On Nantucket, residents face a Stop & Shop dilemma

Living on an island means you can not always get what you want.

Throughout the year, residents of Nantucket understand that there are not many doctors' offices, hardware stores and restaurants open all year – and only one supermarket chain: Stop & Shop.

But with the grocers' strike last week, the closing of a Stop & Shop on the island and the reduction of services the other, the residents of Nantucket are faced with a new dilemma: crossing the picket line? Pay extra for food in small organic groceries and fish markets? Or do they take the ferry to Cape Town and shop there, hauling their bags in a cab or paying a large sum to bring their car?

And with the approach of Easter and the daffodil festival that starts the next season the following weekend (bringing together thousands of visitors and summer homeowners), the need for groceries will continue to grow.

The strike, which affects 31,000 workers in 240 stores in three states, began abruptly Thursday afternoon when workers received the call from their union, the United Food & Commercial Workers, asking them to quit work. According to the union, the workers – 75 percent of whom work part-time – have left untrimmed cheese, unroasted cupcakes and have been pining since then, protesting against the proposed increases in the cost of health care and reductions in pension contributions. , as well as overtime on Sundays and holidays. part-time and new hires.

According to union estimates, dozens of stores are closed. Hours and services are limited elsewhere. Deliveries at some stores in the region were also delayed, with union drivers refusing to cross picket lines and striking workers blocking their pbadage.

Of the more than 11,000 Nantucket residents who live year-round, many are worried about the strike and are doing everything in their power to avoid shopping at the store. But the united community is also concerned about low-income residents who can not afford to do business elsewhere and have no choice but to visit Stop & Shop, where the bakery, Seafood and cold cuts are closed, as well as restaurants. the selection of products is limited.

Staff and officials from across the region were invited to help outside at Nantucket stores, said Stop & Shop spokeswoman Jennifer Brogan.

"We understand how important it is for our store to provide food to the community and we are committed to doing everything in our power to minimize the disruption to our Nantucket customers and to continue to serve the island community." she declared in an email.

Kris Kinsley Hanbad, a photographer who has lived on the island since 1989, went to Bartlett Farm for berries, lettuce and vegetables, and received one of the last recipients of almond milk, but stated that many items had been sold. Her husband returned from an out-of-island doctor's appointment with a Whole Foods milk and yogurt cooler. The family also has a stock of soup, cereal, cereal bars, cheese macaroni and toiletries in the basement in case of power outage or stopping bins; which could prove useful soon.

"We resist the storm Stop & Shop," she said.

Cumberland Farms' convenience store shelves were also decimated, said Amy Eldridge, who had to go to a second Cumberland Farms site to find milk, bread, eggs and meat for her mother, who came from get out of the hospital. Ten items cost him $ 50, said Eldridge, a native of Nantucket and deputy director of a dry cleaning center.

A number of specialty stores are ordering more food to meet demand and offering discounts to residents, she noted. But their prices are too high for those who rely on vouchers or other forms of badistance. Ordering online is not an option for many people, she added, especially if they need formula or diapers immediately.

"The community is suffering," said Eldridge. "It's a very upscale island, and many of these shops are designed to meet the needs of the summer population."

As the wife of a member of the Teamsters Union, she said, she will not cross the picket line. And she gets furious when she sees politicians supporting the strikers but not intervening to help the residents of Nantucket.

"We are a bit stuck," she said. "I'm trying to shop where I do not spend $ 25 on the plate, because at this point, I could just go to the restaurant for less."

Karen Theroux, a real estate director and resident of Nantucket for 30 years, was eager to buy daffodils and other spring flowers last week. Stop & Shop had it, but it continued to roll – reluctantly – at high-end Bartlett's, where she also picked up bread and cheese. "Their prices are crazy," she said.

Apart from that, Theroux eats a lot of pasta and sandwiches and works on items in his freezer and pantry. But she knows it's not sustainable: "You can not live with peanut butter forever," she said.

She planned a ferry trip off the island to get her car repaired on Monday, and plans to hit BJ's or Trader Joe's in Hyannis. She knows that some people have no choice but to go to Stop & Shop, but she wonders what they find in the interior.

"If you're going to cross the picket line, you want to be able to get at least something decent when you're there," she said.

On Wednesday afternoon, a number of people taking the ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket were carrying supplies with them to avoid Stop & Shop. Rubidia Escobar, a housekeeper in several Nantucket homes, stocked up on milk, sour cream and sugar at Bourne's Market Basket. Cindy Whitlock, coming from Washington State with her husband and grandson, was shopping at Shaw's in Hyannis to visit her daughter, who works at the airport.

"My daughter called to say that there was almost nothing left on Nantucket, and if we want to eat this week, we'd better bring him food," Whitlock said.

Some residents cross the picket line, of course.

Karen Macumber, owner of the Sherburne Inn on Nantucket, still travels to Stop & Shop, a trip she makes almost daily to buy fruit, yogurts, cereals and muffins, because vending trucks like Sysco do not can not move in his narrow street.

Macumber, however, went to the Bartlett and Nantucket meat and fish market to review their selection of products, but she thinks she will have to buy at least yogurt from Stop & Shop "and hopes that everything is not out of date ".

Nevertheless, the negative impact of the strike on her and on other small business owners puts her in a difficult situation, said Macumber, who worries about increased demand during the festival's daffodil.

"If I have to choose between my company and try to support the workers," she said, "my business will come first."

Katie Johnston can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @ktkjohnston.