Fort Simpson (Sep 08/06) - While most people have to pop in and out of the Northern Store regularly to check out what's new, Joe Guy has the inside scoop.

It's one of the perks of being the grocery manager in Fort Simpson.

Joe Guy stocks shelves with cookies as part of his job as the grocery manager at the Northern Store in Fort Simpson. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Besides always knowing what's in the store, Guy also gets a good sense of what people like to eat.

Originally from Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Guy's first posting with the Northern Store was is in Cambridge Bay.

"We loved it up there," said Guy about his family that includes his wife Linda and their three children Keaton, 13, Kaylegh, 8 and Kerrigan, 3.

The family members had to adapt to -60C temperatures and few hours of daylight during the winter, but the grocery store was only a little smaller than Fort Simpson's.

Although many of the products in Northern Stores are similar across the chain because the same suppliers are used, there are some differences, he explained.One thing that was different in the far North were some of the choices in the meat department.

The Cambridge store offered muktuk, which is whale skin and blubber.

"The meat guy sold lots of it," said Guy who admits he never tried it. Other choices included Pilot biscuits, which were one of the big sellers. After three years in Cambridge Bay it was time to head south. Guy's next posting was in Norway House in northern Manitoba. With a population of 5,000-6,000 the store was as big as any in the south.

But people from the North would find the same basic products there that they are used to. The only difference is more shelf space means more products, he said.

A year later Guy is now a recent arrival in Fort Simpson. As the grocery manager he oversees the food side of the store including ordering, stocking and making sure the shelves contain the products people want.

Part of what Guy likes about the job is its structure.

"The whole logistics is pretty challenging," he said.

Fort Simpson's freezing and break-up periods will be small potatoes compared to ordering food in Cambridge Bay, where most of the goods came in yearly by barge. Only produce was flown in. A spreadsheet that charted what was sold the year before helped make the task easier, said Guy.

Customer service is also an enjoyable part of the job, he said. By working in the store Guy already has a good start on meeting the village's residents."It seems like a beautiful town," he said.