I had a good friend who used to work at Waldbaum’s in the 1970s. He worked in the deli department. I would go in there and see him every once in a while, and he always seemed to be having a lot of fun. There were a lot of young people working in the department and throughout the store, and it almost seemed like a high school. I mean, I was pretty young at the time; it seemed like a fun place to work.
It was pretty inspiring. Eventually, I wound up applying for a job at A&P because I wanted that kind of fun, that kind of social life, in a workplace I thought supermarkets would provide. And it most certainly did, but that’s a story for another time and place. I bring up A&P because it is completely connected to the history of Waldbaum’s and, sadly, its demise.
My friend who worked at Waldbaum’s became a very famous comic book artist. I won’t mention his name for privacy reasons, but he actually did put me in an episode of Godzilla and a few other comics. Nothing is cooler than being turned into a comic book character, especially when you’re drawn by a legendary artist. You never know what’s going to happen to your friends…