When Glen and Sherri Roehrig opened their bottle redemption center seven years ago, they didn’t foresee a global pandemic that would devastate their ability to operate in an industry that has been turned on its head.

Struggling to operate with fewer than four employees, the Fast Cash Redemption Center in Brunswick has been forced to shave its hours from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. seven days a week to 11 a.m. -5 p.m., closing on Fridays.

Brunswick resident Rose Taylor said the limited hours have been a hassle for many community members.

“Everybody’s running around to West Bath. We can’t keep doing that. Everybody I talk to has been complaining about it. It’s been a headache for all of us,” Taylor wrote in an email to the Times Record.

Redemption centers around the state are slashing hours or shuttering altogether.

In August, Rolando’s Bottle Redemption, one of South Portland’s oldest redemption sites, shut its doors after 45 years. The owner cited surging inflation and struggles finding employees as the primary causes for the closure, which was the latest in more than 40 licensed redemption center closures over the past two years.

In Brunswick, Roehrig said he hasn’t been able to pay wages that compete with unemployment. Mainers are eligible to make up to $538 a week on unemployment, according to Maine.gov. Coupled with stimulus checks issued during the pandemic, some have decided to stay out of the workforce.

According to the West Bath Redemption Facebook page, they too have cut back on their hours since the start of COVID-19. Formerly open seven days a week 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., they are now closing at 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Fast Cash Redemption Manager Jene Doughty said reducing their hours was a direct result of being “unbelievably short-staffed.”

Although the center is closed on Fridays, Roehrig said they are still working seven days a week.

“It’s hard work. A lot of nights I don’t sleep. I’m up 36 hours straight without sitting down once,” he said.

Roehrig said he is already training a new worker and has “high hopes” it will work out.

Both Brunswick residents and redemption center staff hope Fast Cash Redemption can bounce back to pre-pandemic status.

“It’s something that the area really needs.” “I don’t know what we would do without it,” said Taylor.

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