Shoppers wait hours in cold for turkeys before Thanksgiving

METHUEN, Mass. — A police detail helped manage traffic outside Raymond’s Turkey Farm in Methuen on Tuesday as a steady line of customers waited in the cold for turkeys two days before Thanksgiving.

“With the whole COVID-19, we can only let a certain amount of customers in the store at a time,” said manager Kim Ellis. “So we were letting those customers in, and the line just kept growing and growing.”

Long lines and police details are nothing new at the store in the days leading up to Thanksgiving each year. But this time, with the store’s maximum capacity and masked customers waiting six feet apart, the line was an unprecedented sight.

“I came here at two [o’clock], it was 2.5 hours. I came at four [o’clock], it was about an hour and 45 minutes,” said customer Bob Goossens. “And I came at 7. I called, and they said, ‘If you come down now, the line is short. So we’re good to go.”

Goossens’ order was the same as most: a smaller bird for a smaller crowd this year. The wait, he said, was worth it for a fresh bird he relies on every year.

“We’re down to a 14-pound,” Goossens said. “We’re usually 20 to 27 pounds.”

Across the region, shoppers waited in lines outside grocery stores, too.

At Roche Bros., in Wellesley, customers waited, socially distant, in a short line for several minutes Tuesday afternoon.

Shopper Debi Mendoza of Hollison bought food for a meal for just her husband, herself and her grandson. Mendoza normally celebrates the holiday with a house full of up to 15 people. But following health experts’ urging and for her own family’s safety, she is keeping it small this year.

“It’s heartbreaking, because we usually get together with my mom and dad, and we can’t,” Mendoza said. “They live in assisted living, and we can only visit outside. So, I feel heartbroken that I might not see them until spring.”

About 90 customers of Roche Bros. in Wellesley picked up premade turkey dinners curbside or had them delivered to their homes Tuesday. Another 235 orders are ready for pick-up and delivery Wednesday.

Still other customers are choosing not to cook or gather at all.

“We’ve decided to go out dinner, because… to make the big dinner for just a small group, it’s a lot of work,” said Ted Thomas. “It’s an inconvenience, but it’s not the end of the world.”

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