Just been to M and S - then Tesco

[leafygarden42]

and noticed that very few people are wearing masks. I know you don't have to etc etc but I thought that these shops were 'encouraging' people to wear them.

In M and S out of around 12 staff that I saw, only one was wearing a mask.

I felt like a bit of a weirdo for wearing one -

They were in my local m and s yesterday and Tesco a week ago. Probably around 80% of people anyway.

Perhaps it’s your area.

Just stopped at a service station where literally under 10% of people were wearing masks...

It isn't the law to wear one. Encouraging is different from enforcing.

I went into the supermarket yesterday without one as I had to give my mask to DD who was off to summer camp and forgotten hers.

I felt initially guilty then I felt slightly liberated - shopping without a mask for the first time in 13 months!

Definitely noticing less people are wearing them now. Although I've got to admit, I would walk back to the car before going in a shop if I'd forgotten a mask, but now I won't bother.

In my local M&S all the staff are still wearing masks and although I wasn't particularly looking for people not wearing one, I'd say 90% of those shopping were wearing one.

Not been to Tesco or Sainsbury so can't comment about them.

I accept it's personal choice to go mask free but for me I'll continue to wear mine for the time being. It doesn't do harm to anyone if I choose to.

I went in a shop today where I’d been made to feel like a leper a few weeks ago for not having one on (exempt). Today none of the staff were wearing one - even someone I know to be ECV. Don’t know what they think has changed to have done such a 180 on it!

On holiday north of Newcastle. Amazed by how few people are wearing masks compared to back home in Lincolnshire.

They’re not actually ‘encouraging’ anyone to wear a mask though are they. An email and a few posters that have been up that long everyone has stopped noticing is hardly ‘encouraging’. My local Tesco has got rid of the huge box of masks they were giving out at the entrance.

If I don’t remember to have a mask immediately to hand these days I’m not wearing one.

It’s all masks still where so live in Suffolk but visited my parents in the Midlands this week and I was struck by how few people were wearing masks . Much higher cases there than here

I felt like a bit of a weirdo for wearing one

Good. That’s the way it should be; it is weird.

They can 'encourage' me to wear one in person but if they do that I won't be returning to spend my money.

I don't mind signs but I am allowed to decide for myself by law so I will and will shop without one. I won't be 'encouraging' those that want to wear one to discard theirs so I expect the same the other way round.

What do you want OP? For shops to demand customers to wear one even if it isn't legally mandated? If it simply to save you from feeling like a 'weirdo' as you said then that is on you. I don't judge you for wearing one.

I think it has changed in the past 3 or 4 days

Last week 90% in our local stores, yesterday less than 10%

My local Tesco and M&S people are largely still wearing masks. I was upstairs in Tesco looking at clothes, nobody around, so I dropped my mask to get some air, then on comes an announcement to kindly continue to wear masks. Same in M&S constant announcement. Went to pub for lunch outside, used wc and put mask on, but nobody inside was wearing one. Had my hair cut yesterday, my hairdresser was wearing a mask so I wore mine, I did feel safer as she was close by.

@pinkcircustop

I felt like a bit of a weirdo for wearing one

Good. That’s the way it should be; it is weird.

Why am I weird for wearing a mask? I don't judge what other people do. I'm trying to reduce my risk of catching it as I've only had one vaccine so far and I haven't got time to be ill right now.

What is it with post after post after post about "nobody is wearing masks"?! It's not a legal requirement. You can wear one if you want, equally you don't have to wear one if you don't want to. It's the same with vaccination, taking your shoes off inside the house and calling your child a hyphenated name - all down to personal preference.

It seems to vary from place to place, where I live, almost everyone is still wearing them in shops but my parents say only about 60% are where they live. My friend who lives in a city says, hardly anyone is bothering where she is.

So jealous of everyone in England who has a choice. In Scotland we do not have the freedom of being treated like adults and need Ms Sturgeon to decide for us.

Yeah mask wearing is on the way out now. Numbers wearing them have decreased dramatically in the last week here.

It's law in Scotland still

I was happy to keep wearing them but I'm unlikely to bother for much longer because factually it is completely useless unless the vast majority do it! A handful still adhering does nothing!

I carried on wearing one initially but have stopped bothering now as the vast majority of places I’ve been in the last couple of weeks the staff aren’t wearing them (I was only really wearing one out of courtesy to the staff anyway).

@Kcjay10

Yeah mask wearing is on the way out now. Numbers wearing them have decreased dramatically in the last week here.

I agree and despite the MN collective that is insistent everyone is selfish who doesn't wear one I think the majority have done it purely because it was legally mandated and not because they really thought it made any difference nor that they wanted to wear one in the first place (I include myself in that).

I haven't put on a mask since the 19th and I will only wear one in medical settings IF it's required for the appointment. I'm double vaccinated, I've sat in my bloody house for 18 months, homeschooled my kids (like so so many of us). I've followed the law and I'm following this one.

We’re south west and it’s still unusual to see someone without a mask. Cases are rising here for the first time though.

How do you expect stores to encourage people to wear them when they aren't a legal requirement?

Even when they were a legal requirement very few staff members approached people, it was random members of public who got their knickers in a twist and confronted the maskless. And from experience, staff told them nicely to buggar off if they spotted customers being harassed.