5 Years Ago These 5 Things Were Common in Michigan, But Gone Now

It doesn't seem possible that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown began five years ago. February 2020 marked the first time anyone in Michigan had heard of "social distancing," but it wouldn't be the last. Facemasks, one-way grocery aisles, and plexiglass screens were introduced. While many precautions related to COVID-19 have disappeared, many things don't seem to have a chance of returning.

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The politics of the pandemic aside, there are services and structures we used regularly in Michigan that have seemingly disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Need a Quart of Milk and 5w30 at 3:13 am? No Problem!

Whether we needed it or not, Michigan Meijer and Walmart stores were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, before the pandemic. If you were bored at 1:00 am, you could go wander the aisles of a big box store. If you want to avoid crowds, you could have done Christmas shopping at 2:30 am. Not anymore.

Do I really need to buy a basketball hoop and a lawnmower at 4:24 a.m.? No, but at least I used to have that option.

Oh, You Need Something? I'll Just Run Out Real Quick

Though you should never underestimate the power of pajamas and their ability to keep you from going out, we ran errands and made quick trips before COVID. We have been getting pizza delivered in Michigan for years, but thanks to the lockdown, we got spoiled, and now the thought of walking into a store is truly a horror to an entire generation.

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If I were to run into January 2020 and share that in five years, you would order AA batteries on your phone and have a random stranger show up on your doorstep with them minutes later; you would have called me crazy. Now, our willingness to leave our homes has pretty much vanished.

Did You Find Everything You Needed Today?

I firmly believe that if it weren't for COVID-19, I wouldn't have to scan and bag my own groceries. While not ALL grocery checkout clerks have disappeared, most of them have.

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If a virus hadn't been running loose in Michigan at the time, we would have resisted the threat of not only doing the store's work but also taking away a job. I remember when checkout clerks required training. I was never trained, but now I spend minutes looking for a bar code that some packaging engineer decided to hide.

See You at the Office Online

After COVID, having coworkers you physically saw daily in an office is a rarity. One of Michigan's most prominent office buildings, Detroit's Renaissance Center, has so many empty cubicles that it plans to tear down two towers.

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Working from home may be convenient, but it's left the Mitten State with a massive real estate problem.

Face to Face Meetings

I have a Zoom meeting every Monday morning where 90% of the people in attendance are actually in the same building. Yet, instead of gathering together, we log onto our computers in separate rooms.

Though some prefer it that way, I'd rather sit across a table or room from you and converse rather than try to decipher what you're saying when your audio cuts in and out.

There you have it, five things that have seemingly changed forever in Michigan since 2020. What did I miss?