Is this normal behaviour in supermarkets now?

[Makeitgoaway]

Until now we've been making do with what we had plus deliveries from small local firms but had to bite the bullet and DH did a big supermarket trip yesterday.

There's a particular nut he's very fond of which appeared to be out of stock, but he was pleased to find the last two packets at the back of the shelf, just as he realised a couple nearby were looking for the same thing, so he offered them one of the packs. Apparently they declined in horror at the idea of taking something he'd handled.

He was happy, he got his 2 packs, but how do they think they got onto the shelf without anyone touching them? Were they particularly cautious or is everyone thinking like this now?. He thought he was being polite/helpful but they obviously didn't see it that way. The new rules are one thing but how long until we all get used to the new etiquette? Or even agree on what it is?!

[Chestnut23]

I think people are trusting their gut and acting on instinct because they are scared. They don't think it through rationally as there isn't time. I cross over whenever somebody is coming towards me on the same path, even when they're some distance away, which might seem OTT to some but it is an example of the better safe than sorry mentality that your husband experienced.

[Yellowbutterfly1]

Some people are being a bit over the top. Be cautious yes, but some people do need to think a bit more.
As others have said, the items have been handled numerous times in the supermarket already, just have some common sense and don’t touch your face and wash your hands and products if you wish when you get home.

Agree with TheEndIsBilNighy, some people are acting like you have leprosy, while in my local Tesco a lady who was completely ignoring the one way arrows would walk right up close to me, look at me as if I had the plague while handling her groceries with her winter gloved hand. She would then place that same winter gloved hand over her mouth.

It was just ridiculous.

[midnightstar66]

I've become really aware of not touching things I'm not going to buy but every now and then I pick something automatically without thinking to read a small print or whatever. They were being ridiculous it will all have been touched loads of times but I guess it's out of sight out of mind if you don't actually see it

[ChampagneTruffles]

OldHaggard Amen to that. This gloves obsession is ridiculous. They are useful in such a limited capacity (and mostly in healthcare settings, as you imply) yet people seem to think they give them magical shielding properties.

Ironincally this probably causes them to be overly slack with the specific (and very easy) hygeine that actually will minimise the risk of spread.

People are bonkers.

OP your husband was very kind, and Bamboozledandbefuddled that stranger was a hero!

[ravenmum]

Did he actually hold it out to him, or put it back on the shelf and point at it? They may have just been recoiling from getting so close to someone.
If not, this is probably just an example of the somewhat illogical way our disgust system works. I'd also be perfectly happy picking up an item that someone must have handled, but less happy picking one up I just saw someone handle a moment ago.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contagion_heuristic

[cdtaylornats]

Gloves are not magic. In New York they brought in a law saying people handling food had to wear gloves. Food poisoning went up. People wearing gloves don't was their hands.

[DaphneFanshaw]

Your husband sounds very kind.
I would have taken the nuts quite happily.

[LizzieSiddal]

People are mad! Your dh was very kind OP.

I was in Waitrose yesterday and a woman started shouting at me saying I was making her feel unsafe as I was following her around the supermarket and barging past her. I declined to ask, how was it possible to follow someone around whilst at the same time, “barging” past them. I also didn’t point out that she was saying all this whilst stood right next to woman stacking the shelves.

People are stressed and frightened and I feel things will only get worse.

[MuthaFunka61]

I understand why but there's a difference between being careful and being neurotic.

As the severity of this infection is due to the viral load and the virus dies off after a couple of hours the most likely way your going to be seriously ill is either due to an underlying condition or a catching heavy viral load.

The simplest way to avoid a heavy viral load in an otherwise healthy person is social distancing and handwashing.
Personally,I'd rather be subject to a low dose and build immunity than live with paranoia.

[ppeatfruit]

Ref. gloves, if you wash your washable gloved hands as much as you would your ungloved hands. then you're ok, are you?

I have sensitive skin and would have terrible problems with using the 'cleaner' all the time.

[opticaldelusion]

Hilarious. Just wash your fucking hands.

[custodiandiscount]

The place I used to work had mice galore...what with that and multiple stockroom people and shelf stackers putting stock out then moving it through the day as well as customers looking at things, all your packaging is pretty dirty. If they think something is clean because they've not seen anyone touch it, they are very wrong!

Gloves, what a waste of time. Filthy. There was a guy outside Teco while I was queuing having a cigarette - yes, wearing gloves. Just WTF

[ch3rrycola]

Worlds gone mad. I'd have been very grateful, taken nuts home, not washed the bag and have eaten them.

[I8toys]

I think its just a natural reaction when someone drops something near you to pick it up and hand it back. He did a generous thing and they just over reacted.

[Quarantimespringclean]

I haven’t set foot in a supermarket for weeks so can’t comment on if this is usual or not. It doesn’t sound like a criticism of your DH’s behaviour but a sad comment on how terrified some people are at the moment. They can be forgiven for overreacting.

Sadly the last of my prebooked online shops is due tomorrow (if it comes, so far I’ve had 3 out of 5 cancelled with 3 hours notice) and there are no more available from Tesco, Morrison’s, Waitrose or Ocado for the next few weeks so soon I will have to venture out again and I will see for myself how normal such behaviour is.

[TheStuffedPenguin]

I wouldn't have accepted but would have thanked him for offering .

[TheStuffedPenguin]

@LizzieSiddal were you observing the social distancing ? I ask because a twat of a man yesterday came up to a line waiting outside our doctors' and violated it regardless of the fact that there was a hugely pregnant woman there . What don't people get about distancing ?

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

It's the same with masks. I understand why people want to wear them... But nearly every person I saw wearing one was fiddling with it. So picking items up, playing with mask, putting something back... Adjusting the mask. Constantly.

[diddl]

Did they really recoil in horror?

They might just have been caught unawares & picked the packet up when your husband wasn't looking!

I often find that dates are on the back so am picking up & putting down.

[ravenmum]

Does adjusting your own mask stop it from acting as a barrier and offering slight protection to other people?

[ravenmum]

So would most people get close enough to take something out of a stranger's hand? I got the impression from the threads about Tesco deliveries etc. that people didn't want to get that close in the UK?

[Chloemol]

Your husband was being kind, they were being silly. All the other stuff they have touched that’s others have before them. They are being silly. They would have had to wash their hands anyway once the shop was completed and they got home

[Watertorture]

Was he handing them the nuts? Or just pointing out that they were on the shelf? I would not take something from someone's hand as it means being too close to them.
I wouldn't laugh at people's fears so much.
I don't have any gloves but if I did wouldn't it mean I got two shots at a clean surface - my gloves, and then my hands underneath would still be clean for opening my car etc when I (carefully) removes and (carefully) disposed of the gloves?

[squirrelsbizaar]

The gloves can still have the virus on them, the virus doesn’t dissolve on contact with them. If a shop worker, customer is touching multiple products they can still be moving the virus around, but on the gloves.
They’re are good for stopping you touching your face and you can remove them once you get back in car, or place of ‘safety’. That’s all, they don’t offer immunity.

[Floatyboat]

Some people slightly enjoy the irrational hysteria I think. Same mentality as anti-vaxers; they know they're being a bit daft but they enjoy the drama.