Falling in Love at Whole Foods

In November, I started working part-time at Whole Foods. I expected to feel indifferent about going to work because it was a part-time position to help cover the cost of eggs. It's ironic for two reasons.

One - I honestly hate the grocery store as a shopper. Mainly because when I go grocery shopping, it is for meal prep. I have already picked out what I will make for the week and what I need. But when I arrive, I see all the picked-over produce, new products, and items I have forgotten existed. It takes me less than half a second to realize that I could make something else... and that is the beginning of a long and indecisive trip to the grocery store.

Second- my goal to have extra spending money has quickly gone to shit due to the desire to try all of the new items I see on my conveyer belt. We will get more into this later. There are too many items that people need to know about for it not to be a separate post.

Anyway, I am trying to say that I have learned a lot at Whole Foods in just a short time. I no longer despise grocery shopping and use the items I see on the conveyor belt to help inspire the meals I make for the week. These are all good things, I suppose. Though, I have learned so much more about people. The way we present ourselves and interact with others, and how kindness (even if not given) can sometimes be the thing that makes someone's day a little brighter.

I didn't bring you to my blog post to talk about my love (or lack of) for the grocery store, but rather the love I met in the Whole Foods line. Below is an excerpt of what will hopefully be a larger project about the lessons/stories/funnies of my experiences. In the meantime, I hope you can stand tall at 5'2 and peek into what I experienced on the night of December 31st.

***

Keys clanking together between my fingertips, my eyes searching for the first house key. A sliver of silver falls to the floor, and I hear metal hitting the marble floors below me. My eyes dart down to the little rectangle keychain below—"His crazy." I chuckle.

            “ I see you, God!” shaking my head, I pick it up and throw it on the wine rack as I push through my apartment door.

Today is the last day of 2024. Am I finally ready to let go of the man who had a chokehold on me for so long? Was it a sign from God that I had healed? I didn’t have much time to think about it; I was already running later than I wanted to for work. I grabbed my water bottle and my apron and flew out the door.

JP Saxe has been on repeat for the last three days. I don’t want to say I am in my feelings, but the reality of being alone for another New Year’s hits differently in the car. It doesn’t help that I am sitting in the parking lot of my part-time job as a full-blown adult trying to make ends meet.  My speakers on volume 26,

“You know, I'll forgive you just keep it simple

You know, I will meet you so far past the middle.”

Air escapes me as I sing at the top of my lungs, and I forget that I have to work for a moment. Although working at a grocery store is low-stakes, I hate being late. Glancing out at the parking lot, reality hits. Everyone and their brother will pick up last-minute charcuterie board items and grapes tonight. I hit the ignition button, grabbed my water, and walked inside.

            The first three hours of my shift are nothing noteworthy. I scan, bag, and tell people to have a great new year. Honestly, this is what I like about working at Whole Foods. I enjoy seeing the regulars, giving killer kindness to the crotchety old women, and being selectively sassy to those who need a little pushback. So many people come through a checkout line throughout my shifts that it is hard to remember names, but you remember certain qualities about them. Often, it is their general aura and their bagging preferences. Working at a grocery store as an adult creates an entirely new world of people-watching. It is like an up-close version, where you slip into their homes for just a moment and see how they treat the people closest to them.     

            Twenty minutes left in the shift, a man struts through the store in front of my register. Something about the back of his head had me intrigued. They say confidence speaks for itself; maybe that caught my attention. I turn to my colleagues and start chatting about people's plans for the evening. Everyone is buzzed to get off work and hit the bars. Some go to friends' houses, others catch up with their partners, and one hits the Fenway bars. We giggle as we dance to whatever music is playing in the background. I glance over my shoulder to see someone approaching my cash register.

            Quickly, I punch in my password and grab the first item off the conveyor belt.

“Hello, do you need a bag today?” I ask as I peek up from the register.

   My mouth dropped. Stunned, I grab the next item and look back up. My eyes gaze up directly to his lips. They are beautiful—beautiful, full, plush pillow lips.

“Ah, no, I don’t need a bag,” the intercom interrupted my thoughts.

“Thank you for stopping by Whole Foods tonight; we will close in fifteen minutes and re-open at 10 am tomorrow! Please gather the last of your things.”

            Milly, at the end of the bagging area, yells out,

            “10 am? I thought it was 9 am.”

            I grab the chapstick on the conveyor belt and scan it. I find his lips again. My thoughts race; maybe he can use my chaptick.

            “We will be open from 9 am to 8 pm tomorrow”, the intercom snaps me back to reality.

            “You can come at 10 am,” I said.

            “Party at Whole Foods!” his voice deep and silky.

            “16.23 is your total tonight,” I say. The transaction finished, and I handed him the receipt. I take a mental screenshot of him standing before me. A black turtleneck showed his chest's ridges underneath a gray blazer, and a black durag draped across his braids.

            “Happy New Year”

            “Thank you. I hope your year is blessed,” I gasp as our eyes lock. Nobody moves, and for just half a second, we both stand begging for the other to break away in the silence.

            He smiles, showing his perfectly lined-up teeth. Like his lips and his eyes, they are perfect. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized his friend was standing there waiting for him. Flushed, I turn to Milly,

            “I think I am having palpitations.”

She chuckles, and before I can run after him, another man is in my line. I am unsure I believe in love at first sight, but tonight makes me think it could be possible.

***

Stay tuned for more stories! And.. if you happen to be the guy in Whole Foods on New Year's Eve buying chapstick and a Perfect Bar, I hope you are having a good day!

Xoxo Layna

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