For McGhee, conversations are in the bag

Drew McGhee unloaded the grocery cart, quickly scanned the assortment of chips, dips, deli meat, pastries and ice cream treats, then asked what others may have been thinking:
“What are you doing, having a party?”
That’s “typical Drew,” said Chrissy Olson, the night manager at Vandal’s Family Market in Blooming Prairie.
“He interacts,” she said, “and that’s what you want at a grocery store. You want somebody to smile, have a conversation.”
McGhee, who sprinkles “yes, ma’am” or “no, ma’am” liberally throughout those conversations, said his part-time job is “awesome. I love communicating with others.”
Communicating comes naturally – he gets a lot of it, as one of Kevin and Kim McGhee’s eight children.
“Sometimes, they say I talk too much,” he smiled.
A junior in high school, the 16-year-old has been home-schooled for the past seven years. He helps with the family’s large garden during the summer and loves to help around the house – “with a big family, there’s always chores,” he said.
His favorite thing, though, is building LEGO sets.
McGhee started applying for jobs in August, “and this one got me first,” he said. “I love being able to talk to other people – customers and employees. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people.”
He works about 25 hours each week, which fits nicely with his schedule.
“I can get my schoolwork done early,” McGhee said, and be at work by 3 p.m.
“Most of the time, he’ll be the first one (other employees) call to fill in,” Olson said. “He’s the one that will come in to cover for them.”
McGhee stocks shelves, runs the cash register, makes salads; “pretty much whatever needs to be done, I do that,” he said.
“It’s weird, but I really love to fill these pop cases,” McGhee said, pointing to the glass-fronted coolers at the end of each checkout lane.
“There’s something about seeing them all lined up.” He shrugged, then smiled. “It looks good.”
He broke away from the conversation to scan groceries for a customer, asking earnestly how her day was going, how her cat was doing.
Typical Drew, Olson repeated.
“He’s a good kid,” she said. “When he learns new things, he shows excitement – and he’s always ready to learn.”