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This is a picture of Burnell 5
Cotlon’s store.
Based on this image, how
is his store different from a section two
commercial supermarket and
what do these differences
suggest about Cotlon? /

CLAIRE BANGSER/Getty Images Burnell Cotlon

hotels, and restaurants downtown, and those telling me, “Please, please, I’m begging you,” and
places have closed up in the last month. At least I stood there and thought about it, and what am
half my customers have lost jobs. They come to I supposed to do?
the register counting food stamps, quarters, and I said: “That’s okay. You’re all right.” I let her
dimes. I keep telling them, “It’s okay. I’m not in take it. I like to help. I always want to say yes. But
a hurry. Take your time. Stop apologizing.” I had I’m starting to get more desperate myself, so it’s
somebody barter me last week over a 70-cent getting harder.
can of beans. I used to sell two pieces of fried The first time in my life I let a customer float
chicken for $1.25, and I cut it to a dollar. on credit was four weeks ago. It was a young guy
We have an ATM in the store, and I watch who comes by most days to buy a few things, or
people punching in their numbers, cursing the just to sit outside with me on the milk crates and
machine, trying again and again. It gives out more chop it up. He got home from the military a few
rejection slips than dollar bills. Some of these peo- years back, and I was in the Army, so we have
ple don’t have any savings. There’s no fallback. that in common. Good guy. He’d been working
Last week, I caught a lady in the back of 5 as a cook downtown, and last month his restau-
the store stuffing things into her purse. We don’t rant closed up. He asked if he could come work
really have shoplifters here. This whole store is for me.
two aisles. I can see everything from my seat up I operate on a shoestring. It took every dollar
front. So I walked over to her real calm and put I had to open this place after Hurricane Katrina.
my hand on her shoulder. I took her purse and I’ve robbed Peter to pay Paul so many times that
opened it up. Inside she had a carton of eggs, Peter’s got nothing left. So I had to tell him, “I
a six-pack of wieners, and two or three candy already have a cook, and I’m barely paying him. I
bars. She started crying. She said she had three can’t afford two.” But this guy, he was hurting. He
kids, and her man had lost his job, and they had needed something to eat. He picked up four cans
nothing to eat and no place to go. Maybe it was of tuna, a Sno-Ball, and laundry detergent. He told
a lie. I don’t know. But who’s making up stories me he was good for it as soon he gets his unem-
for seven or eight dollars of groceries? She was ployment check, and I trust him. I rang it up for
Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample. 173
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