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?

It is a tricky one. Retail staff come into contact with more people than most of us do so are at a greater risk of catching and spreading. Saying that I haven't heard of a huge amount of clusters coming out of retail stores so maybe the brevity of people being in the store means the spread is unlikely. I do think they should be wearing masks on the shop floor or when face to face with customers and understand though it can be hard to but it does seem to make the whole mask wearing pointless if retail staff aren't wearing them.

@Vivana there's always one idiot who does this ..getting too close or in your face etc
The majority of people I would hope have the common sense to keep back from staff but there's always one.

Saying that I haven't heard of a huge amount of clusters coming out of retail stores so maybe the brevity of people being in the store means the spread is unlikely

Yeah maybe

I don’t personally have a problem with shop staff not wearing a mask, and actually in the very few shops ive been in since mask wearing was enforced they are wearing masks in the two small shops and about 50% in the large shop

I was in our local Tesco yesterday and none of the staff were wearing masks. Now, I wouldn't expect the till staff or shelf stackers to wear them, the former are behind screens and the latter are who we generally ask when we need to know where things are, so can't have their faces covered in case customers are lip-reading.

However, there were pickers for online shopping on the shop floor, mingling with customers, and I would have expected that they would wear masks unless exempt whilst they were doing shopping like the customers.

PurpleDaisies - 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.

There isn't just one retail employee in the UK. What happens if 3 million retail employees choose not to wear a mask?

In any case, viruses don't just stop after they are transmitted once. That one person may then pass it on to others.

To eliminate this virus we need to ensure that on average infected people each transmit it to < 1 other person.

I work for a high street retailer and they've asked all staff members to wear mask whilst at work unless there is a medical reason which permits them not to. I don't mind it can get a bit uncomfortable after a 9 hour shift but if we ask the public to wear them then I'm willing to aswell.

Cccro

So true I had to help many vulnerable customers as other customers were very rude to them and kept going into there space or being rude to them in general. I've even heard heated arguments between customers and had to call security as was going to break out into something much worse.
Things have calmed down a bit now but I must admit when I went into another supermarket not the one I work for it was relaxed and people were calm. People keeping to the rules. Some supermarkets are just money grabbing and could not give a thought to customers or staff. Mine included and I wont name them as outing.

@HomesUnderTheSpanner

YANBU. At The Range I heard the manager said they didn't have to and they wouldn't be wearing them because it's "against our human rights" I normally live abroad and every single retail worker wears a mask so I was very surprised it's not the case here.

Someone I know works at the range and they have to wear masks so that’s interesting...maybe he’s rebelling

@Jakobabear

I don't understand why people are demanding staff wear them now when they have worked all the way throughout this, especially when the virus was at it's peak, without one? Retail staff are having a hard enough time from customers as it is without them getting hassle for not wearing a mask.

This Yes it seems a bit late in the day

Shop workers have a fairly physical job..... those shelves don’t fill themselves you know! It can be hard physical graft and sweating and being out of breath in a mask is miserable

Do you want stocked shelves? Or assistants stood around doing nothing?

Yes @Vivana our store has had all that going on too

The customers have been VILE

We went to primark yesterday and nearly all the staff seemed to be wearing masks.

@CelestialSpanking

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

This seems odd as nobody has to wear masks in shops in Wales. I live here and though mask wearing is increasing I’ve not seen any complimentary last provision.

Mask provision*

YABU.You’re only in the shop for a limited amount of time, shop staff at there every day all day. If they’re not required by law then YABU for making an issue of it.

@cccro

The staff will be coming into contact with hundreds of people a day ..so shouldn't they be wearing masks to protect us?

You, as a customer, have the choice/right not to shop in places where you don't think they're taking precautions - they're free to go to other shops they perceive may be safer. You're free to order online or get deliveries instead if you don't think any shops are safe for you.

A shopworker has no choice - either work or quit.

Making shoppers wear masks is to help protect the staff who have no choice but to work there.

@Badbadbunny not everyone can stay home waiting for deliveries.
Is wearing a mask such a big deal to staff?

Nothing else by the government has been consistent, but I think it would harder to have a blanket ruling for shops that makes any sense. How would the rules for a Tesco Extra work for my local corner shops who were wearing masks back in March, and then put in other measure (one put in a counter to ceiling plastic screen with a thin window for scanning and paying, the other raised and extended the counter so are no longer at face height and are farther from customers) and then stopped wearing masks which I couldn't blame them for - even if it felt a bit weird - when I know some of them are working pretty much from early opening to late night closing. I haven't been in since it was mandatory, but I can't see why, when they've worked throughout, that it would suddenly be more dangerous for them or us for them to not wear a mask. My friends working in hotel reception and management aren't wearing masks either, even when they've had to deal with body fluids (apparently some people think licking and pissing on the screens is a great way to express their feelings). Really, there are bigger concerns for many dealing with the public.

I find comparing medical professionals to retail staff odd. Also, I could be wrong, but I don't think surgeons do not go from naught to 8 hour+ surgeries and pre-COVID, all the dentists I've known spent far more time with the mask around their chin talking (scandalous now) than wearing them properly.

@Sennetti

Shop workers have a fairly physical job..... those shelves don’t fill themselves you know! It can be hard physical graft and sweating and being out of breath in a mask is miserable

Do you want stocked shelves? Or assistants stood around doing nothing?

My DH has a very physical job. Way more so than stacking shelves. He is required to wear a mask t all times on site.

Is wearing a mask such a big deal to staff?

There are whole threads of people complaining about wearing the mask for half an hour because they get hot, sweaty and breathless so yes, it is a big deal!

Stay home if you’re bothered, I don’t think shop staff will be bothered.

The hand sanitiser is no where near the warehouse so I haven't sanitised my hands before taking it on and off.

This is another difference I'm noticing here in France.
On entry and exit to every shop, even small ones, cafes and tourist attractions there are hand sanitisers - usually automatic or foot pump- for everyone to use, whether staff or customer. In bigger shops and buildings there are more dotted around.
I always carry one with me, plus at least one spare mask and filter, but I rarely need to get my own sanitiser out here.

Is wearing a mask such a big deal to staff?

Yes, for some of us it is.

I worked through the entire lockdown without a mask and people still came shopping even when we wished they wouldnt yet all of a sudden people are offended when we dont wear them.

I also wear glasses and have to wear a headset. I tried to wear all three together -mask, glasses and headset- and felt so claustrophobic after about 15 minutes that I had to take the mask off because I started to have a panic attack. There is no way I could cope with that for 8-10hrs a day, 5/6 days a week. Of the three only the mask is "optional" so that is the one I dont wear, unless it is for a very short time to pop onto the shop floor f less than 5 minutes.

^*
Stay home if you’re bothered, I don’t think shop staff will be bothered.*^

They might be if too many people
Decide to stay home unfortunately.

People saying it's our choice to go shopping, no it's not. I have to go shopping for food, there's no choice about it. Believe me, if I didn't have to I wouldn't. I hate going shopping

Online delivery, very poor experiences. Last order we had, twelve items missing so we had to go shopping. Kinda defeats the object of having the order delivered if I have to go to the shop anyway

My friend told me it's because customers do not like being told what to do so will complain