To dislike people commenting on what you are buying?

I’d love to find that where I live. In my one horse town, everyone has something to say about everyone else

Sure. Maybe they should. But they won't. And if they did they might well do something else that someone somewhere would find problematic.

If you want to leave your mental/emotional wellbeing up to others, great for you.

I think developing resilience to the inevitable frictions of life is a much better approach.

People are different.

I completely agree.

anything beyond - oh that’s lovely is totally unwarranted

I agree that it’s nothing to do with being autistic. Some people who are not autistic also dislike interacting with others.

You personally finding it rude doesn’t actually make it rude though.

Where I live, you’d be considered rude if you actively ignore the friendly shop staff and that’s why there are a few (empty) self service tills available for people who just want to rush in and rush out again and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

Or maybe people can stop making inane comments about people’s purchases

Well, my view is that since she can't control what other people do, and many people do do this, she can either continue to be uncomfortable, or she can learn to reframe it so that either she views it as unimportant and/or it no longer makes her feel uncomfortable.

If someone prefers a strategy which continues to make them feel discomfort, crack on, it's their life, but it doesn't seem the best approach to me.

They're trained to interact like that. I guarantee you most of them would rather just scan your shopping in silence, but they're told they should chat and pass comment on things. By all means find it annoying, but don't hold it against them personally.

I wouldn’t like it I wouldn’t stop shopping there but I would prefer self service checkouts.
If you went there often it was there clumsy attempt to recognise you as their regular customer, so from a positive pov really.

It is important if it makes the OP feel uncomfortable.

I’m autistic too and I love chatting to strangers at the tills as a shopper.

DS on the other hand (also autistic) hates talking to anyone so will look away and avoid conversation with strangers and even avoids talking with people he knows.

If you really don’t want to converse just grunt (hmm) with no eye contact and carry on with your shopping.

The staff are just trying to make the day go more pleasantly but it’s ok to not want to interact too. They’ll get used to you not responding and will hopefully give up bothering you.

That would irritate me hugely and I would find somewhere more anonymous to shop. Nothing to do with autism, those people are simply rude and insensitive

Hate it. Workers on the checkout at the supermarket commenting on stuff I’m buying as they scan it. Sniffing a candle etc. Fuck off.

They're just trying to be friendly. They believe showing an interest is positive.

You might not like it, but it's super unimportant. Learn to let these things slide over you and not bother you.

Honestly, it's a minor social interaction they're trying to make everyone's lives easier & slightly brighter. They misjudged it, but there's no malice.

You're not significant in their lives and equally they don't need to affect your behaviour either. It's just something to say.

And I say all this as someone also autistic and who would prefer they didn't, but it's not something to get hung up on.

you better stay out of Waitrose Thame ha ha the vegans/vegetarians let you know this if you are buying meat and should you buy two lots of dw tablets as they are
on offer then we hear how they only have their dw on once /twice a week and other
less than fascinating remarks

at least you are recognised, acknowledged, remembered, spoken to, they will miss
you should you leave

Yep, it’s awkward. To me it feels like pressure. They notice me so I’m expected to come back kinda.

If it was Tesco Express I wouldn’t care, but with a small business it feels like you’re now viewed as a regular who’s propping up their business.

It wouldn't annoy me enough to change shops but I'd rather they didn't pass a comment on what I was buying either