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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Sainsburys health & safety rules

286 replies

SloeGinRocks · 16/06/2017 09:35

So it was a really hot day and Ineeded to have a quick nip round our local Sainsbury's the other day with DS age 4 who had just woken up....He likes to sit in the big basket. But is too big for the baby seat. He helps me unpack the shopping...

Making him walk round the supermarket when he's hot and tired is a nightmare so I let him hop in.

I'm pushing the trolley it's not overloaded, we have a nice chat and get what we need.

I get to the guy on the check out and this conversation unfolds:

"Hi how are you?"... "children are not allowed in the trolleys" he informs me... "right fine thanks for letting me know - can I have some bags please?".... "it's health and safety in case they hurt themselves" ... " yes well he's fine and its a nightmare to go shopping with him otherwise "

The man kept looking at he like I'd murdered someone and grumpily took my money from me. I thanked him very politely and went ok my way...

I couldn't help thinking that this is a ridiculous rule? The trolley is not going to tip up, I'm not going to put my child in danger, the food is not touching the trolley where he's sitting..... I spend a lot of money with Sainsbury's, as do lots of parents - why are they trying to make life harder (1st world problem I realise)

Hmm Was IBU?

OP posts:
Boredwithmyname · 16/06/2017 13:03

Unhygienic and unsafe. YABVU

PurpleDragon76 · 16/06/2017 13:09

I do this sometimes. My son is 7. There is a reason and you shouldn't always be quick to judge because you don't know. He is type 1 and frequently has hypo's, these tend to happen at the worse time where it's difficult to treat him. So I put him in the trolley as he isn't meant to walk about and I give him sweets, to get his blood sugar up. And he's big for his age. So there you go, big 7 year old in a trolley eating sweets. Bet that would set of swathes of disapproving looks and tutting. And I do it in Sainsburys.

GladAllOver · 16/06/2017 13:13

Purple. Wouldn't he be safer strapped into a pushchair?

PurpleDragon76 · 16/06/2017 13:17

He wouldn't let me! Most of the time he is a normal, run around little boy. Sometimes we have to do very weird things, like sit on the floor in aisles and get him to drink coke. I must look very strange then.

OP they advised you of their guidelines, I can understand why. Personally if your child was sitting and you could get on with your shopping I wouldn't bat an eyelid.

FrancisCrawford · 16/06/2017 13:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Coddiwomple · 16/06/2017 13:37

I thought PFB meant Precious First Born on this forum GladAllOver?
Confused

TheFlyingFauxPas · 16/06/2017 13:48

I judge. I hate the thought that my food will go in a trolley where a hot and sweaty child in shoes has been sitting. Bleughhh.
That food packaging will then go in my fridge and cupboards. It is likely to touch food. Or my hands. Or my hands which are then going to touch food.

I get the same feeling when whoever is swiping my groceries coughs and covers their mouth with the hand they are sweeping my shopping through with.

Same as when watching the burger bar at local bowling alley staff preparing food. Using bin. No pedal. Using phone. Touching food. We decided not to eat there.

Yes I. Am aware food is not kept under
Sterile conditions frim producer to fridge. Indeed we then decided to eat at McDonalds where I'm sure similar may occur.

But if I see it. I will go bleughhh. And it puts me off.

Babbaganush · 16/06/2017 13:58

Shopping trolleys are not designed to push children around in, it really annoys me seeing people ignore the rules.
I have seen a child fall when a trolley he was in tipped over- it does happen!!!

ZerbaPadnaTigre · 16/06/2017 13:58

I'm a first aider in a supermarket. Kids fall out of trolleys more often than they tip them but either way, I've never heard a parent say 'oh yeah, I knew he/she was going to do that'. Nobody expects their child to tip/fall out of a trolley 'MY child sits nicely' means nothing. It only takes seconds for a child to climb on the side of a trolley and gravity doesn't give a shit if they sit nicely 99.9% of the time. They're still going to fall and it'll hurt.

BustopherJones · 16/06/2017 14:00

Last time I was at the supermarket they had an offer on compost - I put a couple of bags in the trolley intended for this purpose. It left some compost on the trolley, and I doubt they scrubbed it down after I left. My food shared the trolley with the bag of dirt I was buying, and seeing as I wash it before eating, and clean my surfaces I wasn't bothered about that, but even if I hadn't bothered I would have been fine. The idea that a kid's clothed bum has been on a surface is not something I feel faint about. Do all the squeamish people avoid their own back pockets because of arse-proximity?

PickAChew · 16/06/2017 14:09

Because shopping trolleys are always spotless until a child sits in one
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tesco-customers-horror-after-spotting-10380295

The tipping is the problem. As for the child, I'd be more concerned about them sitting in a trolley which, even if it hasn't been used as a rat playground, has potentially had leaky packets of chicken or loo cleaner in it.

wonkylegs · 16/06/2017 14:10

My sister (who is now 32) ended up in hospital with stitches from an accident when sitting in a supermarket trolley as a child.

Although generally good at sitting down she got up when mum was distracted and ended up tripping and cutting her eye open on the bottle bit at the end. It was nasty and required a trip to hospital for stitches.

Trolleys are not made for you to put your kids in that bit and therefore they are not made to cope with the curious nature of kids who will jump up when your not looking, stick their fingers in daft places, fall over for no reason, launch themselves over the side etc (even the nicest best behaved kid will have a daft moment). This is why supermarkets say please don't do it, they are trying to mitigate an accident.

Ever since my sisters stupidness I've been aware that they ask you not to sit your kids in that bit so it's not a new bit of advice.

Original poster
SloeGinRocks · 16/06/2017 14:18

Ha ha! Love that there are nearly 160 replies to my OP Grin

I would just like to clarify that I had finished my shop so didn't really see the point in taking DS out of the trolley just at the point of having to get the shopping out to my car (and let's face it the terrible contamination had already occurred!)

I can understand why Sainsbury's are trying to cover themselves against litigious types.

But if they are going to insist that staff challenge shoppers directly instead of making do with signs they could perhaps train them on how to do this politely - had I been asked in a nicer way I may well have said "ok sorry didn't know that" and taken DS out.

I wasn't rude to the man, I thanked him for his information and went about my business.

Health and safety rules in shops are there to cover them if a customer takes them to court so that they can say "we told you so" - THEY ARE NOT THE LAW.

The highest incidences of children being admitted to A&E with broken arms legs etc are from bouncy castle and trampoline accidents which I would imagine most of your kids have been on, with your permission before no?

Risk assessment is about looking at what might go wrong and then suggesting ways in which people might avoid accidents - not being rude to your customers.

Am now very concerned about dog, fox, rat, rough sleeper pee on my trolley though! Grin

OP posts:
Addley · 16/06/2017 14:20

Defensive feigning of amusement 😂😂😂

Nelly5678 · 16/06/2017 14:26

Yes and it's unhygienic for other people's food to touch where he sat. He has legs. Use them!

Nakedavenger74 · 16/06/2017 14:29

Options

  1. Leave kid at home
  2. Shop online
  3. Make kid walk given they are 4 and they have to learn they aren't a special snowflake and the world doesn't revolve around them
  4. Do shopping when kid is somewhere else
  5. Say fuck it shove kid in trolley and get antsy to minimum wage worker who might have been told to warn parent of the dangers of shoving kid in trolley.

4 other options available

Excited101 · 16/06/2017 14:30

I put dd (5) in the shopping trolley, have never been told off for it

Coddiwomple · 16/06/2017 14:33

Make kid walk given they are 4 and they have to learn they aren't a special snowflake and the world doesn't revolve around them

and you got that from children seating in a trolley?

I do love the complete over-reactions on this forum. Grin

Butteredparsnip1ps · 16/06/2017 14:51

I tend to assume supermarket trolleys are grubby anyway for all the reasons stated above, so this aspect doesn't worry me. I either wrap food or wash it before I eat it.

But. I do remember a child dying in a trolley that tipped up, I think, a DIY store car park. it was around 20 years ago, but has always stayed with me. It's just not worth the risk.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 16/06/2017 15:48

YABVVVU. It is exceptionally dangerous and you should not be putting your child at risk because you are unable to deal with a tantrum.

But of course despite all the replies telling you you were being unreasonable, you still think it's fine Hmm

MipMipMip · 16/06/2017 16:03

I genuinely don't get it. There are all these people on here who have personally seen accidents, which given what a tiny sample size this is suggests they are frequent, and still people were saying it would never happen? This is including accidents where it's not the child's fault too so your LO can be an angel and still get badly hurt!

Why do this!?

Coddiwomple · 16/06/2017 16:16

because people are ridiculous and over-reacting!

I have put my baby in his car seat in a trolley. I would not have done so if there had been any risk of the trolley tipping over!
If my child is nicely seated in the trolley and behaving, there's no risk of accident.

You don't need to be a genius to see the difference between a child sitting quietly and a child bouncing around. If my child was having a tantrum or misbehaving, I would removing him from the trolley. Kids have a little bit of fun without bothering anyone, what's the problem. There isn't one in my local supermarkets.

Who care about the judgemental bore who will always find something to moan about.

FrancisCrawford · 16/06/2017 16:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 16/06/2017 17:00

Coddiwomple Doesn't matter if your kid is well behaved or not, the risk is still there.

But, it's your child. If you want to put them at risk, fine, but you've only got yourself to blame when he gets hurt (and yes, it WILL be your fault).

PacificDogwod · 16/06/2017 17:15

It is one of the scourges of Modern Living that some Health and Safety rules are there to protect against litigation rather than to genuinely keep everybody safe.

Frankly, as a parent I make risk assessments ALL the time. There are risks that I am prepared to take and some I'm not
Mine no longer really fit in to trolleys Grin; at a time when they did I took it upon myself to take the risk on some rare occasions to have them in there. Had they fallen/tipped I most certainly would not have blamed the supermarket in question - we should all woman up and own our decisions a bit more IMO - the good ones, and the bad ones.