Smiles all round: It’s been a tough week for supermarket staff everywhere but some of the team at Ashcroft’s IGA in the Summer Centre still managed a smile for us for this shot. Pictured are Ebony, John, Klint, Drew (front)  and behind them are Jessie, Melinda, Blaise and Nicole.

It’s been a very tough week for all of us, no one would deny that. Part of the pressure has been having to process the relentless avalanche of media reports telling of all things bad.

For this item however, I want to move right away from that and share some of the great things we’ve been hearing about while all this has been going on. By great things I mean the efforts some people have had to put in to serve us and also some of the wonderful acts of kindness that people have shared with us. If for no other reason, OC Life is doing this to say “You were noticed!”

Let’s start with our supermarkets.

We all know about the crazy panic buying that has occurred in our local supermarkets and yes crazy is the right word. For reasons that are still very unclear to most people who have, our supermarkets have been bombarded by people who seem to think that the world is coming to an end, food is going to be in short supply or some other unbelievable notion.

Earlier this week I spoke to one of the supervisors at Ashcroft’s IGA in the Summer Centre to get a feel for the pressure they and others like them have been under. Here’s the feelings I got from that discussion.

No one in the supermarket business understands what prompted the toilet paper panic. There was no reason for it and still isn’t. That also goes for everything else. There never was a supply shortage of most items until the panic buying started and then set in. The consequence of the craziness was supermarkets being faced with a buying tsunami when they weren’t prepared for it. Last week, many supermarkets would have done more business than they would normally do in the week before Christmas, but with one big difference. They know Christmas week is massive and so they are prepared for it. They simply weren’t prepared for last week’s shopping tsunami.

There never was any real supply problem and there still isn’t, warehouses are full and the problem they are now dealing with is getting the stock out to supermarkets. It’s now a logistical problem not a supply problem and it is generally felt that a more normal situation will return very soon. Some people are still caught up in panic buying and yes there are some items that are still flying off the shelves like sanitiser, but at least that does make some sense. Supermarkets now have to make judgements about what might happen next. There are now many homes out there with heaps of supplies, so in the same way demand has been over the top lately, demand at the checkouts is expected to now drop while people use up their supplies. One day tsunami, next day drought, or so it seems that it might be.

The point of saying all that was to help us fully appreciate the herculean efforts of the staff at not just Ashcroft’s but all our local supermarkets. They were all put under incredible pressure and I know at Ashcroft’s alone, management staff joined their teams for long hours of stocking shelves late into the night to keep supplies up. It would have been similar in supermarkets everywhere, and not only supermarkets, chemists and most medical centres would also have been run off their feet as they say. Let’s not just be aware of what has gone on, let’s take the time to acknowledge these people if you haven’t already done so. Maybe a kind word of thanks and appreciation from you to the next person you come across on a checkout mightn’t go astray.

I briefly spoke to Rochelle Ashcroft late last week and she said, her and husband Ian are so proud of their staff for the way they all handled themselves through the crisis. She said they were all put under enormous and unexpected pressure, and more so as the week went on, but by and large things went along pretty well and in an orderly manner. Rochelle said the way things turned out also speaks volumes about the quality and commitment of our staff and of our customers.

From readers

Saw a customer buy a check out chick at a local supermarket a cup of coffee, to which she was overheard to respond “you don’t have to do that (three times) but it’s appreciated, I’ve already had my angry toilet paper customer this morning” - Jackie

A lovely friend of mine gave me 3 rolls of loo paper when I was running short and seemed to miss it when was on shelves - Donna

Knowing we had a baby in the house, my neighbour grabbed a packet of baby wipes while at the supermarket and dropped them off to us to make sure we wouldn't get caught out – Jonathan

I run a baking business from home and last night a beautiful lady messaged me to ask if i was OK for flour which luckily I am as I get it straight from the mill. Was very touched by her message – Imperfectly Perfect Sugar Cookies 

We have a “pay what you want” system for download copies of our albums on our website. Possibly aware that we are down tens of thousands of dollars in gig losses, a wonderfully generous person paid a thousand dollars for one download. The generosity left me in tears - Jason

A local businesswoman here knows I have ocd and cancer and offered me some paper towel from her hotel after I tried for three days to hunt some down.....(I had managed to track some down in the hour before this offer though) - Christine

There is an amazing site that is set up to “adopt a healthcare worker” across Australia and so many people are helping them out with support, shopping, childcare or just a shoulder to cry on. It’s awesome! - Sar

We were down to our last few rolls of toilet paper and our beautiful niece turned up with a packet of 8. – Susie

My brother drives a cab and has been giving elderly customers his phone number just in case they need help in any way, just so they know they’re not on their own. – Amanda

And from business

Spring Hill Post Office and Bella’s shared:

When we decided to reduce our shop down to mail collection only, no coffee, no food from Bella's (basically, no income)....we knew it was going to be tough.
When we announced it to Spring Hill, some of the locals sent us messages to make sure we were okay and offered to go shopping in Orange for us. We aren't sick and can go to Orange, but it's lovely to know people think of us, even when there are so many things to worry about for themselves. One lovely local (Thanks Sue) even supplied us with toilet paper free of charge!
In times like these, little communities can make a lot of difference!
Thanks for letting me share, Bob.

The Wellness House emailed:

While the country is going into meltdown with unnecessary hoarding, The Wellness House is very proud to announce that members of the Orange Community have been exceptional in upholding strict hygiene and triage protocols, which is keeping the workplace quarantined and safe for everyone visiting, particularly in these times when it’s so important to keep our health at the top of the priority list.
The Wellness House which has GP’s also shares the building with dentists, chiropractic, naturopathy, physiotherapy, clinical psychologists, pathology, podiatry, dietetics and the Pickle & Fig café.  Thanks to our co-operative patients, we are able to manage the Coronavirus remotely so we can continue on with business in a safe environment for everyone, which is pretty incredible under these circumstances.  So, here’s a big shout out to our Orange community for demonstrating kindness in their thoughtful ways and concern for all.

Camera House Orange emailed:

Everyone is frightened at the moment, understandably. We helped a lady with printing and framing images of her Son, all done over email and delivered. Plus all our customers can upload photo orders over the net
https://www.camerahouse.com.au/photo-prints