During these wildly uncertain times, we should continue to be especially nice to the workers who are still on the front lines providing for us. Covid-19 became widespread in the United States in late February/early March, and things haven't been the same since.

I've worked as a cashier at Publix for just about four years now, and I can confidently say that I've never felt a level of stress like the first few weeks of the coronavirus panic.

I'm a full-time student at Florida Gulf Coast University, and I've worked part-time for Publix since I was sixteen. After learning about the Covid-19 pandemic and finding that classes held on campus would be converted to online-learning, I had a rough transition. Like many other college students, I was finding that online classes were not my cup of tea, and I was needing to spend more time on them than I would have needed to for an on-campus course.

During this early time, business started to pick up at Publix as the quarantine panic set in, and I found myself struggling to keep up with all of my responsibilities.

I began receiving close to forty hours a week at Publix, although I was still considered a twenty-five hour, part-time worker. I was working eight hour shifts, five days in a row, and being pulled in every possible direction. Stores were flooded with people in a frenzy and shelves were wiped clean. The obvious increase in demand and decrease in supply for cleaning products, personal protective equipment, and paper products led to limits of 1-2 being placed on the items. While most customers are more than understanding considering circumstances, there are the few who raised arguments.

As essential employees, we feel a heavy responsibility to serve our community and do the most that we can during these difficult times.

Stress is high all around the world for everyone experiencing the effects of Covid-19, whether directly or indirectly. As we get used to the new "norm" for the foreseeable future, I hope that people can be kind and appreciative of the efforts that essential workers contribute. We are people struggling with this new reality, just like everyone else. Regardless of any situation, humans should always be kind to other humans.