COVID: Some supermarkets will not enforce mask wearing

I hadn’t thought of it that way … but you’re right.

Say what you see!

@PixieKnuckles I recently went into local coop and of the 3 people behind counter serving us not one wearing a mask

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Well Sainsburys had a chap on the door tonight asking people entering without a mask to mask up. There were a few people in the store without one but they were in the minority. Tesco last night had a chap on the door (security guard) not wearing a mask. Not setting a great example. However, most customers were wearing masks.

I work in a large DIY store we have someone on the door (sometimes its me so I speak from experience) take it in turns as we do get some very offensive comments and mutters and not everyone is suitable for door duty; we politely request mask usage; repeat this is my mantra not company one “excuse me just like to remind you masks are mandatory unless you’re exempt**”
Firstly we provide masks;

  1. some take a mask and smile;
  2. some stop thank you and smile but don’t take a mask;
  3. some stop look at you as if you are crazy and walk on;
  4. some ignore you blatantly;
  5. some swear at you (try not to take offense)
  6. some stop and lecture you on the uselessness of Boris the government the bloke who took his son for a car ride; (they mean Dominic Cummings) his name is as time passes is getting less recalled
  7. some tell you at great length longest we have had in our store a chap for over two hours telling us how it is all a “con” and why. LOL
  8. some days it seems everyone is exempt.

You gotta love the public.

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You can download an exemption template that you can print but it appears to be a government site. You don’t even have to say you have a condition, only print it. Just shows our culture of sloppiness at its best. Suggest someone writes to their MP to complain about slack and inconsistent government attitudes. Wonder which management consultancy came up with this nugget.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/903452/Exemption_from_face_covering_badge_for_mobile_phone.pdf

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I admire you … at times like this it sounds a crappy, thankless job.

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Well as Austria and some other countries are planning to introduce mandatory vaccination, I really don’t understand why wearing a mask is the worst thing ever. I don’t agree with mandatory vaccination, but I don’t have the faintest idea why people refuse to wear masks. Surely it’s the easier option.

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Most retail is but I like the public I take it all with a pinch of salt and smile behind my mask; confrontation is not what I am about. A polite or even none polite “No thanks” would be enough to be honest

Totally agree but I do think this whole lockdown mentality has caused a lot of people to “loose” their common sense and be as rude as they wish; and a sense of “Me me me” culture has risen ten fold.

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My impression is that unpleasant as they are these are coping mechanisms. We live in strange times. If the government wants to enforce a measure they should lead by example and it doesn’t seem our esteemed leaders are too fond of masks.

Totally agree everyone copes differently hence why I smile behind my mask and do not take offence swearing and muttering is not aimed at me but the situation we all find ourselves in as it is unbelievable if you think to hard about it. We are social animals and to think twice about a hug; a touch; a close encounter of the normal social kind is out of our “depth” to comprehend. There is no where to escape

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I’d be tempted to grab a nail gun off the shelf.

And forget that the customer is always right.

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Tesco will not enforce the facemask rules either now.

Good to see.

The tide is turning. Before when facemasks were mandated in Supermarkets, the staff were exempt anyway.

Which just goes to prove that I didn’t do it Annie…
:mask:

Sadly @Caveman2 I’m finding that more and more to be the case. One checkout person was coughing a few days ago as I waited in line. No mask on, no covering of the face when coughing. I picked up my stuff and went to another checkout queue. Don’t mind waiting if it saves my life!

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Let’s not forget that some retail staff will be exempt from wearing masks. One of my daughter’s colleagues is, but carries her lanyard displaying this fact in her pocket.

Co-op policy director Paul Gerrard told Radio 5 Live that while Co-op would put up signs to remind people to wear masks, staff would not refuse to serve customers who were not wearing one.

“We have seen throughout the pandemic that the enforcement of social distancing rules has been a flashpoint for enormous levels of violence and abuse against my colleagues, and we will not put our colleagues at risk,” he said.

There was a rise in violence towards shop workers before the pandemic, and that rise has continued, he said.

“It’s not just the frequency, it’s the violence and the seriousness of it,” Mr Gerrard said. “Every day, in the 2,600 Co-op shops, ten of my colleagues will be physically attacked.”

“Five of them will be attacked with a weapon - it could be a syringe, it could be a knife, it could be a hammer - and that’s not unusual to the Co-op.”

Blimey … :astonished:

Blimey indeed @Omah . Although it’s not quite clear whether the increase in attacks is down to asking people to wear a mask, or whether there are other things going on such a general malaise, mental health, decrease in personal wealth etc etc.

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I was spat on, coughed on, shouted at and threatened with “I know when you shut the shop and I’ll be waiting” quite a few times when I asked people to wear mask. I can fully understand why retail staff are fearful of this. They aren’t police, and generally no action is taken when its reported to upper management. :cry:

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