Article September 29, 2003 Issue

A change in the atmosphere

By Sarah C. Nelson

IT WAS A CHALLENGING time for me—I was feeling the heat in many ways. I only had a part-time job, with three teenagers at home to feed. I was offered a second job in the deli department of a grocery store in Sacramento, California, but was told I'd have to start out bagging groceries for a few months before I'd be allowed to transfer to the deli department. Nevertheless, I took the job.

I didn't mind the hard work, and in fact looked forward to being physically active on the job. One weekend, though, was quite hot—about 110 degrees F., with heat radiating from the parking lot's steaming blacktop. Part of my job as bagger was to escort each customer outside to his or her car, unload groceries into the vehicle, then run the grocery cart back into the store to be ready for the next customer.

What got to me was the running in and out of the store, from intense heat into air-conditioning, then back into the heat. At one point I thought I might collapse.