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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that people with streaming colds shouldn't work on supermarket checkouts?

57 replies

BroccoliSpears · 28/05/2008 19:48

I just don't want someone coughing, spluttering, sneezing and sniffing all over my groceries, and blowing their nose on a little scrunched up, damp tissue before handling my unwrapped fruit and veg.

OP posts:
bellavita · 28/05/2008 22:11

cory

scottishmummy · 28/05/2008 22:14

well you wouldnt like it if staff sneezed in your bag so why tolerate saliva on your bag/products

BTW fecal-oral route is a very common mode of transmitting disease, so dirty hands can transmit many disesae too

bellavita · 28/05/2008 22:20

scottish - you could say it the other way round though - customers with every bug going touching products - the checkout people have then got to handle them.

Same as what cory said really - and believe me we had some dirty people come into the ASDA I worked for.

scottishmummy · 28/05/2008 22:21

Yes cross infection and all that.equally i dont like seeing nurses etc shopping in supermarket wearing uniforms. after a day dressing necrotic wounds etc....

misdee · 28/05/2008 22:25

this has bought back memories of working in safeway for me.

have worked in all deptpartments, and being on the tills was horrible if you were ill. you dont get sick pay until you have been off for 3 days then u have to produce a sick note, then you get told off for being ill.

i get hauled into the managers office over an xmas period, as on xmas day i was very ill which caused my neck to go into spasms, ripping my ligaments, and having to wear a neck brace, as i was 'obviously trying to get out of working' yeah right.

ciberland · 28/05/2008 22:26

My sis' works at waitrose if you blow your nose/sneeze you have to go to the loo's and wash your hands.

MARGOsBeenPlayingWithMyNooNoo · 28/05/2008 22:28

In my work, if you have have more than 4 bouts of illness in a year, you are called to a meeting with your area managers.

My symptoms are really obvious when I have a cold - constantly streaming nose etc but I don't actually feel as ill as I look.

mypandasgotcrabs · 28/05/2008 22:37

Totally agree with you, but you can't take time off just becasue you have a cold, tbh I wouldn't want to take time off just becasue of having a cold.

When I worked for Tesco I ended up with a disciplinary for having 3 shifts off, becasue I had really bad sinussitus, was coughing up hard grey lumps every 10 mins, but I got a 1st verbal warning for it. These were the only days I had off for any reason in the 14 months I worked there. There was one girl there who was really ill, and had to work in the checkout next to the toilet so that she could run to be sick when needed as she was on a final warning.

pinkyp · 28/05/2008 22:42

Wrap ur veg up then!! The person on the checkout probabily doesnt want to be at work either but has to for the money! I worked in a supermarket and if i took time off everytime i got a cold then i would of been fired for taking the p*!!
Did she cough in your face or sneeze all over your food?

GET REAL!! YABVVVVUU

cough cough splutter splutter

onefunkymama · 28/05/2008 22:58

I never said that everyone who works at a checkout is dirty but, to be fair, everyone has germs in their mouths and there must be a better way to open bags than licking your fingers. Each time someone does that a small amount of the germs in their mouth goes onto whatever they touch. I can open a bag simply by rubbing it.

If a waiter spat on his fingers before serving your food would you eat it? The opening question was Am I being unreasonable to think that people with streaming colds shouldn't work on supermarket checkouts? and the honest answer from me is 'no.' People with illnesses should be allowed time off otherwice they do pass it on to other people. Tough if you can't accept that.

pinkyp · 28/05/2008 23:24

one funky mama

What are they suppose to do when theres a cold going round? close tesco's down because someone "sneezed" lol. What about customers are they gonna moniter customers that come in, "excuse me miss do u have a cold?" YES "I'm sorry u can't shop her today then!!"
I feel sorry for the checkout operators that have to serve dirty people with god knows how many illnesses. How would you feel if a member of staff refused to serve u because u had a cold?

One funky mama - dont you wash ur hands? this would stop cross contamination from the "dirty checkout out staff" your very much worried about.

Even the "well" checkout people have probabily had a good pick of the nose before serving u, just like u probabily did whilst driving, then getting ur dirty money out and passing it to the poor member of staff. Luckly the member of staff will probabily have something called "common sense" and wash her hands after her shift.

so yes YABU thats a fact, those who think other wise need to get something called "a life".

TheHedgeWitch · 28/05/2008 23:40

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onefunkymama · 29/05/2008 20:55

pinkyP - you seem talented in 'creative reading.' I never, ever, said that the people who work at checkouts are dirty. Go back over what I said and re-read it. I'm sorry that you are worried about 'dirty customers.' I agree some are, obviously nobody wants to ban anyone from a public place simply because they have an illness! But its staff members who lick their fingers and then pick up my food that I dislike I would much rather pack my bags myself. I think both you andThe HedgeWitch need to think about 'customer service.' You are there to do a job, complaining about the customers is different from paying customers saying that they would prefer something was done differently. Everyone is equally likely to catch things from other people, thats a fact of life but licking your fingers makes the risk worse, no matter how clean someone thinks they are, especially when you are handling food which someone has to eat. If the customers don't like you licking you fingers before picking up their food you should not be doing it. I'm sorry to hear that you don't think I have a life, that's a personal issue and one on which you can only speculate.

TheHedgeWitch · 29/05/2008 23:28

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pinkyp · 29/05/2008 23:41

one funky mama - you said (quote) "I never said that everyone who works at a checkout is dirty", which implys you think SOME are!! whats "creative" about that???????
I dont work in a supermarket, there-fore i dont lick anyones bags i'm afraid lol.

My main issue wasnt with licking bags, i dont see anything wrong with it personally but i can see how others do, do u open public toilest doors with a tissue too(all those germs from peoples un washed hands and all that).

Yeh anyway i was mainly just answeing the question "aibu to think people with colds shouldnt work on the checkouts" - Yes i do think ur being very unreasonable. Simple!

SlackSally · 30/05/2008 00:48

I can definitely confirm the no sick pay thing. The place I work doesn't pay any sick pay whatsoever. If you come in, and the manager decides you're too ill to work and must go home, they take half a day's holiday from you.

A girl I work with recently had a few days off in a row because she got really ill following a kidney infection and ended up on a drip in hospital. Because she'd already had a written warning about sick absence, they've dismissed her. Or rather, they told her to resign or they would dismiss her.

RnB · 30/05/2008 00:55

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Desiderata · 30/05/2008 01:06

Onefunkymama

You are so not funky!

SparklyGothKat · 30/05/2008 01:32

I worked at Safeway, as did DH. If we got ill during a shift, we were not allowed home, we had to finish the shift. If you phoned in sick, you were given the third degree. And the best one...............

DH and my cousin had a car accident on the way to work one morning, cousin's car brakes didn't work and they went straight into a roundabout (with rails all around) taken to hospital in an ambulance, then discharged with whiplash, bruising and in shock. DH phoned the manager and explained what had happened and the manager said......... 'There's no one to open up the coffee shop, can you come in now??'

mypandasgotcrabs · 30/05/2008 09:22

That's not as good as my story SGK! At the Tesco I worked at there was a leak in the staff canteen, no wet floor sign, one girl slipped, seriously injured her back, was taken to hospital in an ambulance. When she returned to work after about a month off sick, she was given a disciplinary for being off sick.

margoandjerry · 30/05/2008 09:31

Yes I think YABU. We live surrounded by people and sometimes they give us colds. Oh.

I wouldn't have a lot of time for anyone who stayed off work because of a cold (unless they were working with vulnerable patients or something so at FAQ).

And btw, if you'd ever worked in food processing or in a restaurant you'd know that a lot worse goes on before it even gets to the customer. I learned my cavalier attitude from my mum who grew up on a farm so knew exactly how many mice fell into the cider press .

nervousal · 30/05/2008 09:39

Oh for goodness sake - there are bugs everywhere - live with them.

cheshirekitty · 30/05/2008 10:04

Work in a hospital so feel if I have cold should not go in, but if I do not go in I leave the ward very short staffed.

Had 2 days off in 4 years recently with a very bad cold. Had a 45 minute back to work interview when I returned to work.

No wonder when I broke my back in 2 places did not go off sick. Although did not realise I had broken my back as doc did not read x-ray properly - but that is another story.

TheHedgeWitch · 30/05/2008 10:35

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saltire · 30/05/2008 10:41

I slipped on some rubbish on teh stock room floor at work. When I said to my team manager that I had fallen on rubbish and what was the procedure she replied "Well I would imagine the procdure is to pick it up" and walked off

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