I work on a supermarket checkout.
I've seen so many couples doing 'big shops'. Usually one stands fiddling with their phone while the other one packs.
Then, there are the parents with two/three/four young adults. Either their children/or other family members/friends.
And three generations. Small children, their parents, and (what usually appear to be) grandparents.
Also two/three forties/fifties women, buying wine and treating it like a day out.
I'm like ssd. We get paid just over £9 an hour, except on Sundays. We get treated like tweenies at Downton Abbey. Some people are either rude, ignore us, stay on their phones the entire time we put their shopping through, or get nasty or abusive when we tell them that toilet rolls, etc are restricted, and they're only allowed so many of some items.
Back in March when all this started, one young girl l work with (a student, working her way through uni) was called a "fucking P*ki" by a man when she told him he was only allowed one multipack of bottled water.
I had a customer actually swat the cardreader at my face when l was pushing his shopping towards him, just because l'd asked him (politely, but twice, at both ends of the checkout) to stand on the social distancing 'lines'.
People wander round with their masks under their noses, apparently oblivious to the fact that they may as well not be wearing one. They come to the checkouts and either take them off or pull them down, complaining they're 'hot and can't breathe', or lean right over towards us, pulling the masks down to speak to us.
The store l work in is actually putting out public address announcements asking shoppers to "treat everyone with respect."
That should not be necessary. We're all in the same boat. Unfortunately like most front line staff, we're a captive audience.
Only once have l refused to serve someone. He was complaining, very loudly and aggressively, about the lady in front of him at my till who (in his view) was too slow packing her shopping. He chose to stand there, with four items, behind three other people. He could have used another checkout or self scan. I stood up and told him not to bother waiting, l wasn't going to serve him. Fortunately there were a few big Yorkshire lads about, who weren't taking that from him, and made their feelings very plain. The lady was mortified and very embarrassed.
Don't get me wrong. The majority of people are lovely, we have our regulars, they ask how we are, and thank us for doing our jobs. I work with amazing people and our management are very supportive.
It's worrying, though. People either don't care, believe the 'hoax' stuff, or are totally convinced 'it' won't affect them. Or think being asked to wear a mask for the time it takes them to do a shop is against their freedom and their rights.
I really don't know if there's a solution. Some people really don't, or won't change their behaviour. And we still have to go to work.
My neighbour is a practice nurse, administering Covid vaccines. She says that if anyone comes in wearing a mask under their nose, she gives them two options. Put it on properly, or leave.
If they come back with it under their nose, she tells them to leave.
Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury.
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