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.

I noticed in Tesco today that people are starting to disregard the one way system and 2 metre rules. Maybe they're getting fed up with it now as at first I found the vast majority were fine with it. I got snapped at today by a woman who was taking ages looking at the dried fruit. I was standing there, reading my shopping list, waiting to get to the eggs which were behind her but she was standing on that side to look at the opposite shelves. Her trolley was in the middle of the aisle so she really spread herself out. She snapped that I should just go past her and stop pressuring her. I smiled and said I'm happy to wait. She went on and on, that I was pressuring her and making her forget what she wanted. I just said again that I'm happy to wait, I'm not in a rush. Again she went on. I then said, I'm actually waiting to get some eggs. She tutted and rolled her eyes at me and said, "For God's sake, you're just taking the piss now". I think she must have had wasps for lunch.

Some people have to really read labels on food for type 1 diabetes reasons, special diets (PKU etc), dealing with a child who has an allergy or even an eating disorder where only very specific foods are allowed. Dealing with that at this time is going to make people stressed. So try and have a shred of compassion before swearing and flinging your arms about, people.

The Sistine Chapel thread - priceless! Thanks for sharing!

Only the once. I had to remonstrate with a yoof on a bike yesterday. I was crossing a narrow wooden bridge across a stream, he was coming the other way, and showed no sign of waiting for me to get off the bridge.
I put on my parade-ground voice: "ARE YOU GOING TO MAINTAIN A DISTANCE OF TWO METRES SO I CAN CROSS THE BRIDGE THEN?"
It worked

Say it the first time instead of the PA stepping away stuff.
So many things would be better if people would just speak up instead of huffing and puffing under their breath.

@BirdieFriendReturns have you ever visited the Sistine Chapel by any chance?

Damn just realised others got there before me with the Sistine Chapel reference!!

People have different ideas about what 2m is.

I work in a supermarket and am constantly having to tell people to back away. I had a lady sneak up behind me and had almost climbed into the bottom shelf,she couldn't care less. I'd kept a 2 metre gap and a man pushed in front of me so I made him aware,as did other customers who weren't too happy with him. Yesterday a lady started tapping me on the shoulder rather aggressively and shouting at me because we've had no yeast in for for weeks now,I explained to her nicely and tried to back away but she kept coming for me until a manager walked past and had a word. Today I've been told off because the price of carrots is too expensive,I backed away from her and she told me I was rude. Also had a man today who refused to stay 2 metres away from me and caught me by surprise as I wasn't expecting him there,all because he couldn't find the custard powder he had walked past to get to me. Members off staff I also tell to back away from me,yes we might work together,we might even be friends but the rules still apply and I want you at least 2 metres away. So yes,I do tell people to back up,I'm asthmatic and live with somebody extremely vulnerable,I'm terrified going to work everyday,the least people can do is back up.
Sorry that's turned into a rant and I didn't mean for that to happen! Retail is stressful right now and it seems I needed to vent!

Yes, I have told people to step back, though not while "sobbing and shaking with emotion" - do you do your weekly shop in the Sistine Chapel @BirdieFriendReturns ?

I've spent 10mins chuckling about that thread! Thanks for reminding me of it

I’ve been on self scans at work today. My god have I had my privacy invaded.

People stand there at the screen not understanding that I need to get to the screen to fix the problem. Ask them nicely to step back and they take half a step so ask them again to pop back a bit further. Get to the screen and they silently creep back up behind me .

I’ve started telling folks I’ll get in trouble with the manager if I’m too close to them as it’s the only thing that seems to work.

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

I know it's not funny but this gave me a good laugh too! This thread has really cheered me up!

Jeez. And this may be why the UK rates are so awful!

YANBU.
I haven't had to do it, but it may be because everyone here keeps 2m distance.

@Alonelonelyloner everyone where I am in Lancashire keeps their distance also. Weirdly, not all Brits are total idiots, despite what foreigners like to think.

I agree @Chillicheese123 . I'm British and not a total idiot too.

@NearlyGranny you sound quite rude. A family taking up the entire pavement is very annoying, especially when they assume everyone else has to get out of their way. And maybe you could teach your sgd to ask politely if she wants some one to move over.

do you do your weekly shop in the Sistine Chapel

I'm off to read that marvelous thread AGAIN so thank you.

I was a bit sharp with a woman in the supermarket this morning...she wasn't keeping 2m from anyone and asked me if i was going to go into the aisle (as we were both sort of blocking each other but I couldn't go backwards, she could). My response was 'yes I will but I'd rather be further away from you while I'm doing it thanks'. She just looked confused. I've done lots of hard staring but sadly my sharp tongue and acerbic wit isn't as effective from behind a mask I'm finding 😂

And also with a woman who was standing in a bit of the fridge i needed to get to for aaaages. She eventually looked up, asked me if i wanted to get past her. I said no, I need to go there (pointing to the shelf she was just standing in front of). She response with 'oh but I don't know what I want' and then stood there staring at it for another few minutes before wandering off without buying anything.

Yes quite a few times.

I was in Sainsbury’s looking at the fish and an elderly couple walked right up next to me and the man leaned across the front of me to look at the fish. I just looked at him and said you are too close step back and wait until I move away. He tutted at me and stepped back. It wasn’t as if I had taken ages 30 seconds at the most. I find elderly men are the worst offenders.

No I haven't said it. I give them a wtf gaze they usually get the hint.
I was first in a queue the lady 2nd kept her distance the 3rd lady was up her arse.
I could see it was upsetting lady number 2 lady 3 was oblivious.

My DD is working in a supermarket and often the customers get too close to her in the aisle whilst she's restocking. On at least one occasion the supervisor has had to pull her out of an aisle to escape crowding customers who made her feel uncomfortable. She's only a teenager so not too confident yet in telling people to back off.

No, but someone told me off for standing too far away in a queue! I did point out nobody was going to get served quicker if I was 2.5m away, not 2m away.

yet “literally shaking” seems to me a Mumsnet theme. Interesting.

Don't forget 'fumming' (sic) BirdieFriendReturns I bet plenty of MNers are 'fumming' at the moment.

In answer to the OP- no, I haven't told/shouted at/barked at anyone to stand back. I've had no need to, people where I live seem to be generally ok.

One man in the supermarket earlier did earn a slightly raised eyebrow though, as he was blocking the end of the aisle, but I didn't have to say anything, I just waited until he realised his error and moved. It took a whole ten seconds, so I shall be dining out on that story (post-lockdown, obviously) for years.