Retail workers

[Cocoandclive27]

I have two very close relatives (mum and aunty) who work in big local supermarkets. They are both in their 50s, both expected to be in work at the minute. I'm so worried about them. In my opinion people working in these sort of environments are one of the highest risk due to the volume of people they are coming into contact with. I feel like it's only a matter of time before one of them gets it. There have been a handful of confirmed cases in our area. We are isolating as much as possible - ironically the only time I've seen them both recently is when I've had to go shopping! But I'm really worried.

Is anyone else working in a supermarket or have close relatives working there? Are any taking precautions? Are you worried? My anxiety is sky high atm

Bump

DS worked at airport, was laid off last Friday (none of this 80% of salary that the Chancellor was talking about last Friday) now is working at a supermarket. Fortunately he lives alone, so is able to keep clear of us (DH in vulnerable group), and is young enough to have low risk of death. So I'm not so worried about him as I am about nearly 100 year old DF locked in his nursing home.

I just think these people are on the front line. We are being told to reduce contact but when you are in constant contact with the public everyday it's not possible. And the supermarkets won't shut even if we go into lockdown so what the hell protection are employees getting?!

non food retail....today i was queue management and we were heaving!

customers were vile,'im truly disgusted with the British public.

Well let's be honest - all the decent people were at home so sadly you're left dealing with the arseholes only

I've heard a lot of people are visiting non food shops for things like DIY equipment and gardening supplies with us all most likely spending a lot of time at home now or soon. I suspect these sort of shops may close eventually though while the food shops will stay open.

I wouldn't want to be in any customer facing role at the moment and I really do worry about my relatives working in the supermarkets. One of them works on the checkouts - constant contact with people and handling cash and other items. They don't seem to be doing anything to protect them.

@wheresmymojo decent people need to food shop too...

I work in a clothing retailer, we are still open DH is on at me to just not go in.

@Cocoandclive27 yep, thats where i was! as a manager i was trying to support the 7 teenagers on the checkouts. They are scared but came in anyway. these kids have had exams cancelled, driving lessons stopped and no longer can socialise with friends.

they were superstars today but the customers were hideous. shops need to close! come on Boris!

Non-food retailers are closing one by one particularly those that are finding their turnover is lower so it is not worth being open.

In the meantime supermarkets are staying open and doing very little to protect employees other than making people stand a little further back which nobody is sticking to. I'm honestly terrified.

Retail worker here. Not supermarket but a budget retailer that sells food household toiletries etc. Customers ignore social distancing strategies that we’ve tried to put in place (tape markers on the floor in the queues etc). It’s absolutely manic it’s physically impossible for staff to reduce contact with people. No protection from the company no hand sanitizer a ban on gloves no limits on people coming through the doors etc.

Company refusing to close as classed as a critical retailer. No pay for voluntary self isolation or childcare issue. Only ssp for symptoms so some staff have admitted they wouldn’t be able to isolate if they have symptoms . Definitely profit over people.

I don’t feel safe at all I’m in a constant state of anxiety and fear of going to work. There is a lot of love and appreciation for NHS workers (rightly so) but nothing for us who are forced to come into contact with thousands of people who just don’t give a shit.

I worked in retail until a couple of days ago.

I've been following the epidemic since January and yes I was worried, especially handling cash (no card facility).

One of the things that worried me the most was that people were not taking any notice of the news and not taking events seriously. Not just my boss and my colleagues, but also the customers as well, many of them elderly.

I didnt work in a supermarket but think they have been slow with distancing and could have led the way on this. They should have placed markers and signs about the 2 metre distancing at least a week ago. I'm baffled as to why they didn't

Until yesterday I worked for a non food retailer. I quit my job and am not going back. The shop has been absolutely packed over the last week or two, one of my colleagues had symptoms and was still coming to work and coughing everywhere and nobody told her to self isolate, I was also coughed on by customers. They didn't give us any cleaning supplies or hand sanitizer etc and when I asked if I could wear gloves I was told no it's not allowed. I also spoke to my manager as I have asthma and was concerned for my health, and though she didn't say I couldn't self isolate if I wanted to, she said that it would be leaving them in the shit and very much implied I should continue to come in. That's when I said in that case I will just quit.

I think that shops which stay open should provide all their employees with gloves and masks or hand sanitizer if possible, and enforce rules on how many customers are allowed in at a time and mark out spaces for customers to stand when queuing so that they are always 2m apart from each other and from the people serving them at all times. If possible I think everyone should be made to pay by card not cash, or at least everyone who is able to should have to do so. The other shops in my town seem to be doing this. Their employees are wearing gloves and they are limiting how close people can stand to the cashier and to each other, and smaller ones are limiting how many people can enter the shop at once. I am disgusted by the complete lack of action and communication from my former company.

we've got markers for distance
we can close doors if too many people
we are reducing hours
full pay for self isolation
gloves and masks allowed, and provided with sanitiser on order

not enough though, we should close

Supermarket for me, can only speak of the mood in my store, at first we were frustrated with panic buyers and empty shelves and the extra workload, now it’s turning to anger and frustration with those at head office refusing to make any decisions based on the safety of the staff rather than how to keep bringing in money. Managers at store level can’t make any decision unless it comes from above, we have no protection at all. The floor at the checkouts has been taped to show where people should be standing, no use at the self checkouts when you have to approve something with people on top of you. Working on the shopfloor, someone asks you a question right in your face, you step back and they come closer, can’t say anything though or you risk a customer complaint. We have a pathetic little bottle of handgel at the tills, people still using cash, sticking their cards in their mouths before handing them over rather than use the machine themselves, refusing to scan their own loyalty cards.

I don’t generally suffer with anxiety but I am about to blow up at someone because I am finding it so stressful. I just cannot understand why people are still coming in in such high numbers, bringing their kids with them, dawdling over the clothing section like it’s a day out.

I’m sick of reading the empty thank yous from the ceo. The best bit is we keep being praised for being keyworkers, bullshit. How many times have shop workers been the butt of a joke? How many times have you heard of someone warning their kids to work hard in school or they’ll end up on the tills? I’m so done with it, we get treated like shit the rest of the time and now we’re expected to put ourselves at completely unnecessary risk.

I generally like my job but I feel like I’m just not important to anyone right now.

I work in a non essential retail store.
It was heaving today; families browsing with children, even a new born baby in arms. A lot of people have entirely failed to grasp social distancing!
People are buying hot tubs, garden furniture, paint etc, everything they need before we end up having to lockdown I assume. My company has a social media campaign asking what everyone is planning to do with their time off as if it is a holiday.
They don't provide hand sanitizer, we need to purchase our own, no additional cleaning in place and no social distancing measures at checkout etc.
I keep a 2m distance from customers, stepping away if necessary. I carry my own hand sanitizer and wear gloves. I wash my hands multiple times throughout my shift and when I finish. When I get home I strip my uniform off, straight in the wash and then I shower. I hope your family keep well, these are troubling times.

I don’t feel safe at all I’m in a constant state of anxiety and fear of going to work. There is a lot of love and appreciation for NHS workers (rightly so) but nothing for us who are forced to come into contact with thousands of people who just don’t give a shit.

I'm sorry BestStressed and I completely understand. That's exactly how I was feeling and it's awful. Putting your health at risk with no precautions and nobody caring and getting paid minimum wage. I'm so angry about it and I really think we need a way to report the companies that are putting their profits before their employees safety. Sounds stupid but I'm on the email list for a few different shops, and every time I got an email like "from today we are closing all our stores because we care about colleagues safety" etc, I actually cried. Yesterday during my last shift a woman asked me if we'd be closing and I said to her, I don't think they'll close this place until we are all dead, she made some joke like "that's good, hopefully they'll reduce everything". If I was a violent person, I would have punched her, but I think my face said it all.

Phew, sorry that was long. Been needing to have a vent for the last couple of days.

@Wafflehouse I had to accept cash from people's hand, and hand over their change, but I made sure I used hand sanitizer every time. The worst were the ones who would lick their fingers before pulling a note out of their wallet. I made sure to touch a different part of it. If anyone tried to hand me their bank card I wouldn't take it, I pointed them to the machine. As for standing too close on the shop floor, I had the same where I'd take a step back and they'd move closer - I would then take another step back until they got the message. The whole experience has really made me hate some of the public. Every person who stood too close to me. The woman who came in with full mask and gloves on, yet paid me in cash - the kind of one who counts out every little penny from their purse - and made a joke about how I probably didn't want to touch it. The man who grabbed hold of my hand three times for no reason besides the fact that he was a creepy pervert. The people who coughed right in my face at the till point and didn't even make an effort to cover their mouth. I have given so many death stares to customers this week. I'm usually so polite as well. Fuck them all.

Supermarket worker here. Customers right up in your face, swearing at staff, so nothing new there. Whole families including quite young babies in, children running around touching things, absolute madness. Yes, I am worried.

I'm in food retail and it's been crazy. We did more trade in 3 days last week than we did at christmas and new year combined. I'm resigned to the fact I'm going to get the virus just hoping it's not a bad case.

I was at the early opening of Tesco today for nhs staff and the amount of people who had taken a child along was surprising. And I mean kids old enough to be fine in the car on their own with their phones for 30 mins.

This is really bringing out the worst in some people! ‘Can you look out the back there’s non left on the shelves’??

No I fucking cant!! GO HOME

Seriously? I do not want to see any kid in store tomorrow

If so the family will be told to leave. Not asked. Told.