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AIBU?

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Original poster

Is this not the most stupid covid rule?!

144 replies

CovidStoleTheRainbow · 31/08/2020 09:41

I understand why you can't try clothes on.
I understand all the rules they all make sense generally.
But I just took DS to Asda to try on plimsoles and we were asked not to by a staff member. It's the rules.

So we can pick up shoes, look at them closely, put them back and pick up more but the second your foot enters them all of a sudden it's a coronavirus risk?!

OP posts:
justanotherneighinparadise · 31/08/2020 10:47

There is no consistency between shops which is why shopping feels so stressful now. I honestly didn’t know feet were a transmission risk. I guess it’s the sweat? God knows.

WrongKindOfFace · 31/08/2020 10:48

@TheWernethWife

Bought a pair of shoes from TK Maxx last week, they have pop socks available to put on over your feet/socks before trying on. After use you put them in another box.
I do not see the point in making anyone wear a pop sock over their own socks.

How is a holey little sock that you touch, then touch the shoes, going to protect anyone from anything? Most definitely hygiene theatre.

It has taken me at least five attempts to get all of the school uniform this year. We could have done it in one trip if we could try stuff on.

inthebleakmidwinteriwouldsing · 31/08/2020 10:51

@MintyMabel

Bought a pair of shoes from TK Maxx last week, they have pop socks available to put on over your feet/socks before trying on. After use you put them in another box.

This has been in pretty much every shoe shop as far back as I can remember. I can't believe so many people have not been using the socks provided when trying on shoes.

Well I use them when I don't have socks on that day, but I wouldn't have put them on over my own socks to try on shoes. Why would you?
BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 31/08/2020 10:51

[quote CovidStoleTheRainbow]@IfIHadAHeart that IS ridiculous. As though you are so daft you can't figure out how to social distance without the aid of a trolley?![/quote]
Some places are using trolley use to monitor the number of people in the store. I had that at a garden centre. I was only going in to buy a pair of secateurs but had to take a trolley. New customers were held at the entrance until a trolley was returned at the tills (where it was sanitised and passed to next new customer). Quite a good system I thought.

TheWernethWife · 31/08/2020 10:52

SockYarn - no I don't think it does but happy to put on a pair of pop socks to buy a bloody good pair of shoes at a greatly reduced price.

DarkHelmet · 31/08/2020 10:53

@ChickensMightFly our tkmaxx doesn't mind people trying on clothes, I took DD for a winter coat each at the weekend and we tried on loads, no issue. We'd sanitised hands at the door.

Not letting kids try on shoes they'll need to wear almost constantly for the new school term is just above and beyond stupid. If you end up buying things that don't fit it entails a trip back to the shop to exchange, and that seems counterproductive to me.

inthebleakmidwinteriwouldsing · 31/08/2020 10:53

How did they get on the tray ? Grin

Have you been thinking again @Cheeseismymiddlename? Grin

SockYarn · 31/08/2020 10:55

Hygiene Theatre is spot on.

Wash your hands. Stay away from other people.

Job done.

Zaphodsotherhead · 31/08/2020 10:55

@IfIHadAHeart

YABU. The stupidest Covid rule is in M&S where they keep forcing me to take a trolley even when I just want a pint of milk or a sandwich. For social distancing apparently. It seems like a whole lot of unnecessary trolley sanitising to me.

The shoe thing is daft though I agree.

It may not be. In our shop entry is trolley only because we are allowed only 7 people at one time. 7 trollies are outside. If there is no trolley, you can't come in (because we are full). We are sick and tired of explaining this to customers who all say 'I only want a pint of milk' and then proceed to load up their arms with all the other things they just saw and decided they wanted.

So we say it's for social distancing. It isn't. It's for number control, but nobody takes any notice of us when we say that. Social distancing is a buzz phrase that everyone understands.

Cheeseismymiddlename · 31/08/2020 10:56

Ok, I confess. It was my teen daughter who mentioned it. I wasn’t thinking about much else other than when was the halloumi going to arrive. Grin

AndreaTwo · 31/08/2020 10:57

It does seem a bit stupid as any virus is likely to be on your hands, not your foot.
Surely the most sensible approach would be to ask you to sanitise your hands as you enter the shop?

eaglejulesk · 31/08/2020 10:57

Wow - I'm glad I'm not in the UK. You seem to have a lot of odd rules.

Changedmyname26 · 31/08/2020 10:58

The reason you can't try on is because people will try on loads of items, then generally take 1 or 2, if shops had to quarantine everything that came out of the changing rooms, there'd be nothing left to the shopfloor to buy! It's much more manageble to quarantine clothes that are returned.

user1497207191 · 31/08/2020 10:58

[quote CovidStoleTheRainbow]@IfIHadAHeart that IS ridiculous. As though you are so daft you can't figure out how to social distance without the aid of a trolley?![/quote]
Unfortunately, it seems lots of people ARE too thick to maintain social distancing, hence the need to give them something physical to keep people apart.

herethereandeverywhere · 31/08/2020 11:01

I'm baffled by the obsession with apparently contaminated surfaces but the scant/poor use of masks here. Chances of picking up enough virus from a previously tried on shoe must be tiny - compared with being breathed on in a restaurant....

Suki2 · 31/08/2020 11:02

Marks and Spencers let you try shoes on (but not clothes). I asked an assistant last week, tried a few pairs on and bought one. Don't think I'd have bothered if I couldn't have tried them on.

I wish they had a sign up saying you can try them on as obviously it isn't clear; different shops all have different rules. If shopping is made too time consuming how will the economy recover?

JD sports also let my teenage sons try football boots on. The only rule was that only one person could sit on the seat to try them on at a time. Not enforced and my two sat together as obviously they're from the same household!

nosswith · 31/08/2020 11:04

eaglejulesk the strangest rule is that the most incompetent MPs from the governing party get to be ministers.

VainAbigail · 31/08/2020 11:04

It may not be. In our shop entry is trolley only because we are allowed only 7 people at one time. 7 trollies are outside. If there is no trolley, you can't come in (because we are full). We are sick and tired of explaining this to customers who all say 'I only want a pint of milk' and then proceed to load up their arms with all the other things they just saw and decided they wanted

So we say it's for social distancing. It isn't. It's for number control, but nobody takes any notice of us when we say that. Social distancing is a buzz phrase that everyone understands

So what would happen if were to come to your shop with my pushchair? Should I put it in a trolley?

Zaphodsotherhead · 31/08/2020 11:06

@VainAbigail

It may not be. In our shop entry is trolley only because we are allowed only 7 people at one time. 7 trollies are outside. If there is no trolley, you can't come in (because we are full). We are sick and tired of explaining this to customers who all say 'I only want a pint of milk' and then proceed to load up their arms with all the other things they just saw and decided they wanted

So we say it's for social distancing. It isn't. It's for number control, but nobody takes any notice of us when we say that. Social distancing is a buzz phrase that everyone understands

So what would happen if were to come to your shop with my pushchair? Should I put it in a trolley?

No. But you will need to make sure that you aren't breaking our entry number rules before you come in (ie, checking with staff). Or put child in trolley.
AntFarm · 31/08/2020 11:06

@ptumbi

The huge majority of these 'rules' are made up by the shops themselves.

The 'trolley' rule, the one way systems, the not-trying-clothes-on, the quarantining of stuff - all made up. They are not reducing the 'risk' - in fact, a lot of these actually increase the risk - and in most cases that risk is absolutely minuscule anyway. The virus is very unlikely to be transmitted by touching an item of clothing (or paper/cardboard, tins etc)

Soon, shops will start to wonder why people are not shopping. The whole experience is so miserable from start to finish, and not made better by bossy, bullying shop assistants and nonsensical rules.

I totally agree.
sycamorecottage · 31/08/2020 11:08

@CovidStoleTheRainbow

The solution is commons sense *@ChangeThePassword*.

For example, a top could be pulled over the head passing mucus membranes (eyes, mouth, nose) in which a virus is rife.

So they stop that.

Virus is not rife on a socked foot.

In fact I'd argue that virus is more present on hands (the hands the pick up and look at the shoes) than the foot.

Therefore common sense would mean allowing people to try on shoes.

I agree with you OP.

You can pick them up, let your child (who isn't wearing a mask) breathe all over them, put them back, pick up another pair etc.

What is so terrifying about feet?

VainAbigail · 31/08/2020 11:17

No. But you will need to make sure that you aren't breaking our entry number rules before you come in (ie, checking with staff). Or put child in trolley

Nah you’re alright. If a pushchair is left outside it’s potential for being stolen. And unless your trollies have a baby seat or a metal thing for the carrier to go in, baby in trolly won’t work. Probably best all round to go to a different shop that’s bigger that I can get the same stuff.

Bramblecrumble · 31/08/2020 11:19

Most stupid rule... someone wanted some change. A shop couldn't give cashback due to not hadling money but could give change back when paying for cash.

Nannewnannew · 31/08/2020 11:20

@Hollyhead

I am sick to death of hygiene theatre when the most important thing is social distancing and staying the fuck home if you’re ill. I feel we’re wrangling ourselves into more economic hardship for no reason.
Totally agree, it’s all just too much now and fear has replaced any common sense that people had.
Zaphodsotherhead · 31/08/2020 11:21

@VainAbigail

No. But you will need to make sure that you aren't breaking our entry number rules before you come in (ie, checking with staff). Or put child in trolley

Nah you’re alright. If a pushchair is left outside it’s potential for being stolen. And unless your trollies have a baby seat or a metal thing for the carrier to go in, baby in trolly won’t work. Probably best all round to go to a different shop that’s bigger that I can get the same stuff.

Or you could just wait for three minutes until someone comes out and there is a slot in the (legal) 'seven people allowed inside'.