The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket

by Benjamin Lorr

Andy tells us to partner up; one person is asked to talk continuously for three minutes while the other person doesn’t speak at all. It is supposed to teach us “active listening” as well as serve as introductions, but almost immediately the human resources manager pops back in, Andy gets pulled out of the room on some errand, and the three minutes grow to ten. We are never told to switch partners, and so, with half the room ordered not to speak, the other half utterly exhausted from being ordered to speak continuously, everything gets awkward. There is mumbling. Then total silence. Finally, Andy pops back into the room and says, “Okay! Wrap things up!” to a room where most people are staring at their desks, necks hanging like narcoleptics, before adding without a drop of irony, “Unless you are in a heated discussion!”