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?

Fair enough op did not have knowledge of contagious period etc, however, nhs direct states that 48 hrs after treatment has begun that a person is no longer contagious.

impetigo is spread really easy, what on earth where tesco thinking? This is a supermarket with hundreds of people coming and going.

The supermarket needs to look at their sickness policy and make sure when people are in this state they are not at work or placed in a position where they will not be a risk of infection.

The check out girl can't afford not to be paid and if she is off sick she will not be paid full pay by tesco.

As for telling some random stranger - why not if she wants to she has after all just served the person and put her at risk of infection.

But nhs says they are not infectious after 48 hrs of treatment. She had been off work for 3 days.

I have no idea why she told me but I'm glad she did!

The customer service team were very good and said they would have done exactly the same thing in my position, The items that were exchanged were put away seperatley and staff were told not not put them back in stock.

I dont know if she did have a doctors note or not and maybe tesco were told to tell me that to cover their own backs but I cant help thinking of all the other people she had served that morning.

Bunsoutoftheoven - dd1 was prone to impetigo and it could be a week later dd2 would pick it up.

NHS direct also told me that dd2 wouldn't get chicken pox under one year old - but she did

Bunsouttheoven I wasnt going to stand in tesco and call nhs direct for advice before making a complaint

I knew it was highly contagious and that was enough for me.

angel I'm not for a minute suggesting that you should have called nhs direct. I'm just saying the advice the employee would have been given was that she could return to work 48 hrs after treatment started.

ivy symptoms do not show until up to ten days from exposure dd1 may already have been infected by dd2 before no?

Actually Ivy you're right. If she's been forced to work before she felt up to it I suppose its only fair that customers are aware of the situation.

This is true. Tescos sickness policy is absolutely dreadful.

Just because she was off work for.three days doesn't mean she had had 48 hours of treatment though, she could have either not treated it at all, or gone back to work as the treatment started not knowing she would still be infectious.
I was really Ill with impetigo a month or so ago. Sores all over my mouth and nose and a really bad infected throat. I had to take to my bed which is not something I do often!

It's retail, though. If you stay off work in your probation period (first 6 months usually, but lots are jumping to first year now, or longer) you don't get sick pay.

So if you don't work, you don't get paid.

And the managers pressurise you up go back, because especially in Supermarkets, they run staffing levels right down to the bone now. No staff to cover, means the managers have no choice but to pressurise their staff into work.

My Ex is a hospital chef. Last month he caught D&V. Their other chef had only just had an operation, and was on sick leave. They tried to make him come in, doing food prep, with D&V. He refused. They tried 5 times in one day though!

I imagine that the poor woman was sent home without any pay. Prehaps she came to work because she was scared of losing her job or not being able to pay the mortage.

I agree that she should not be at work, but Tesco should give their staff sick pay.

Yuck. I'm shocked she would be so blasé about having impetigo. What is wrong with people? Picking scabby heads and eating it and picking facial scabs at the tills. People in the world are seriously fucked up.

I would probably have done the same so yanbu. I caught it as a teenager when i worked in a petrol station. It was horrible.

Yabvu, te clothes can be put in the wash, cake was wrapped up

YUCK! I saw the thread title and thought "oooh this will be a good'un" and was all set to hand out s and YABUs, but I think I would have done the same as you.

In fairness to the checkout staff, Tesco's sickness policy is abominable so she had probably been under horrible pressure to get back to work asap. Tesco WBVVVVVU to even think about putting her in a position to potentially pass on a nasty infection.

I would have done the same.

I did decline to be served in Co-ops deli once because the person serving blew their nose heartily in front of me, then went on to put my ham up without washing their hands or putting on gloves.

I told them not to bother and went and complained.

YANBU.

It's a truly horrible infection. I feel sorry for the poor woman but no, I don't blame you at all.

YANBU How were you to know whether she was still infectious or not.
It is so very contagious I would have done the same thing. She really shouldn't be at the check out picking at the scabs Ewwww. Same for the woman Everlong came across. What is someone with a weak immune system came through the check out, it's just bad practice to expose people they nothing about to illnesses like this.

It was a bit mean of Tesco putting her on the tills too, knowing there'd be a customer reaction whether that was a complaint or someone going 'ugh, look at that woman's face' (people like this actually exist!).

It was mean of them to do that. Typical Tescos really.