AIBU to object to an older child sitting directly in a food trolley?

[KidsDoBetter]

Local m&s food hall. An older lady (presumably) grandma - is wheeling around one of the small size metal shopping trolleys. Inside it is a girl about 8 cross-legged (she takes up most of the space obvs) wearing a pair of crocs. The soles of which are filthy (as indeed would be mine). Chatting away and delighted with herself. It was lovely she was enjoying being with her granny. No signs of disability (later saw them in car park).

As they stood beside me I did say “that looks like fun but you do know people put their food in there and you’ve got your shoes in it”. Grandma tutted and said “forget about it” in a slight non-sequitur . But it’s gross right. This was not a baby / toddler seat trolley. Nor was the child any younger than 7 max …

My God, what a pearl clutching busybody...

A non sequitur did not happen.
Your misuse of those words bothers me more than kids in trolleys, and even then it only bothers me a teeny tiny bit.
It's just, if you complain about something trivial but also use words wrongly it makes you look a bit daft.

Has nobody said “a few germs are good for your immune system”? I’m sure that one of the many ways children were let down in 2020 was their environment being too sterile.

If your only objection is hygiene then YABU

Trolleys are not hygienic.

Its none of your business

Doesn't matter if food is packaged or not. Tubs of coleslaw, packets of meat etc etc all go in to the buyers fridge. All contaminated with sh1t off the bottom of a, usually, lazy child's shoe.

I’m surprised at the responses. It’s slovenly and lazy behaviour. The trollies are meant to carry your shopping, not people. I never did this with my own kids. And in one of the smaller trolleys that are quite high up, potentially at high risk of tipping over and causing injury.

I don’t know anyone who would eat their food directly from the trolley whether a child had been sat in it or not…..everything comes in packaging so I don’t really see the issue?

It’s slovenly and lazy behaviour.

Literally classic MN crazy.

YAB ridiculous

You do realise that all your fruit and veg either comes out of dirty ground (gasp!) or grows in trees where bugs and birds and mice can nibble and wee on it? Then its picked by people with dirty hands, put into dirty buckets and hoppers and carried on a dirty truck.

That's why we wash fruit and veg.

Other things are packaged and the germs can't worm their way in.

What's the problem? You sound like a right killjoy.

How is it lazy? Its much more effort to push a trolley with a human in it than a bit of shopping .

Or did you mean the child? Doubt they were being 'lazy' its just more fun to ride, and good on granny for entertaining the child rather than ignoring her.

This reminds me of a time a few months ago - kids had a sickness bug, hubby had a sickness bug, i felt like I was BARELY holding on to my own health, couldn't get an online shop (thanks tourist season) so had to brave a dash to morrisons. I bought anti bac wipes with the intention of wiping the trolley handle down when I was finished because im not an asshole, go to self service so i dont have to have another person handling stuff ive touched in case I pass it around, all the right things in an unavoidable situation
..
Only to turn around after paying for my shopping to find a small child about 6 pr 7 licking up and down the handle of my trolley! (Instant karma for gross behaviour imo) I did say to the mum your child is lickkng my trolley but she didn't even apologise just told the kid to stop

But the soles will be covered in dogshit and wee, that’s why people insist that visitors to their home take their shoes off isn’t it?

That sounds like a bit of a stretch. I think that a member of staff should have said something though.

I would never assume a trolley was clean. They’re probably extremely dirty and I’d think nothing of a child having their shoes on it. People put meat, compost…all of the things you can buy at a supermarket as well as their own shopping bags which have been all over the floor. You are a very interfering person.

The disability argument is poor as well. If a child has hyper mobility etc is a shopping trolley going to be a suitable place to sit?

OP - I think it was rude. You don't have to tell everyone what's on your mind. This is a disturbing new trend that I see a certain generation believe they are entitled to engage in and it is uncouth to say the least, IMO.

One would never get that behaviour in Waitrose...

Disability or no disability - poster you are out of line and should have walked on by. Never heard any post so ridiculous in my life. Go enjoy your day and let members of the public do the same

Do you often see strangers in supermarkets getting on with their own business and think 🧐 this needs my intervention?

YABU. Mostly for appointing yourself Head of the M&S Trolley Police but also for your car park disability assessment to make sure your outrage was justified.

It's probably time to find a better hobby as this one will leave you feeling miserable and convinced everyone else is the problem.

Safety wise you're right. It's so dangerous and children have died from tipping trolleys. I've seen a little girl lose half her finger from sitting on a flat trolley like you get in B&Q/Wickes etc. Another child knocked her front teeth out.

Hygiene...no. I've seen rats all over those trolleys, shoes are nowhere near the dirtiest thing in them.

You’re unpleasant.

Trolleys are not sterile - they will be crawling.

Also the packaging on your food would be dirty, items from the floors are out into trolleys, flowers, soil, hands are dirty.

If the child is 2 their shoes and hands are grimier - the age isn’t an issue.

You were just nasty to a child because you don’t understand infection control.

Fair play to her Granny taking her out and having fun.

Not joining in this debate, but as an interesting side note, the supermarket (Super U) we use in Brittany has had a trolley cleaner since COVID. It's like a big airport metal detector that you push the trolley through and it cleans it!

Are you under the impression that food is completely sanitised until its put on the shelves and its only the trolley/basket that could get it dirty

Because Ive got news for you OP

Anything not in a packet should be getting a rinse before you eat it, and even some things that are!!

I worry about them falling out.
A larger child in one of those shallow trolleys….shudder.
And call me a square but there are signs telling people not to put children in the body of the trolley and I didn’t want my children to think I was ok breaking rules.