Once upon a time, in the land called California, there was the small hamlet of Del Ray Oaks. In that place, there was a market called Safeway, and inside the market at the meat counter, a mild-mannered clerk called Ryan Young. His secret identity had never been revealed. Day after day people shopped in that store, getting their pork chops and chicken breasts and briskets from this man, never even suspecting that he was SUPER RYAN!
One day a pregnant woman in the store was being physically assaulted by her boyfriend, and Super Ryan came to the rescue of the baby and its mother. When the man refused to back down, Super Ryan hit him. Local law enforcement, who arrested the man, commended our hero. Kate Moser of The Monterey County Herald quoted a bystander as saying that Super Ryan deserved a medal. He doesn't have a medal and he doesn't have a cape and he hasn't had a paycheck for a month, because Safeway has suspended him without pay. This is obviously a hardship to him and his wife, who also happens to be pregnant. Modest and unassuming as most super heroes, Super Ryan says he just wants his job back. The store and the union say they are trying to resolve this as quickly as possible, rules and laws and all that sort of stuff.
Shoppers have boycotted and picketed the store, and the city has lost sales tax revenues over it. Change.org has a petition here. Safeway also owns the Vons supermarket chain.
A shopper at the nearby Carmel Safeway said "he did something that any sentient being would believe to be an act of heroism." Yes. He did, because that's what superheroes do.
Susan
No comments:
Post a Comment