ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601260010
SECTION: ECONOMY PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO CINDY PINKSTON.
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON
At about 8:30 a.m. weekdays, David Craig takes stock of the snow peas and carrots at the Kroger supermarket in Northeast Roanoke.
He is head produce clerk, in charge of a display of 350 to 400 perishable produce items. Showing a visitor around, he stoops to retrieve a leaf of wilted lettuce from the tile floor.
"We want the freshest product," he explains. "We don't want anything bad out here."
Craig is a career grocer who has devoted 12 years to produce. During that time, he has seen the variety of common items available - such as mushrooms, tomatoes and carrots - multiply so that there are now 10 or more types or forms of each for sale on a typical day.
Craig, 47, adores pears and eats almost every vegetable. But there is one item he carries that turns his stomach. The root beer barrels in the bulk candy rack, which is maintained by the produce staff, give him the willies for an unknown reason. He refuses to order refills himself, delegating the task to a co-worker.
Craig spends about half of each day on the floor maintaining displays and the other half handling receiving and paperwork tasks, including ordering. "I need to decide if I need four cases of broccoli or 12 cases,'' he says. "You've got to anticipate what they want."
Take the period in late December. "After Christmas, everyone has eaten and enjoyed themselves. They say, 'I'm too fat. I've got to go on a diet,''' Craig said.
He puts salad mix on sale and makes sure customers can find plenty of greens, carrots, cucumbers and grapefruit. Even though it is winter, he may place a small order of summer "soft fruit" if available, such as nectarines, peaches and plums. He watches the birdseed supply closely, as it sells fast in colder weather.
Customers may have noticed produce rearranged every few days. Craig says produce managers shift their best buys to the ends of display cases so they are easy for customers to pick up and put in shopping carts. Produce managers also tend to reserve the high-visibility end spots for whatever item is in the greatest quantity.
The produce man, after all, must market his goods as well as stock them. Craig picks items for choosey customers who seek his help. He is not averse to slicing open a cantaloupe to serve a customer a sample. With grapes, "people always want to know if they're sweet," Craig says. "I say, 'Try one. That's what I do.'''
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB