BANGOR, Pa. - At Bangor's Main Street Market it is business as usual but with all the necessary precautions that have become the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic: masks, barriers at the registers, and lots of cleaning and sanitizing.
"We couldn't ask for better employees. We really couldn't," said owner Duane Smith. "They don't complain about wearing masks, they don't complain about really anything. They're dedicated."
Smith and his wife Nichole said running a front line business can be stressful at times.
"It's scary because you just don't know who's a [COVID-19] carrier...you just don't know," Nichole Smith said.
The Smith's store stock is at the mercy of suppliers who limit what types of and how many products they receive. Main Street Market has begun ordering different types of food and cleaning supplies to keep the shelves full.
They said like in most stores, toilet paper and Clorox wipes can be hard to come by.
"It's tough. It's tough to keep the store stocked, we've thankfully been doing really well with that," Nichole said.
And while grocery store workers are often getting praise from the public, Duane Smith says there are others behind the scenes who should be getting thanks too. "The heroes are also the drivers who bring the product to us because they're in and out of more stores than we are," he said.
Main Street Market has had to shorten its hours to keep up with a rigorous cleaning schedule.
The store has also begun offering blessing boxes, a week's worth of food and supplies for families in need.