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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Was I AIBU to walk out of supermarket.

282 replies

Witchcraftandhokum · 29/05/2020 19:38

I went to a supermarket which isn't my usual one today. There was a queue outside, but it moved pretty fast and was ably managed by staff who were also helpfully cleaning trollies. All well and good. However, inside was a different matter, it felt really busy and barely any of the customers (the majority of which were waring face masks) were adhering to the social distancing rules. I had a woman reach round me to get something and people were passing really close.

I got to the end with of an aisle which was blocked by 3 members of staff 2 of the large trollies they use to stack shelves. I couldn't safely pass so I turned around and tried to go up the next aisle which was empty and was loudly told off my a member of staff for not following the arrows, I tried to explain that I couldn't get up the other aisle but he just walked off. At that point I picked my shopping bags out of my trolley and walked out. Was I unreasonable.

OP posts:
ThePenIsBlue · 29/05/2020 23:14

Ffs I rolled my eyes when I read the OP, Anya a drama llama - someone reached round me to get a halloumi! Let me call the police! But then I read lavenders post about how frightened she was to go to school and I literally can’t stop eye rolling, get a grip you lunatics. Look at the science. Look at the facts. You are more likely to die driving down the m4 to London from the north. I despair of propels inability to assess risk......

ThePenIsBlue · 29/05/2020 23:15

Arg! Edit please! What a, not Anya
And people’s, not propels

mumsonthenet · 29/05/2020 23:17

Walk out of you feel you must, although it is only inconvenient to yourself in the end?!
Everyone is on tender hooks while shopping and the supermarket people are probably taking a lot of grief from customers and righteous covid mask wearers.

Ginandbearit1 · 29/05/2020 23:20

Yabu. I dont think many/any? supermarket workers have died during this crisis. Hysterical behaviour, what will you do when you have to return to work? Many people have worked throughout the crisis, I think abandoning your trolley and shopping was very unfair to the poor worker who had to sort it for you.

Ginandbearit1 · 29/05/2020 23:21

@ThePenIsBlue I couldn't agree more, mass hysteria.

Carriecakes80 · 29/05/2020 23:21

Barnabyboyo Thats utter tosh, Its not 15 minutes at all, where on earth did you dig that one up from???
God, no wonder we have such a high death toll if thats what some folk think!!! Unreal!
I would LOVE to know where that came from, what Source is that?? Its a heavy virus, so not normally in the air as it pretty much drops straight down, however, you touch something that someone who has been infected has touched, and it takes mere seconds to become infected.
I am so shocked by reading this....is that you Dominic???

ilovesooty · 29/05/2020 23:22

@Sparklingbrook

AFAIK if there's any chilled or frozen goods in an abandoned trolley they would go straight in the bin as they don't know how long it's been out.
Exactly. For that reason alone you were rude and unreasonable.
ilovesooty · 29/05/2020 23:25

Sorry I'd missed that you didn't have any good like that.

Cherrygirl3 · 29/05/2020 23:28

Shopping is really stressful at the moment. So many people with differing levels of anxiety. I'm always on edge not to get too close to others but others seem to have no problem getting too close to me. I'm not particularly paranoid about catching the virus from a brief less than 2 meter contact, but am more worried about causing someone else to worry about catching it. I think the conflicting information we have been given over the last couple of months has caused mass paranoia that will take a while to leave us all.

CantSayJack · 29/05/2020 23:30

I wonder if you live in my area because this morning I went to Asda where there was a huge Q. However it moved very quickly because the security guard at the entrance allowed far too many people in too quickly, 2 customers would leave and he would let in 10-15. Inside the store it was way too busy with no social distancing going on as customers reached across one another to get items and stood close to one another. Even at the checkouts, whilst there is a cough screen it doesn’t cover as far as the end where you pack your shopping so again you are not stood 2 metres away from the cashier.

I then went to M&S straight after as needed specific items from there, a Q of 2 in front, all good. Again inside no one paying attention and then when I queued up to pay, an elderly woman in front of me in the Q was coughing away without covering her mouth!

Quite frankly, people have given up and who can blame them where there are so many mixed messages from the Govt?

m0therofdragons · 29/05/2020 23:37

We’ve started wearing masks to go to the supermarket. Everyone round here is properly relaxing like it’s over yet a local hospital is currently closed due to number of covid patients and staff testing positive.

togglethis · 29/05/2020 23:39

OP you don't seem to understand AIBU. If you post on here there's a high likelihood that some people will think you WBU. The aim of the board isn't to give you a round of applause...

Pipandmum · 29/05/2020 23:41

Well the only one missing out is you. I find in our local superstore tesco the only ones not following the arrows are the pickers! Everyone at least makes a notional effort to move out of the way of each other, even of in reality its almost impossible to keep 2m apart unless you want to spend four hours doing your shopping waiting for people to move on.

Leflic · 29/05/2020 23:43

I was going to say thank goodness we only had a lockdown lite.

But actually I think if we’d had a really tough lockdown people would have believed in the relaxing of the rules when they came.

As it is, everyone’s an expert, regardless if thats you need to be scared or panic over.

YappityYapYap · 29/05/2020 23:48

You were unreasonable because some poor mug would have had to put your shopping back and if it was refrigerated stuff, they most likely had to throw it out.

I had a similar issue in that a woman was blocking the end of the aisle and the arrows were pointing so that I could only walk that way. I said excuse me but she didn't take me on. I got closer and said excuse me and she still never took me on so I just passed her trolley quite close. Unless she sneezed while I passed her, there's no chance I would catch the virus

Cornishclio · 29/05/2020 23:52

Some shops are better than others at social distancing and not sure if it is the shop staff at fault in not enforcing the 2 m rule or customers who cannot wait 2 seconds for someone to move away from a shelf. If you felt uncomfortable I don't blame you for walking out. All those saying you have to have someone coughing in your face for 15 minutes to get the virus are just wrong. This is why I am doing click and collect or home delivery. For those who say they have no time just do online deliveries rather than push other people aside.

Caplin · 29/05/2020 23:56

The biggest issue in supermarkets are the customers. Some are great, loads aren’t, some are utterly obnoxious. Over the past few weeks I’ve been four different supermarkets. Lidl, people were great. Sainsbury’s - ok, Morrisons, no-one tried to distance, Asda, ok.

Depends on width of aisles.

But seriously what do you want? Someone on every aisle herding people up and down. That isn’t practical. Supermarket workers are worn out. They get screamed at, spat at, people invade their space. And they put their own health at risk every day. Most are becoming too scared to challenge customers.

It was a bit shit to leave a trolley of stuff that has to now be either binned, or stored for 72hours before it can go back on a shelf. Some poor shop worker has to do that for you.

Bluesmartiesarethebest · 29/05/2020 23:58

I felt like this in Tesco today. Waiting patiently for my turn and some cunt comes bombing up beside me. Took all my strength not to blow a fuse and start screaming at her. Deep breaths.

ReturnofSaturn · 30/05/2020 00:02

You are OP what they call an hysterical drama llama.

Hope that helps you.

MMN123 · 30/05/2020 00:07

I think you were not unreasonable at all Op.

Only once did I go to my usual supermarket (Morrisons) after lockdown and it was chaotic. Lovely apparently well managed queue outside. Lovely well managed queue at the tills. In the aisles - chaos. Too many people in the shop at once, staff not distancing, made me uncomfortable and I'm not overly attentive to strict distancing at the best of times.

So haven't been back there.

A pity because I like Morrisons.

Been going to different supermarkets since (Tesco and Aldi), both better managed in terms of numbers in store at once so easier to manoeuvre without feeling uncomfortable.

No idea why people are being so weird on this thread. Concerning that a myth seems to have emerged that you can't catch coronavirus unless close to someone for 15 minutes - might explain why there are so many careless shoppers leaning across people and generally behaving like they are neither at risk nor a risk! It's total nonsense - you can catch it very easily by being in close proximity even for a very brief time.

Daresay the hospitals will begin to fill again as carelessness abounds.

MMN123 · 30/05/2020 00:10

@ReturnofSaturn

Or you are witnessing Darwinism in action

@Caplin

Glad it wasn't just me with Morrisons - haven't experienced that level of lack of social distancing anywhere else.

MMN123 · 30/05/2020 00:15

Mind you I was also slightly irritated that of all the aisles in the shop, Morrisons chose to make one aisle into the queue for the tills and the chosen aisle was the one with all the tampons, period pads and tena lady. Wasn't ideal having half a dozen bored middle aged men watching on as I selected out my intimate lady products! I'm sure they couldn't really give a toss, but common sense should have told even the most dim-witted graduate trainee programme manager that maybe the bog roll aisle might have been more appropriate for the queue. It's the little things that can annoy.....!

ssd · 30/05/2020 00:18

Op, get on the Iceland site, they do free home delivery if you spend over 35 quid, loads of brands and choice and good value.

PeppersYellow · 30/05/2020 00:23

OP- totally with you on this. I asked a shop assistant where something was, he couldn't hear me so stepped towards me. I put my hand up to stop him and he rolled his eyes. 2 more shop assistants standing talking in the middle of the aisle as well. People walking across you not using the distancing strips and the worse ones seem to be elderly people! It's very stressful shopping now because you're on your guard. If people weren't so selfish and stuck to the rules, this country wouldn't have such high rates of infection. But there will always be those that snigger at the ones that do. Social distancing is life saving. It's serious it's not a joke or to be taken lightly. Just because it can't be seen doesn't mean its not there.

Cinderella66 · 30/05/2020 00:26

Shop at Waitrose where I've not come across any problems. In Boots I asked a woman to 'step away from me please' and she complied apologising. I think it very much depends where you shop. I won't go near Tesco anyway and at Lidl couldn't stand the wait at the tills a year or so ago so reverted to Waitrose.