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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Women walking around the shop eating with her mask off.

195 replies

Whatsmyusername30 · 22/01/2021 15:21

I probably sound judgemental and don’t mean to be but aibu to think this is wrong given current times?

I generally get disgusted about people walking around the supermarket eating anyway. Does anyone actually do that?!

She had her mask right down walking around stuffing her face with everything. I assume she had bought these foods before she was walking around the shop from another shop or went in to get food and back in. It was all junk food too.

I’d like to think there was a valid reason for her doing this. Maybe she’s diabetic or something but she was stuffing her face as soon as he got into the shop and was walking around? (It’s a small shop and I kept seeing her) Surely she knew she needed food before she walked in and could have eaten in the car.

I even a couple of the staff were giving her looks of disgust as she was walking around. But no one looked brave enough to ask her to pull her mask up!

It’s just a mix of the mask down and stuffing her face. Really got under my skin. 🤣

Sorry if I sound judgmental. Maybe she had a good reason!

OP posts:
EmilyInParis · 22/01/2021 19:02

@Slub

Just checking my bingo card - was she obese as well OP?

Obvs, full house 🤣

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 22/01/2021 19:12

@Neotraditional, nowhere did I say jt was acceptable for the wan to walk around the shop eating with her mask under her chin, just that the way the OP described it was ridiculous.

Tigerente · 22/01/2021 19:13

This is why going out anywhere there are other people makes me feel anxious nowadays. Some people really don't give a monkeys about anyone else, do they? It must be nice to be so blithely oblivious to others around you. Even if there are extenuating circumstances, illness, whatever - surely if you needed to eat something for energy you could stand outside a shop, not on top of other people, eat and then go in. There are usually ways of doing what you need to do to look after yourself or a child or vulnerable person while also taking other people into consideration, obviously excluding actual emergencies.

I have become a lot more judgemental of others this last year, I don't particularly like it about myself but it's the truth. Although I think the most I would ever do in terms of trying to "police" other people's behaviour would MAYBE be to politely ask someone to step further back from me in a queue or something. I wouldn't have said anything to this woman, just like I never said anything to the man on the bus with a mask around his chin, stuffing his face with a sandwich, or the people again with masks on chins shouting into phones on the bus or the girls on the tram with no masks who stood right in my face while I was trapped in a seat when they could easily have kept a safer distance etc. etc. But inside I am judging because I'm scared. And I reckon lots of people are scared. I know that I can't control other people's behaviour and of course I don't want to either, but knowing that makes being out in the world quite nerve-racking these days.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 22/01/2021 19:15

@ToffeePennie oh god you had a child in the shop with you? You've opened a whole new can of worms there!

Wheresmykimchi · 22/01/2021 19:16

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

Funny old MN - one the one hand you have threads saying, How long can this go on, I can’t stand it, my MH is suffering - not to mention blaming everything on Boris -
  • and then flat out refusing to be judgemental about anyone blatantly flouting the rules. Always so many excuses for them - they can’t possibly just be stupid, inconsiderate arses who don’t give a fuck about anyone else.
Better than many posts about MH then hundreds of threads ripping people apart.
Wheresmykimchi · 22/01/2021 19:17

@Stub

The pal was gobby . Make sure you get that.

FoxyTheFox · 22/01/2021 19:24

The pal was gobby . Make sure you get that

And there were two of them. Two of them together at a shop instead of sticking to the social media invented rule of "one adult, one trolley".

Jaxhog · 22/01/2021 19:25

It flies in the face of the Covid protection advice. She will be touching her face, then touching food etc. which you might then pick up and take home. Disgusting at any time, but particularly during these times.

Tough one to deal with though. Maybe you could offer her some handwash? SD of course.

Poppyseeds2 · 22/01/2021 19:26

@JockTamsonsBairns

Prader Willi Syndrome? Only on Mumsnet Grin
OP made it sound like that. Grin
Catchingfire123 · 22/01/2021 19:27

Definitely not diabetic, she would be downing a can of coke if she could feel low sugars coming on.

I would be pretty disappointed at a grown adult doing that. It’s awful behaviour

FoxyTheFox · 22/01/2021 19:28

Staff touch the food. People who are infectious touch the food. Ambient food is stored in the warehouse which is often nowhere near as clean as you'd like to think. The trolleys your food goes into are stored outside in all weathers and have all sorts, both human and animal, crawling on them after hours. One woman eating in the supermarket is not going to vastly increase the germ count already on your food.

Poppyseeds2 · 22/01/2021 19:28

@maddiemookins16mum

Nobody needs to eat food (probably also not paid for yet) walking around a shop.
Ohh FFS!!!!!

So now we have have stealing thrown into the mix Grin

Wheresmykimchi · 22/01/2021 19:30

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion

I am howling.

Best comment on MN in a long time. (the alien one Grin)

LookToTreblesGoingTreblesGone · 22/01/2021 19:34

@SquirtleSquad

Didn't look the approachable type what type is that?
I think you're being disingenuous.

Didn't look the approachable type is exactly what it sounds like. A bit scary looking? Someone with a glare on their face? Someone being gobby and loud who you wouldn't want to talk to? You know as well as everyone else.

SmellyPooHead · 22/01/2021 19:38

@TornadoOfSouls

Clearly in which way? Because you can't tell by looking.

She had the mask on, but pulled down.

Eating in a shop shows pretty bad manners at the best of times. Right now, it’s selfish and cavalier in the extreme. I’m really surprised that people are defending it. Maybe the OP could have used milder language, but the scenario does sound disgusting to me. The fact that the woman entered the shop already eating makes it seem unlikely that there was a medical emergency.

I agree with you
BreatheAndFocus · 22/01/2021 19:42

How do you know she hadnt already consumed glucose or chocolate, and was having crisps to further bring her sugar up. Keep your nose out, and stop being a judgemental wazzock

So she was able to eat her hypothetical glucose tablets outside but the crisps just has to be eaten in the shop? That makes total sense. So she’s now diabetic and has purchased crisps that magically disappear if eaten outside?

What is it with some MNers and food? Why must no criticism be made of anyone if food was involved? And all this crap about the Covid police? We all need to follow the rules, then the virus will piss off or reduce to levels that we can control better and we can get back to a more normal life.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 22/01/2021 19:43

@Wheresmykimchi thanks, I try Wink

LookToTreblesGoingTreblesGone · 22/01/2021 19:49

@FoxyTheFox

FFS, it’s against the law - unless you’re mask exempt (which she clearly wasn’t)

Clearly in which way? Because you can't tell by looking.

Because she had a mask wedged under her chin?
AlwaysLatte · 22/01/2021 19:50

I don't think it's on to walk around eating at all, especially in a supermarket. I hate seeing people eat on the hoof outside, too. Just take a few moments to sit down to eat, a bench, a car?

FoxyTheFox · 22/01/2021 19:50

Mask under chin means nothing. DS pulls his down under his chin when he starts to feel overwhelmed, he meets the criteria for exemption but tries to wear one when he can.

Wheresmykimchi · 22/01/2021 19:51

@AlwaysLatte

I don't think it's on to walk around eating at all, especially in a supermarket. I hate seeing people eat on the hoof outside, too. Just take a few moments to sit down to eat, a bench, a car?
That we agree on.

Especially if it's a home food Grin

AlwaysLatte · 22/01/2021 19:51

I just think she’s risking herself and others putting her hands to her mouth the whole way round and no mask.
Yup, totally with you - it's actually disgusting.

bea1994 · 22/01/2021 20:07

@MsTSwift

Does anyone else have an image of the op peering round shelves and tutting in a Hyacinth Bucket manner?
You have made my night ...crying 😹😹😹😹 & yes covid is bringing out all the Hyacinths in the closet !
berryhead2013 · 22/01/2021 20:10

Maybe diabetic? hypos come out of nowhere and one of the things many diabetics do is stuff their face it's a panic thing ask one if you know any and it would be junky food they were eating as guess what there's loads of carbs in it
But if she wasn't diabetic then yanbu she is just a minger

MarieIVanArkleStinks · 22/01/2021 20:11

Pleased to see there are still a good many people on MN who find this kind of attitude as intolerable as I do. It restores faith.

There's also a designated coronavirus board if people have to insist on indulging in this kind of intrusive, voyeuristic unpleasantness. Why the hell won't they use it?

And people used to say AIBU was bad?