To have asked Tesco to replace every item I bought before even leaving the store?

[AngelWreakinHavoc]

I went to tesco yesterday to get a few bits for DS2's birthday which is today.

I got a few jumpers, tracky bottoms, warm stuff for winter, a few christmas bits and bobs and a birthday cake.

I got to the checkout and noticed the checkout assistant had scabs all over her face, especially round her nose and mouth, it was really quite bad.

Anyway she scanned my items, bagged them (kept touching her face whilst doing this) and when I put my card in the machine to pay she cheerily piped up with 'I have been off work for the last 3 days with impetigo'.

My jaw dropped and I couldnt believe what she said I think my face looked like this then this then this again !

I took my bags and walked outside and stood for 3/4 mins debating what to do, I decided to go back to customer service and ask for all my items to be exchanged for different ones.

They did change everything and took the woman off the till and into the office, They assured me that she had a doctors note to say she could go back to work but I just didnt think it was worth the risk of catching something which was highly contagious.

Wibu?

Hmmm...not sure, is impetigo that contagious that it would survive on other objects? I have no idea tbh

Presumably if the doctor signed her as ok to work then she is ok to work?

YANBU! It is SO easily spread through towels, colthes etc etc. And it is HORRIBLE!

OMG -normally I would have said YBU but my nephew (aged 2) is just recovering from impetigo and has been really ill. It seemed to totally lower his resistance and he got a terrible ear infection and cold too.

Only thing is, I suppose she did have a fit note from the sounds of it saying she was OK so presume not infectious anymore.

Therefore, I am fence sitting but see why you requested replacements.

YABU and a little ignorant, it is not contagious unless you have contact with the fluid from the blisters after 48 hours of starting treatment, it is most contagious before the lesions appear

Well you probably were being unreasonable, but, I think I might have been the same as you.

Nope I would've done the same. Its highly contagious!

Impetigo is outrageously infectious! I've had it 3 times. My GP said I could have got it from anywhere, even just pushing a trolley round a shop.

it is a particularly weepy, disgusting looking scabby infection and there's no way on earth she should have been in a public facing food handling role. If the doc says she is not contagious after so many days on antibiotics, they could at least put her behind the scenes until it clears up, such as on the phones, or admin.

I'm sceptical though, it is REALLY infectious.

The doctor who gave her the note probably didn't think she'd be sat there playing with the scabs

That is disgusting, no way should she be serving people!

oh wow!

DH had a small patch of impetigo on his arm and was signed off work for a week due to how contagious it is, and he doesn't even come into contact with as many people as a supermarket worker does Why on earth was she at work?

I don't know which is worse to deal with, impetigo or Russian Vine.

Actually if she is taking antibiotics and gas been doing for a week or more then i think she should no longer be infectious? Trying to remember from whrn ds1 had it.

That being said her repeatedly touching the scabs and then your shopping us not very pleasant.

In hindsight, YWBU, but nobody walks around with a list of infectious diseases and all their incubation periods on them, so in the absence of knowing for certain whether or not the cashier was still infectious, I think YWNBU.

I worked in a bar once and every mamber of staff working one night caught impetigo, we were all certain it was from a customer who was covered in scabs, and none of us had anything more to do with him than taking money/serving drinks/collecting glasses. The doctor told me it could have easily been passed from handling money or a glass that he had handled if he had been touching the scabs so its very contagious.

YWNBU at all and I would have done the same.

You were Possibly slightly OTT but the shop were bvu to have her serving.
My dd just went back to school today after 3 days of ab for impetigo. Dr said she'd be ok after a couple of days but we waited 3 to be sure, plus she was self conscious about it.

No I do not think you were be unreasonable at all.
It is a food shop! It is not appropriate to have a skin infection uncovered whilst serving people food stuffs imo and am suprised she wasn't asked to do another job or stay away from work on sick pay until the scabs had significantly improved.

YANBU
I was not impressed with the till lady who kept putting her fingers in her mouth while serving me a couple of days ago.

I think she was trying to bite her nails, but they were too short,.

yanbu. I would have considered doing it anywhere, in a food shop I certainly would have.

You don't need a doctors note for less than a week of absence, so if she's been off for 3 days she may well not have been at all.

So YANBU, I wouldn't assume she wasn't infectious and take on the risk of it spreading. Yuk. And even if she wasn't infectious, the managers should have been sympathetic to both her and any customers who might be worried, and perhaps not stuck her on the tills straight away.

In the absence of specialist knowledge about the incubation period for impetigo and the assistant's particular medical circumstances, yanbu for erring on the side of caution. If you are a highly experienced specialist skin doctor and knew, or ought to have known, exactly what stage of infection she's at but just felt like causing trouble, yabu. I'm guessing you fall into category one.

IMO she shouldn't have been in work until the scabs had dropped off. I had Impetigo as a child and the scabs were nasty looking. However she could have been under pressure to work by her employers if the note said she was fine. She should not be telling random strangers though. Thats just bizarre.

Blimey When I clicked on this I was getting ready to say yabu - but impetigo?? Yadnbu.