwater (about two hours from Detroit on I-94).
Other businesses, like Kroger (which also has stores in other states) are not openly defying the stay-at-home order, but they’re not being the best corporate citizens. Our own Laura Clawson wrote about how Kroger tried to take some emergency pay from their employees and had to be shamed into dropping that idea.
Most businesses in Michigan, though, it seems to me, are doing the right thing, and they deserve some acknowledgement of that. Especially Honey Bee Market in Detroit.
The Honey Bee staff worked hard to abide by the stay-at-home order, keeping this very essential business clean, enforcing the maximum occupancy rule and enabling customers to keep the appropriate physical distance so as to avoid transmitting the novel coronavirus.
One day, I saw Jim himself washing and drying shopping carts, a task he could theoretically have delegated to almost any other employee. It helps that Honey Bee Market is a family-owned business and the family work in the store. I don’t know if that was ever the case for the Waltons.
All the Honey Bee Market employees deserve a vacation, whether they’re related to the owners or not. And they’re getting one, starting when they clock out from their shifts today. The store announced the week-long vacation last week in a Facebook post.
Dear Honey Bee La Colmena Customers,
Our Honey Bee family has been very busy bees the last ten weeks working earnestly to restock our shelves, meat counter, and produce as well as keeping Honey Bee clean. I want to thank our busy bees for their hard work. We will temporarily close Monday, May 25th through Sunday, May 31st to give our Honey Bee team time to rest.
We would like to thank you for your support and greatly appreciate your business. We are committed to serving you and the community. We have witnessed our community come together during this trying time. The Honey Bee family is proud to be here for you.
The post does not mention that it’s a paid vacation, and I think I wouldn’t have mentioned it either if I was in her shoes. Susan Selasky reports for the Detroit Free Press:
Honey Bee, one of southwest Detroit's beloved independent grocery stores, is giving its employees one week off with pay to thank them for their hard work and dedication.
The market at Bagley and 16th streets, will close Monday [May 25] and reopen on June 1. The market's owner, Tammy Alfaro-Koehler, said all staff — a mix of about 22 full- and 15 part-timers — will be paid for the week.
…
"After 10 weeks of working full throttle, I thought let's take a week off," Alfaro-Koehler said, adding that most part-time employees don't have paid vacation time.
The decision to close now wasn't made lightly, she said, given the market's vital role in serving the community. Alfaro-Koehler said she didn't want to disappoint customers — or not be there for them during the pandemic.
…
"It was so all [of] us could get some rest — rest our minds and our bodies and our souls — so we could be ready to serve the community on June 1."
This temporarily turns this pocket of the city into a food desert. I think I’ll have to go to another ZIP code for fresh fruits and vegetables. And do without their famous guacamole.
That’s a tiny sacrifice compared to the sacrifices essential employees like the Honey Bee staff have made these past few weeks. I hope they enjoy their well-deserved vacation.
Friday, Jun 5, 2020 · 12:23:56 AM +00:00 · Alonso del Arte
I didn’t actually go on their first day back from vacation, but I did go yesterday and again today. Today was because yesterday I bought meat, cheese and condiments for sandwiches, but no bread whatsoever.
It was slim pickings for bread. If I had gone an hour later, I might have had to settle for a loaf of rye. By contrast, the pasta selection is starting to come back: I bought fettuccine for the first time since March.
I’m not sure if the face mask requirement’s still in place, but almost every customer had one on. There was this one guy without a mask on, I ran into him by the vegetables, later by the breads and again by the cashiers.
The employees seemed rested and relaxed. I think they enjoyed their well-deserved vacation.