to loathe the woman who told me off today in Tesco?

[oreGOREnianabroad]

Ds1 (2.6) was in the front of the trolley, ds2 (6mo) was asleep in his car seat, correctly strapped into the top bit of the trolley. This woman approached me and said I would probably be told off for having ds1 in the front of the trolley. OK, I know it is not the safest place for him, but it is hardly the most dangerous. And he has happily shopped in this position for at least a year. And anyway, as long as my children are not in IMMINENT DANGER, why should she feel inclined to dispense unwanted and unsolicited advice, especially in such a passive aggressive manner ('Someone' is going to tell me off, or you are?)??? It is hard enough schlepping through the shops without people passing judgement.

Hmm. We all draw the line in different places. I will (maybe) eat something that's been dropped on my kitchen floor, but then that's my choice and my floor. I don't want your dirt on my food!! And it's mainly with the frozen stuff that bothers me, not the tins/stuff that gets washed.

BUT as I said I woudn't say anything. It's hard shopping with dch. I've struggled, and on occasion I have put them in the trolley!

internet shopping is the answer

you dont have to mix with the great unwashed

Hey - if you want to put your kids in the trolle with their manky shoes, run the risk of them hurting themselves and go against what the supermarkets have very politely asked you not to do, then go right ahead - but you might find that you do encounter people who are pissed off enough to ask you not to. Personally I'd leave it to the store staff to ask you.

My children have someimes been in a trolley. I take their shoes off and would expect others to do the same.

Ds rides in the front of the trolley and yes on one occasion he did dive head first out of it so there are risks but unless a child was in imminent danger I would but out, there are other things to get upset about.

BTW - love the post, littlelapin - spot on!

yeah - ginster's pies being one...........

It is a nightmare to shop with a toddler - I have every sympathy, half the bloody trolley seats don't have straps and ds regularly climbs up out of his seat as soon as I turn my back for a second so IMO, riding in the trolley can be safer. As for hygiene - get a grip people!! Bloody hell, do you reckon your shopping is transported from which ever country it has come from without coming into contact with various bugs/muck?

OreGORE,You should have passed judgement on what was in her trolly - 'Your doctor will probably not be best pleased to see you buying so many cakes and biscuits ...your liver will probably not be functioning at its best if you get through that winebox in less than a week....etc etc

As for the trolly hygiene point, I assume anything I put on my kitchen worktops may carry some amount of dirt, miniscule or more. So I wash the worktops a lot, rather than worrying about the hygiene history of what gets put on them. Life is too short IMO.

OreGORE, I can understand your annoyance - shopping with children is stressful enough without an unwanted running commentary.

I've never noticed any supermarket notices asking me to refrain from putting my kids in the front of the trolley.

And (call me manky), but I have never made the connection between shoes and passing germs onto food. But, having worked in the food service industry when I was younger, I hate to tell you that hygene standards in supermarkets and other establishments leave much to be desired.

But I do take the point that this is small potatoes. I probably should have posted a moan about feeling crazy, bored, hormonal, lonely, depressed, unproductive and fat instead.

Excuse me for being thick but isn´t frozen food wrapped? Even if you then go & put the bag on your worksurface you don´t then open bag & put frozen item on worksurface, do you? I put mine straight in a pyrex dish (or whatever) & bung in oven ... or am I just being silly?
littlelapin - shall I get some popcorn in anticipation?

I can't wait for someone at Waitrose to tell me off for putting my child in the main body of the trolley. I will ask them to find me a suitable trolley that I can safely strap both my children into. He/She won't be able to find one because there isn't one at our local shop. I would much rather have them both safely strapped in to be honest.
Fair enough if a member of staff tells you of the dangers but a nosy parker? I would have to point out which items in THEIR trolley were liable to clog their arteries.

i get angry just walking thru the door of tesco, so if someone told me off in there i'd tell them to shove it, already being in an angrey mood you see. don't know why, but the store just rubs me the wrong way.

i think i'll be joining the online food shoppers.

as for hygiene i've never given myself food poisoning and the only time i've had it was after eating a breakfast in business class on air nz. i also frequently pop my ds's dummy into his mouth after he's dropped it on the floor/road/lawn, WITHOUT washing it. germs are good for the soul.

wooohoooo - im bored, procrastinating about doing housework. I just luuuurve threads like this.

Where does my DD go when she is shopping? Whereever the hell she likes, anything to keep her happy. If thats in the front of the trolley then great, if thats where she wants to sit. She tends to want to run around touching everything and "helping" she is 2.2.

If someone ever felt the need to "tell me off" they would wish that they didnt get out of bed that day!

Oh and while we are at it, (watch this littlelapin im turning this into an argument about something else) fucking sweets by the checkout - if my dd is out of her push chair in the local somerfield where we will shop for forgotten things. She tends to rearrange the sweets, im waiting in gleefull anticipation for someone to DARE say anything to me about it, im usually like a demon in there anyway

The one telling you off is probably the same one who will tut and stare if your kid is running around or screaming. They just can't be arsed with anything beyond the realms of the ordinary.

Old people are really unreasonable at times I find.

As Cod said it is better to move on, but personally I find it so much easier to do this if I have sent the offending person away with a flea in their ear. Doesn't have to be a particularly witty riposte, a simple "I'd thank you to mind your own business" accompanied by withering look would do.

Try it next time - I find it gives me closure. If someone pees me off and I say nothing back I only brood about it later

My sainsburys and Tesco have it plastered all over the handle of the trolleys, as do every supermarket I've ever used

I loathe people that put their children in the main body of the trolley, but each to their own.

I have shopped with 2 small children before when looking after a friend's child, ds1 had to walk wearing reins while the baby was in the car seat on the trolley. much safer.

I am sorry but I have just LOL at this being a hygiene issue.
Health and safety perhaps. I have put dd1 in the main body of the trolly as I know she will stay sat down and that is my assessment of risk to take and dd2 sits in the top part. It is either that or have them both hanging off the sides riding the trolly and that is more dangerous IMO, although again something I have let them do on desperate occasions.
I internet shop now

I wonder why it is that these sorts of issues are so devisive on MN? Really, genuine question. Is it that it does illuminate some larger area of parenting/social resposibility/something. So many are similar. Like a sort of etiquette of parenting:

grapes
sweets
trolleys
slides in the park
party invites& siblings
thank you letters

It makes me laugh.

LOL littlelapin Could there be a wine cooler for the mums that get peed off as well - maybe we should market something