Tescos cashier- Atchoo!

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As I started unloading my trolley, saw the boy on the till twice sneeze heavily into a tissue. Moved my stuff off saying sorry I can't afford to be ill right now. He seemed somewhat surprised.

Am I alone in thinking people who handle food shouldn't be allowed to do so with an obvious heavy viral infection?

Bleugh this happened to me the other day. AND there was a customer being served who was taking very loudly about how she had just gotten over a horrible sick bug, bleugh!!! I used a different till!!!!!

I've also worked in retail. For 20 years. 10 as a manager. In 8 different stores. I've a valid point of reference - as in every walk of life, some managers (and some bankers, some teachers, some doctors) are unsympathetic. But certainly not all. The average UK adult has 6 common colds a year - of varying degrees - and most are slight enough that you can still work through them. That's what cold and flu medication is for. If you're too ill to go to work you shouldn't. If you're well enough to work then you should.

Obviously you've never worked retail, my manager threatened me with a disciplinary for taking one day off with a sickness bug! One member of staff worked through her big poor girl.

But seriously, it's a cold. I'm a Emetophobe. I can't stomach germs especially vomit variety, mental illness, panic attacks, couldn't leave the house for 6 months. And not even am I that rude to staff in shops.

Worked in retail before I had kids but my own business so obviously different. The only rude aspect of that encounter was me moving my stuff to another till, apologising to him and saying my family have all been ill recently.

It isn't precious to not want to catch a cold. If have an autoimmune condition that is made worse if I get an infection plus I take immunosuppressant drugs. I give people with colds a wide berth and use hand gel, avoid putting my hands near my face etc. I appreciate that staff can't take a day off work when they have a cold but I'm not going let myself be exposed to their germs just to avoid offending them.

I think it would be good if they could have some handsanitiser to use. I do like this either

Don't!!

Does the average adult really get 6 common colds a year?

The recent cold I had came with with full on fever. Yes there are germs everywhere but why would I chose a till where someone was obviously infected over one that wasn't? It's precious all the way for me...

I hate people coughing, sneezing, sniffing, spitting, talking, eating and generally breathing in my direction. I would happily wear a big yellow suit to shield me from all those germs. Yuck. OP you had guts moving all your stuff to another til, I would have stood there cringing then wanted to anti bac the goods when I got home.

Does anyone remember that advert where she touched raw poultry and then carried on about her business around the kitchen and it showed up all the places she was spreading bacteria in bright blue? It was advertising that anti bac spray. I think that was when my OCD took serious hold.

I personally don't care. If I just had one and someone else was sneezing all over the place, I wouldn't really be thinking they may have an allergy. I'd be slamming my stuff in my trolley tut suite and be out of there!

If various supermarket contracts are similar then he would not get paid for the first 3 days of sickness until completing 2 years of service. Also you are only 'allowed to be sick' a certain number of times per rolling 6 month period until you start going aling the disciplinary ladder toward dismissal.

Mumsy I don't think I had guts, just the thought of my kids being off again in run up to GCSE's took precedence over the cashier's feelings. My dd does have ocd (I wonder why) but will happily kiss our dog!

When I worked for a supermarket I called in to say I was too sick to work in the coffee shop, manager's response: 'come and work on the tills instead, so you'll be sat down, instead of stood up'. No concern for staff or customers, so long as the absence targets aren't exceeded.

Sneezed twice you say? My guess he has an allergy to precious customers

I once took part in a medical trial that investigated the effectiveness of computer based training on techniques to prevent the spread of cold and flu. Part of the training was to take quite simple measures like frequent hand washing, particularly before eating and avoidance of touching your face with your hands. I can't quite rememember the statistics but it was astounding to realise how many people will have touched items like shopping trolley and door handles that you are coming into contact with all the time.

I guess that's why small children catch so many viruses, the little beggars are always touching stuff and putting things in their mouth.

Regularly washing your hands and the raw food that you eat is a sensible precaution and I do feel that I've reduced the number of viruse I catch by changing my behaviours in this way.

This thread reminds me of something that happened to us a few years ago.

When DS was a little chap of about 4, before friends with younger children under 2 visited we used to encourage him to put his toys with small pieces away because 'the babies may put them in their mouths'. We obviously didn't want them to choke on the small items.

Unfortunately DS got the wrong end of the stick and started to become upset whenever friends with babies came round. We finally got to the bottom of his distress when he blurted out he 'didn't want to catch baby germs'. He thought that was why we were so concerned about his toys going in their mouths.

Baby Germs are still a family joke and DH and I giggled about it quietly to ourselves, when during his medical training DS had a paediatric placement.

I don't get paid sick pay for taking one or two days off- if I don't work those shifts, I don't get the money. I try not to take time off unless I'm really ill!

If various supermarket contracts are similar then he would not get paid for the first 3 days of sickness until completing 2 years of service.

Unfortunately the length of time you've worked there is irrelevant. I've been in my retail job almost six years and I still don't get paid for the first three days, and after that it's just SSP.

I've never come across a place more germ obsessed than MN! Washing towels daily, bugs, sneezing, anti bac, shoes off, cleaning etc. It's like a parallel world! I just don't see it anywhere away from t'internet, everyone just gets on with their lives without living in fear of bugs!

Two sneezes could be just that, two sneezes! I havent had a cold for ages and I sneeze! What about when hay fever season kicks in? At least when I sneeze and see someone back away from me like I've got the black death, I'll know they're a MNer

If you're well enough to work then you should.

Well then the customers should suck it up then as well, instead of bitching about the fact that someone has to work and therefore be in the same vicinity as them when they aren't 100%.

Don't need to 'suck it up' as online shopping quicker & easier anyway I guess..

Roussette
The hayfever season has kicked in according to my nose

What did the Plague Doctor say when you alerted him? Does Tesco now have a massive black cross painted on it's automatic doors and a man in black outside ringing a bell??

Hahaha

Yes bruffin just beginning to wonder if it's started here too. I better put myself in quarantine and not leave the house

I work in a supermarket (although not on tills) and I dread hayfever season as I sneeze non-stop (along with itchy weepy eyes). It makes me paranoid that customers think I'm spreading my snotty germs everywhere. Glad I'm not on tills.