Difference in mask wearing

[Imbloodyannoyed]

Know I’m likely to be flamed but I’ve been to two supermarkets today.

1. Sainsbury’s in a more “affluent” area. Very few people wearing masks

1. Tesco - less affluent (and far more diverse area). Almost every shopper wearing a mask

These two supermarkets are less than a mile apart. What’s the difference?

I think for the purposes of scientific research you are going to need to go to more supermarkets. How do Lidl & Aldi compare I wonder.
I always shop in morrisons add its the closest, there were a lot more mask wearers this week I thought.

Tesco has dealt with coronavirus measures in a much better way than Sainsbury's, so the ones who care are going there?

Well I usually shop at Aldi and it’s mixed there! Hard to describe the difference but Sainsbury’s was like normal - Tesco felt like middle of lockdown.

I do think that there is a demographic or class difference as well (I don’t mean Tesco vs Sainsbury’s) it’s like in the more affluent area it’s all a hit “oh well don’t need the masks” whereas the less do it’s taken more seriously.

Honestly it felt weird going between the two. In the first I felt an idiot for wearing a mask. Ok the second I felt a bit foolbhardy for just having a hike made rather than “proper” mask

I came here to say what @TheSmallAssassin just said - I would normally shop in Sainsbury's, but their approach to covid guidance has been appalling in my local stores, and I feel unsafe there, so no longer shop there. I assume the people left are the ones who like that atmosphere. I've found Tesco has been more in line with the guidance, so I feel more comfortable there and go more often, in my mask. I imagine others are the same. The people who want to distance and wear masks will go where they feel most safe, and will avoid the other places. The anti masking non distancing people will go where they feel comfortable.

Also, if the shops are no more than a mile apart, I'd be amazed if it's a class thing and people only shopping at their nearest store. If one shop is on your doorstep and the other is 10 miles away then maybe, but for the sake of a mile, people will go where they like best.

See, I noticed the opposite by me:

Sainsbury's in affluent area had mostly shoppers in masks.

Tesco in less affluent area, not many masks.

@ShinyMe this is London - a mile is quite a long way (e.g no car).

@HandsOffMyRights oh that’s interesting. Maybe it’s random then.

I actually most often shop in Aldi as it’s close to us, there it’s been mixed though haven’t been in the last two weeks.
Sainsbury’s is almost back to “normal” and maybe it’s their atmosphere that makes people less likely to wear masks

I went to my normal Tesco this morning at 8:30am & it felt like a completely different store to every single time I had been there, as the majority of people were wearing a mask. I wondered if it was because maybe the vulnerable people were still going there at that time & probably more likely to be masked or was it people generally getting prepared for the 24th. It will be interesting to see what people will be wearing when I go next time in the afternoon/evening.

I don't know OP. There's a Marks in the affluent area, right by the Sainsbury's, but not many were wearing masks there.

Most shoppers in the Sainsbury's were older, so not sure if that was a factor.

Oh M&S o went to on Monday - no masks

Perhaps as we get nearer to the deadline more are wearing.

I wore a mask to the supermarket for the first time on Wednesday. Went to Aldi first, nearly everyone was wearing a mask. Went over the road to Sainsburys and barely anybody was. I'm not sure why. And I think the only reason I really noticed was because I was very conscious of my mask.

I went to sainsburys on Thursday and it was so relaxed and everyone keeping to social distances and being counted on the door makes a nice trip for once l.

@sunnyday1976 I think that’s why I noticed so much. Felt a bit “over anxious” for wearing it in Sainsbury’s. In Tesco felt like my little mask wasn’t in keeping!

Sainsbury's this week, about 50% of shoppers we're wearing masks, whereas it's usually about 20%. Waitrose, about 70% wore masks. I haven't been to Asda since they announced masks we're to become compulsory on shops, but last time I was there I think one person in the whole store had a mask on.

I haven't seen a difference, any time I've been out there's every demographic wearing/ not wearing masks. Had to bring the kids into town yesterday and we had to wait outside the bank for my dh so because we were standing still I got them to wear masks and the looks I got from people. I know they say under 13s don't need masks but we were standing around so I figured better safe than sorry

Definitely where I live black people wear masks more than white. By a long shot.

Not sure about other ethnicities as have seen less. Obviously it should all become acamdeic when it becomes law.

In my town, virtually everyone in Waitrose and the mini Tesco are wearing masks, but hardly anyone is in the M&S and the Sainsbury’s...

Not sure whether that helps the class thesis or not...

See I disagree. I live in London and have A LOT of supermarkets in a nearby distance - from every company with stores of varying sizes each.

In my experience a Tesco in a shitty area was a free for all - no masks, no social distancing, just a trashy experience. But in a Sainsbury’s in a nicer area around 50% of (and above) customers were in masks

I personally don’t think there’s a significant class divide with masks, there will be people from all walks of life that fall into either camp (mask haters/mask toleration)

I think you should visit every supermarket every day for a month and then get back to us with your results. That should keep you off here with your irritating classist insinuations.