Carlos Fagundes can talk turkey. He can also talk about stuffing, cranberry sauce, butter, eggs, vegetables, beer and anything else stocked on a grocery shelf. After all, he has served as store manager at the Bruno’s Shop Smart in Lakeport for the past nine years. And he can count another 21 years running groceries elsewhere in the state. The California native grew up in Arcata, moving to Lake County from the town of Redway.
1. Just how many turkeys do you go through around Thanksgiving?
Well — loads, I can tell you that. A couple of thousand.
2. How to you plan for the holiday rush?
We use previous years’ information. That’s our best indicator. We have all the data. We do that with anything seasonal.
3. So this is not just a fun job, there’s math involved.
You are right there. It’s all about the numbers.
4. Do you ever wish people would look at other meats on Thanksgiving?
No, not at all. Everybody gets excited. They’re all in a good mood. It gets busy, so time goes by real quick.
5. What else sells?
You name it — pies, rolls obviously, ham, stuffing, all the fixings.
6. You’re open on Thanksgiving for a little while. Do you see a lot of panicked shoppers?
No so much panicked. Usually they are picking up last minute items or they want the freshest available. Some are en route to someone’s house and they are responsible for bringing the rolls or the beer.
7. Ever get tired of being around so much food?
No, I never get tired of this.
8. How much responsibility is involved in this job?
Quite a bit. I oversee each department, I have employees I count on. I can stock shelves — you gotta be able to juggle a lot.
9. What’s the best thing about it?
I get to interact with people, with customers and with employees. We all count on each other.
10. So — turkey for Thanksgiving?
No, not for me. Not this year. This year my wife decided to go with lasagna. But I’m 100 percent sure my staple — pecan pie — will be there. It doesn’t matter what else is on the table as long as I have pecan pie.
