Mask compliance highest in Waitrose, lowest in Asda, why?!

[Retrore]

I shop at five main shops, depending on my mood/what I’m buying/how far I can be bothered to drive. For months now I have noticed that I am yet to see someone without a mask in Waitrose, then from there it seems to get less compliant > Sainsbury’s > Tesco > co op > Morrison’s > Asda.

Has anyone else noticed this? It’s the same with social distancing and not just because Waitrose tends to be quieter than Asda...i shop late in the evening sometimes as well as in the peak times and it’s the same...absolutely fuck all social distancing in Asda and then near perfect in Waitrose.

Why do you think this is? Does it say something deeper about social background and compliance perhaps? Just an interesting thought and not one meant to cause any conflict before I am attacked on that front...I like all these shops and often go to Asda!

Probably a lot of reasons, off the top of my head:

Your own bias making it seem that way.

People on a lower income are more likely to shop in Asda than Waitrose, people on a lower income are more likely to have health conditions that mean they can't wear a mask.

Having been fucked over by the government for the last 10 years straight, the working class are less likely to listen when they're told what to do by them.

I've not noticed any difference between all of the above, apart from there being no Waitrose here.

If Waitrose is only 'near perfect', have you thought of trying Fortnum & Mason?

'Why do you think this is?'. No, OP, out with it and don't be shy: why do you think this is? (if it is - haven't done a comprehensive survey myself)

Very low compliance in John Lewis actually if that is relevant.

weevils I think it is likely to do with political preferences, perhaps less compliance with those who dislike tories. Though that would assume that those with less money are typically more left wing, I’m not sure if that’s a fact.

I assume your post is seeking to suggest I have some underhand or ulterior motive for my post. As I’ve said, I shop in all these places and it was a general observation posting in chat for discussion.

Chill on the jump to drama.

Are we having a working class v middle class discussion here? I don't think it can be broken sown so easily into political views as Brexit has blurred the lines of all that.

No idea why but yes Waitrose customers are v compliant. In Aldi people brush past or reach past to get stuff rather than waiting. I don't really go to Asda. During proper lockdown I decided that I would use Waitrose more as it felt safer. I was spending less on other things like petrol so sucked up the cost increase.

I went into a Waitrose for the first time in a while and I was surprised how different it felt to my local Sainsbury’s. It was still very controlled and calm whereas my normal supermarket is still a bit of a free for all. There was someone on the door saying hello and then taking, cleaning and passing out the trollies.

The demographics of the typical shopper are much studied by the shops

Waitrose have - in general - older shoppers and ones who have completed more years of education.

Over the years, there have been lots of studies which show that the better educated make better preventative and public health choices (one of the biggest factors in how DC generally turn out - on s population level, not indidivdual prediction - is the education level of the mother.

This is a post playing to that stereotype.

Which is a change from the usual 'it's all the fault of the old people' that gets bandied around so much

Us poor folks just don’t get it ma’am. We’re a bit thick see!

Brilliant compliance in my shop. Except they all wear them with their noses sticking out. Young, old, obviously well off, obviously less well off. Your point is?

I’ve found that key workers are less bothered about social distance in general. My friend says ‘what’s the point in me worrying about that out of work when I can’t do it in work and my shopworker friend feels similar.

People on these types of income are more likely to shop in Asda than Waitrose so that’ll be a contributor. Coupled with the reasons above it’ll all add up.

You’ll get bashed for asking the question though.

Let's slag off poor people ! With any luck they'll all be at the food bank after the new lockdown

I've had someone lean over me in Asda and M&S food so who knows.

Waitrose enforce social distancing better. It’s the only supermarket here which still has a one way system and also the only one which regularly has queues outside because they man the door and limit numbers. Once you’re inside it’s a lot less crowded than other places.

Health is correlated to income. People on a low income have lifestyle factors - inadequate housing (mould), weight, smoking - that cause heatth issues. It's possible that Asda shoppers are more likely to have health conditions such as COPD that mean they are unable to wear a mask.

Over the years, there have been lots of studies which show that the better educated make better preventative and public health choices

This was my thought on reading the OP. Poverty and lack of education tend to go together.

Well there are huge amounts of evidence for there being a clear link to an inequality in health between social classes
“ The Review highlights the social gradient of health inequalities - put simply, the lower one's social and economic status, the poorer one's health is likely to be
Health inequalities arise from a complex interaction of many factors - housing, income, education, social isolation, disability - all of which are strongly affected by one's economic and social status”

www.local.gov.uk/marmot-review-report-fair-society-healthy-lives

So people shopping in Asda are more likely to have exemption status than those in Waitrose. (And more likely to wear their PJs shopping too!)

Near perfect compliance with masks in my local Asda. Rarely see anyone without a mask anywhere these days. (Central Scotland).

I don't have any insight as to why but I would agree based on my own shopping experience. I shop in Aldi and Waitrose.

Whenever I've been in there seems to be no social distancing at all in Aldi. I'll be waiting at a distance to get to a shelf when the person in front is finished only to have 2 or 3 people brush right past me and get right up next to the person I'm waiting for. In Waitrose people generally waiting for each other, a polite excuse me, sorry can I get past etc.

Pretty much everyone in Waitrose uses the hand sanitizer on the way in and they have a person cleaning the trollies between each use. In Aldi I stop to wipe the trolley handle and use the hand sanitizer but in the 15 seconds it takes to do this everyone else just marches on past me doing neither(and I'm not in the way blocking their access to such things)

And yes mask wearing and wearing them properly far higher compliance rate in Waitrose.

Higher socio economic group in Waitrose. Lower in ASDA. In higher socio economic group due to higher educational attainment. Need I say more!

I’m not sure that’s it’s as apparent in my area. Masks-under-noses aplenty everywhere I go. But perhaps to some extent, people who are worried (and can afford to do so) go to the supermarkets that feel ‘safer‘ - such as M&S and Waitrose where the trolleys are cleaned In front of you before being given to you. So more worried people = more masks.

Yesterday, the manager in my local waitrose was walking around the shop with his nose poking out of his mask. Loads of customers without masks and no social distancing.

But to answer your question ;I suspect it's a bit of your own bias, the fact there tends to be fewer people in waitrose to start with as generally their stores are smaller, waitrose shoppers tend to be older , I am guessing more working age waitrose customers have jobs where they can work from home so they perceive a trip to waitrose as risky and will take precuations. Whereas, perhaps ASDA customers are less likely to have those jobs and would have been going to work,so a trip to a supermarket doesn't seem so risky. They are more likely to have jobs that have been effected by lockdown and restrictions and therefore not be feeling so cooperative.

Education will play a part. If you're working from home then you may well also have the resources, time and education to analyse various different websites about the stats and what's going on with Covid.My husband is obsessed with this, whereas I only pay attention when it pops up on the news. He is normally about 2 weeks ahead of me on how risky he feels covid is. He told me 2 weeks ago we need to lockdown again and now it looks like we are going to have to!

I’m probably going to upset a lot of people with this and I wouldn’t dare say this to anyone in RL.
I choose to shop at Waitrose because I believe it to be more ethical and less exploitative than other supermarkets. I’m not rich but I am middle class and comfortable. Most people in our village have much more money than we do but choose to shop at Tesco and Asda because they’re cheaper. I do occasionally use these shops but I try to avoid them because they are so unethical. I would rather pay more for a slightly clearer conscience.
Obviously there are lots of people who are going to claim that they couldn’t possibly afford to shop at Waitrose and I’m somehow shaming poor people. I’m not. I’m also not saying that poor people don’t care about others. I’m saying that wealthy people who chose to shop at Asda are choosing to save money at other people’s expense whereas some people who shop at Waitrose are prepared to pay more to ‘do the right thing’.
Bracing myself...