To think retail staff should be wearing masks too?

[cccro]

Sorry if this has already been posted.
Today I went to a few shops.
Wilkos -no staff wearing masks,yes screens at tills but staff at door and walking around aren't wearing masks.
Primark -no staff wearing masks
Superdrug -no staff wearing masks

What's the rule here?
Are sales assistants immune from catching covid?
I don't understand why they aren't wearing masks?

Meat packing plants are totally different. 70-80 people working shoulder to shoulder and across a conveyor from each other round the clock, in a very physical environment - doesn't compare to stacking some yoghurts whilst a customer reaches over.

I work in a small supermarket.We have to wear masks unless we are behind the till...

@cccro Really excited to hear that you're behind raising retail workers' pay & status to the same level as surgeons', seeing as their choice of attire is apparently now just as important to our survival.

I live abroad. Everyone has to wear a mask. Shoppers and retail workers alike. Yes, very unpleasant for them for such long periods. Here we are trying to prevent another lockdown. In fact, the only people I have crossed who weren't wearing masks were speaking English. (might not have been English). Then everyone gets surprised that the English have to quarantine on returning to the UK (quite ready to be flamed for this this).
Even though here we are supposedly pretty unruly, nobody really complains about the unpleasantness of wearing masks.

My DM has been working throughout and has so far been the only one of her colleagues to wear a mask. I believe her company are bringing in a new policy that all staff have to wear a mask or visor if on shop floor. DM says she doesn't like wearing a mask, she is a glasses wearer and also has hearing aids so there's a lot going on her ears. The visors her work provides distorts her vision so she has bought her own. In her experience, customers are being "shockingly normal". She struggles to stay 2m away as they always invade her personal space. And she lives in an area that is really seeing a spike in Covid cases.

Kinda puts the weeks of "I'm a KEYWORKER!!!" into perspective. Shop workers were very keen to shout about how at risk they were, just like nurses and doctors, but when there is an option to reduce risk even slightly its suddenly against their human rights.

@cologne4711

You can't expect shop staff to wear a mask for a 8 hour shift.

Customers can protect themselves and staff by wearing one for 10 minutes (or however long they are in the shop).

Everyone in my workplace (office) and my DH workplace (factory) has to wear a mask for their shift of at least 8 hours.

Gosh the NHS staff are heroes and the shop workers are moaning scum, huh? And ever it was thus. Know your place menial shop staff!

@SomewhereEast your "argument" makes no sense.
As I've previously said,it would be safer for the customer if retail staff wore a mask too.
They are coming into contact the with the general public in mass quantities.
If we are wearing a mask to protect the staff
The staff should be protecting us too.
We all want the same thing.
We don't want anyone becoming ill or anyone loosing their life.
Surely even if staff wearing masks stops 1 person from contracting covid ..it would be worth it.

Surely even if staff wearing masks stops 1 person from contracting covid ..it would be worth it.

Given that Covid is a mild illness for the vast majority of people, I don’t think having to wear a mask all day, every day so that one person won’t catch it is worth it.

I went shopping in Wales yesterday with my daughter and all the staff in Primark and the other stores we went in staff were wearing masks- some more effectively than others. Daughter wanted to have a quick look in the Disney store and a member of staff was at the doorway with hand gel and complimentary masks for customers. That said in my local Tesco (also in Wales) masking wearing seems to be a bit hit and miss with the staff 🤷‍♀️ I do think that masks can only really be effective if everyone who can wear one is wearing one. I have no issue with them personally but I’ve seen so many adults have tantrums about it

DS works in Costa and has to wear a mask unless he is on the till, behind a perspex screen.

They should wear masks. Yes they’re uncomfortable but so is Covid. So many self entitled people who are too quick to moan.

(FWIW I wear a mask for 12 hours a day. It’s not that difficult).

@PurpleDaisies

Surely even if staff wearing masks stops 1 person from contracting covid ..it would be worth it.

Given that Covid is a mild illness for the vast majority of people, I don’t think having to wear a mask all day, every day so that one person won’t catch it is worth it.

Say that to one of the many people that have lost friends and family members from this mild illness.

Pretty sure you’d think mask wearing was worth it if it was your relative dying.

Pretty sure you’d think mask wearing was worth it if it was your relative dying.

I have lost a relative to Covid. Don’t make assumptions.

Why do you keep banging on about surgeons?
You do realise all workers in the NHS have to wear masks at all times on site, unless eating or drinking.
That includes domestics and porters, who have hard physical jobs, long shifts, no air Conditioning and get a whopping £9.21 an hour for it.

I've been trying to go to the shops early enough so that they're not busy, and with shops where the vast majority are wearing masks, staff included.

More to protect people from us because my DH works as security on public transport in a city centre. He's in a mask for 12 hours a day 5/6 shifts a week. He said it takes some getting used to but you get on with it. That's with a stab vest on too.

Gosh the NHS staff are heroes and the shop workers are moaning scum, huh? And ever it was thus. Know your place menial shop staff!

I also don't agree with comparing retail workers with NHS. If my job involved caring for/treating the sick and vulnerable who would likely get very ill from contracting the virus, then yes of course I'd wear a mask at work. I'd also expect my employer (the NHS) to be capable of issuing guidelines as to what standard of mask needs to be worn and how often they need to be changed in order to be effective. Certainly speaking to my nurse friend this is the case in the hospital she works at. The hospital provide the masks and there are clear rules as to when they need to be changed throughout the shift.

I don't have a medical/virology background, so don't feel it's my place to go against what the Government are advising and insist my employees wear masks for an 8 hour shift. The current Government advice is that masks should be worn for short periods of time where it is difficult to socially distance. I have provided some single use masks for my colleagues to use if they wish, but they come with the caveat that I can't guarantee they offer protection against Covid-19.

Other than that, I've drafted up a new risk assessment based around the advice my local council have issued to businesses operating during the pandemic. Again, no mention of masks other than customers should wear them. No real guidelines as to how often toilets and surfaces, etc should be sanitised coming from the LA or Government.

@PurpleDaisies

Pretty sure you’d think mask wearing was worth it if it was your relative dying.

I have lost a relative to Covid. Don’t make assumptions.

Then I’m sorry but you’re just odd.

It’s a mask. It’s not harmful, it’s not a massive inconvenience to anyone. It’s just a minor discomfort for the majority of people. How anyone can think that that discomfort is not worth the potential benefits of you know, not killing anyone, is beyond me.

I work all day in retail,, every member of staff wears either a visor or a mask. Am in Scotland.

@SomewhereEast there are others in that theatre environment (also wearing masks) whose pay will be akin to retail staff. The critical issue is about all of us taking responsibility to keep each other safe. Your arguments concerning pay and conditions are a straw man.

We got numbers down to 1 in thousands without them, but suddenly they're essential. It's just populist politicking.

We got numbers low by having a total lockdown. Mask-wearing is to help prevent numbers rising again.

It is too hot and uncomfortable for retail staff to wear masks all day. We mustn't have them feeling uncomfortable just so that we can be protected from them passing on a potentially deadly virus to us.

No, let us protect the retail staff but don't allow them to protect customers who can't wear masks like asthma suffers, you know, the people who are more at risk of dying from this virus.

Everyone is going on about retail staff wearing masks now but did not stop customers breaking social distancing and coming right up to your fave asking were the milk is. Customers also got in a huff when we asked them nicely to stay back. Also to follow the one way signs.
I do wear a mask if I'm on the shop floor but wont when I'm in a department which is not on the shop floor directly.

Customers always whinge about retail staff but its us retail staff who kept the country fed.

If its that vital for shop staff to wear masks the government should say so

I don’t get the logic of shop staff not having to wear masks (though some shops are saying they should) although I understand the argument for shoppers not being in the shop for long and the masks being uncomfortable

It probably comes down to money with shops not wanting to provide masks for their staff, but if posters really want shop staff to wear them they need to stop having a pop at shop workers (I appreciate not everyone is doing this) and petition the government