Have you told anyone to step back ? Aibu ?

[borislovesme]

I was stood outside supermarket.
A youngish man came right behind me.
Immediately I panic a bit and try and step a tiny bit forward as the line moved.
Then he coughed so I moved forward again.
Once again he moved forward.
So I snapped and said
"Sorry do you mind stepping back a bit,your too close and you need to keep a distance"
He gave me a dirty look and moved a tiny bit back.
I said thanks
What's so hard about keeping space between each other ?
Why can't some people manage it.

BirdieFriendReturns id like to say it’s just a MN thing but when I was queueing for the pharmacy last week a woman about 3 people behind me in the queue was yelling at anyone who got less than 5m from her. A few people pointed out that they were easily 2m away but she just kept yelling ‘get back’.

Someone shouted at me to put my dog on the lead from so far away I couldn’t hear what she was saying so she came storming across the field shouting until she was close enough to see that my dog was actually on her lead and had been the whole time and then told me to fuck off

😂 How embarrassing for them!

I hope the people shouting and swearing at strangers don’t get a punch to the face. Probably best not to go around inflaming situations right now. Just wait until the hot summer days. Only takes a spark to light a powder keg...

Up in small local supermarket just now, a woman and child were coming towards me. I pointed out there was a one way system and she obligingly began to follow it while letting her child continue to run around in the opposite direction.

Some people really are dim.

I used to be airline cabin crew and we were trained to not inflame situations. I don’t think going round swearing at people is helpful. Politely ask people not to get close fine. There is no need for aggression unless you are actively looking for a fight..

Yeah, was with dog at the edge of the river, she was paddling along in the shallows. I turned around to find a family stood right behind me. I was at a small beach and there were high banks on either side so I couldn’t move away. I asked them to move back please so we could get past. The dad just muttered something about it being a free country and just stood and smirked at me. Twat.

BirdieFriendReturns "I used to be airline cabin crew and we were trained to not inflame situations. I don’t think going round swearing at people is helpful. Politely ask people not to get close fine. There is no need for aggression unless you are actively looking for a fight.."

Yet you said that you "shouted at them to step back. I was sobbing and shaking with emotion." Hardly cool, calm and collected were you? You didn't politely ask, you shouted at them.

The dad just muttered something about it being a free country and just stood and smirked at me

Time to begin coughing then. Bet they would have shifted then!

I was abused in lidl for asking a bloke to please step back onto the line as we are supposed to do. Told me I had attitude (as a 50+ woman in constant pain as awaiting hip replacement surgery) I have attitude just screaming to get out.....such a shame I kept my cool and let the staff deal with him. Prat
His gf said nothing and looked embarrassed.

Everyone piling in on Birdie needs to chill out. It’s been said enough, no need to make her feel shitter by piling on.

These are weird times, people cope with stress and anxiety in different ways.

You tell him op!

You should have heard me shout at the cyclist, on the footpath who ride past me, about 60cm away from me. I screamed “it’s alright, no need to distance from me, I’ve had coronavirus and I’m almost better”

Obviously I had to turn around and carry on shouting at his arse. But I hope I made him think (actually I hope he ducking caught coronavirus)

You did the right thing. Stay safe.

I am so glad everyone else had the same reaction as me to the first comment! Sistine chapel springs to mind

CustardySergeant - if you’ve read my other posts, you’ll realise that I am being sarcastic. I don’t think I’ve ever “shook and sobbed with sheer emotion” yet “literally shaking” seems to me a Mumsnet theme. Interesting.

I must be tough,as I didn't shake and sob yesterday in the village shop. A woman grabbed the last pkt of lovely green kale, and I am addicted to Kale,and eat it everyday with various meals, so I was a little upset,as I never sob,and don't shake at all. And there won't be anymore kale until Saturday !!

@BirdieFriendReturns was being very tongue in cheek.

This has reminded me of being cabin crew actually. Shouting “heads down, stay down.” Then “unfasten your seatbelts and come this way.”

“Stand back!”
“Wait, wait, slide inflating!”
“Jump, slide, move away.”

Only time we were allowed to shout at passengers!

@birdiefriendreturns

I am a little disappointed that you didn't throw yourself to the floor though. People seem to have stopped doing that.

“Sobbing & shaking” There’s always one .

I politely asked a woman who walked very close to me in the supermarket queue to keep her distance. She started giggling so I then told her, somewhat less politely, that Covid was not a joke. She didn’t find that funny.

“Sobbing & shaking” There’s always one .

And there's always many one that doesn't read the full thread.

Next time I’ll throw myself on the floor and gnash my teeth too.

Excellent

It isn't appropriate to laugh at people's reactions when they'd anxious, it's an anxiety-inducing time and you don't know specifics.

I've tried asking a few people politely, I've mostly cheerily been told "it's all right love", but in general they're getting near while waking but still 1m away so it isn't too bad. Unfortunately however I've been unable to avoid a couple of runners in one place, there's just nowhere to move to when there are people walking behind and a runner boxes us in from the road with a wall the other side so we can't escape them (although they could easily have moved out to keep distance had they chosen to). I found it mildly irritating, until I read a thread where a mumsnetter who thinks they're infected was cheerily saying they're still going out running. DH is asthmatic, so now we've had to cut the nicest walk out. So now I'm pissed off and a bit upset that our options are limited because a few people can't respect others.

I thought Tesco was bad with people not being able to follow the arrows. Of course I tried pointing & telling them they were going the wrong way, but they just looked & smiled like I was the one who had something wrong with me.

Then I did Lidl, which is an absolute death trap in comparison, they come at you from all roads & there’s no escape. There was this big gangly gormless looking woman who was up & down like a fart in a colander. Finally she must’ve left the store & another 2 took over who were going back & forth, but unlike the gormless one they were really slow. I coughed to shuffle them along a bit, they glared, I coughed again, they continued to ruin my shopping experience without a care in the world.

I do find that people who know you well seem to think it’s OK to get close. Thrice this week I’ve had to step back from people.

I have flung out an arm in warning to protect newborn DGS and his mother on their first walk outside together. I didn't have to say anything - the person veered off. I also taught DSGD to say "Back off please!" in case anyone got too close to her, but she didn't need to use it.

@nearlygranny hope you live with your DIL and grandson then ? Also what was the person going to do, leer in and breathe on the baby in his pram?

I’m cringing