To dislike the “top thing” of anything?

[PrettyShiningPeople]

I can’t take the newspaper on top, that might be a bit dog eared or damp, always have the take one from underneath.

I don’t like the top book from a display, I like to get one that hasn’t been flicked through or handled by a hundred greasy fingers.

I leave the top slice of bread on a loaf, which becomes the ‘bread lid’ to absorb moisture & protect the rest of the loaf. Same with biscuits.

The first squirt from a sauce bottle goes in the bin, as it might have flushed through any plastic lid debris.

Can’t take the front sandwich from the shelf.

Can’t use the top one of a pile of napkins in a cafe.

Sure there are many others

AIBU or just a bit weird?

I’m the same. Always go for one further back.

I do the same with bread for the same reasons but I’m confused about the biscuits. You seem to be suggesting you don’t eat a whole pack in one sitting.....😱

You didn’t mention freezer items OP. I never take the top items as someone might have taken them out and had them in the trolley, then changed their minds and returned them. Same with refrigerated items, though there is always the use-by date to be considered there too.

I don’t do the sauce thing though, and if the book at the front looks perfectly pristine, I would take it as I don’t care so much about it being looked at, as long as it isn’t damaged.

You’re not alone OP, I do the same with pretty much everything that I buy!

Don’t bloody tell everyone our secret strategy OP!

Of course the product further back on a shop shelf is fresher, longer use-by date, and has been touched by fewer hands. Especially (with food) these days when everyone is reading and deciphering the labels.

My 8yo is well trained. Digs a hole in the veggies piled at the green grocer and takes the green beans further under. Shuffles the magazines forward and gets the third one back.

Now she waits to do it, cos people stop and ask her why all the time if they see her do it (other customers I mean, she’s careful not to annoy the shopkeepers). She doesn’t want to say ‘Cos all you manky folk have touched it, and we’re not confident everyone washes their hands properly after the toilet. We wanted to buy xx, not cholera, actually.’ Or words to that effect.

Anyway, please everyone carry on picking up the ‘top’ of everything. It’s definitely ‘number one’. You’ll love it!

I always take the second bottle of shampoo/conditioner/deodorant from the shelf in a shop because of the weirdos who open them for a sniff

I'd like to apologise @AmIThough but because everyone always sniffs the front one I have to sniff the second one so if you're following me around the shops you're buying my sniffed shampoo....

I only ever do it with newspapers because they tend to be tatty and have supplements missing but after reading this thread I'm going to become weird start doing it too! It's never occurred to me that someone might open a bottle of sauce to taste it.

I do this for some things but not all, I also don't take the front things of things like shampoo and conditioner in case the lid has been broken by people sniffing it.

Ooooh! I’m a bit like that too!

It is refreshing to find a thread full of normal people, thanks OP!

My husband shops like a robot, and he has had to be trained about the proper way to do things. He can understand about use by dates, because it's logical to him.

We do struggle with choosing fruit, though. He was once turned back at the checkout while trying to buy some half rotten grapes (my fault...I'd only written "grapes" on the list, not specified "not rotten"). The nice lady on the till said " Ooh you can't buy those, duck!" and refused to take his money.

Same when eating from buffets in hotels, salad bars, etc., where I'll always take from underneath. Thus contaminating the food on top for the rest of us. Thanks.

@Ohyesiam why do you think ingested plastic would cause depression?

Yes! I do this! My DH and son are always looking fun at my insistence of taking items from the back of the shelf. I worked long enough in retail to know that items at the very front aren't necessarily the freshest.

Info most of these and it drives DH mad!!

But then who eats the biscuit OP?!

I can handle most of those things but I'm concerned that biscuits are going to waste.

It's sometimes practical, as the one at the front of the display often gets damaged or looks less attractive from being handled, but won't cost you any less. You may as well get the best example of its kind.

Work stay-away team dinner in curry place. Colleague (male) proceeding to carefully finger out the bottom one of a stack of poppadoms. He also couldn't bear someone touching the top (top on the bottle) of his bottle of water - wonder whether he would bleech his shopping down when he got it from the shop.

I do most of this too, with the exception of paper napkins which I've never thought about.

I always start reading a paper or magazine from the back too which may really be weird, I think it’s from teenage years when the problem page and horoscopes were at the back and they were always my best bits.

Same!

@ravenshope
why do you think ingested plastic would cause depression

I don’t “think” it, it’s a neurosis! ( though of course that doesn’t stop it being true...)

Was also lighthearted, taking the puss out of myself.

I do this, I don't care if I'm weird
The front/top items in shops will have been there the longest, have the shortest use by dates and been picked up the most. Things like meat or chilled products could've been walked round the shop in someone's trolley getting warm and then put back. Books and magazines will have been thumbed through. Nothing wrong with wanting the freshest, newest item.

Totally get it but DP goes too far. He takes offence if he had to buy bread that was made today. I think ideally he would rather buy one that is made tomorrow.

Well obviously!

Apart from the sauce and sandwiches - they're wrapped, so handling doesn't matter.

But of course, why would anyone want the dog-eared, be-fingered or 'tested' one?

My people !

Except not the ketchup or napkin.
But add first squirt of toothpaste.

I do most of these too (not the sauce bottle or a sealed packet of sweets or biscuits, though). I never knew there was such a spate of supermarket shampoo sniffers out there though!

In fact, I really wanted to read this thread as soon as I saw it at the top of the AIBU list, but I just couldn't bring myself to open it until another new thread had appeared above it and bumped it down

But add first squirt of toothpaste.

I think this must be more common than one might think and the makers of the Aquafresh pumps are on to it. They put a silver foil hygiene seal over the top of the tube inside the pump, which you can't physically get at to remove without pressing the 'trigger' thing. Of course, pressing the trigger means that it forces a glob of toothpaste out, so at best, you waste the first glob and at worse, you get an eyeful if you're not careful

I am the same, I don't buy magazines or newspaper anymore but I used to hate it if the cashier flicked through to have a quick look after scanning!