what to do if a shop is not taking covid seriously

[Monkey]

Personally if either customers or staff don?t wear masks, I just go somewhere else. We?re a year into the pandemic, I?m not going to have a discussion with a store manager about the necessity of masks at this stage, especially if they?re not wearing a mask themselves.

[Spartacus]

That's really useful advice pugwash

Thank you for posting as it must be fecking awkward for hearing impaired people trying to understand what's being said through a mask.

[Mountain walker]

Disappointed to see that some customers in the Forest Hill Road Coop are still not following the law. I just asked a woman in there why she was not masked and was standing too close. No exempt badge. All I got was abuse. The other customers kept quiet.

We need zero tolerance to stop the virus. If she had been smoking in the shop would the staff and customers let her carry on?

[malumbu]

Two places I shop are Forest Hill Road Supermarket - bit cramped but more space that the Co-op, and Lidl in Sydenham, about 20% non-mask wearers. Expect compliance is a Lidl thing, rather than the specific store. Both stores have the habit of blocking isles with stock and/or staff. Lidl generally has the space to give non-mask wearers a wide birth. It's not a demographics thing in that people of all background are guilty, young and old.

The post above takes me back to a story a few years ago of a couple having it off in an old compartment train. Other passengers are trying to ignore it, look the other way etc but it is only when a post-coital cigarette is lit that someone complains. I think it is a genuine story and gave me the chance to say 'had it off' which is a term from my school days/sit coms.

[HamletHarrier]

malumbu Wrote:

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> Two places I shop are Forest Hill Road Supermarket

> - bit cramped but more space that the Co-op, and

> Lidl in Sydenham, about 20% non-mask wearers.

> Expect compliance is a Lidl thing, rather than the

> specific store. Both stores have the habit of

> blocking isles with stock and/or staff. Lidl

> generally has the space to give non-mask wearers a

> wide birth. It's not a demographics thing in that

> people of all background are guilty, young and

> old.

>

> The post above takes me back to a story a few

> years ago of a couple having it off in an old

> compartment train. Other passengers are trying to

> ignore it, look the other way etc but it is only

> when a post-coital cigarette is lit that someone

> complains. I think it is a genuine story and gave

> me the chance to say 'had it off' which is a term

> from my school days/sit coms.

That is from a story by the much-missed Victoria Wood - quote below:

'Last time I went Intercity there were a couple across the aisle having sex. Of course, this being a British train, nobody said anything. Then they finished, they both lit up a cigarette and this woman stood up and said, 'Excuse me, I think you'll find this is a non-smoking compartment''.

[KidKruger]

So, was waiting to get served in a small store on Saturday. A couple walked in and waited behind me, neither with masks on. Very small space. I moved to furthest corner and asked why these two aren?t wearing masks. He says oh we thought we had masks but we must have run out. I say there?s plenty shops around here where you can by them before coming into a shop, esp one with a clear sign saying don?t enter without masks. He says ?if you?re uncomfortable with us not wearing masks we can wait outside?. I say that?s not the point, if you thought that way why did you both come in, rather than just one of you - and anyway you?ve both been inside for 2mins so how will that undo it.

I try to think fairly but I think these guys didn?t both run out of masks on same day, they just don?t wanna wear them, if pandemic / safety was their priority they?d not enter maskless, full stop.

In the end I stopped trying to press it, he?s clearly being painted into a corner, won?t admit it and is coming out with vaguer and vaguer replies.

It?s such a simple thing to adhere to, these are white middle class 40yr olds with an education.

[SpringTime]

KK, you are right to challenge - it can be awkward and embarrassing but worth making the point - and you are brave, too. Any reactions from people who are challenged (by non-authority figures, fellow customers or passengers, people who aren't the proprietors, or even those who are duty bound or more apparently suitable to enforce face coverings, etc.) cannot always be accurately anticipated. Remember that people were spitting at bus drivers pre-Covid and it's still happening...

If someone volunteers to move away, however, then you should probably say 'yes please' and thank them as they do so, maybe with a thumbs up.

[Nigello]

Why do you point out their skin colour? Doing so suggests that you think yourself, or others on here, will expect white people to be always more compliant than non-white people. Just say people. You know, like we all are! (You seem hung up on colour of skin - in my post about people refusing a Covid vaccine I mentioned poorer people and other groups who may be more susceptible being stupid for not taking it. You took it as a reference to their ethnicity, when there was no way of knowing what I meant because I used a catch-all term, groups, because there are many sets of people - old, disabled, poor, mentally challenged, carers, some black or brown people, who are more susceptible, and I attributed South Asians to a BBC report, not my view. Good on you for challenging, though.)

[DuncanW]

Disagree with the challenge.

Strongly agree that everyone who can should be wearing masks and there are many not wearing them who should be. Although in the shops I go in, Sainsbury's DKH mainly the compliance is generally quite high.

But I just don't think it is down to other customers to try to enforce this regulation for all sorts of reasons, not least you may well be accosting someone who has a genuine reason for not wearing one. Someone with an ASD or anxiety type condition probably already finds the situation they're in quite stressful.

NB as far as I am aware, there is no official mask exempt badge or any legal compunction to wear one.

Also, the inference that white skinned people people of a certain class would be more compliant is a little off, KK.

[KidKruger]

Nigello I actually mentioned skin colour to see if someone would haul me up on it.

They did.

You !

I'm not hung up on skin colour - so stop flapping yer gums !

ETA: And Duncan !!

Nigello Wrote:

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> Why do you point out their skin colour? Doing so

> suggests that you think yourself, or others on

> here, will expect white people to be always more

> compliant than non-white people. Just say people.

> You know, like we all are! (You seem hung up on

> colour of skin - in my post about people refusing

> a Covid vaccine I mentioned poorer people and

> other groups who may be more susceptible being

> stupid for not taking it. You took it as a

> reference to their ethnicity, when there was no

> way of knowing what I meant because I used a

> catch-all term, groups, because there are many

> sets of people - old, disabled, poor, mentally

> challenged, carers, some black or brown people,

> who are more susceptible, and I attributed South

> Asians to a BBC report, not my view. Good on you

> for challenging, though.)

[DuncanW]

LOL - that is the kind of excuse my 12yr old would come out with

[KidKruger]

ha ha - why would I need an excuse, I have no obligation to you ?!

DuncanW Wrote:

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> LOL - that is the kind of excuse my 12yr old would

> come out with

[DuncanW]

I couldn't begin to guess why you felt the need to offer that woeful excuse for the veiled racist comment you made. Only you know the answer to that, buddy.

[Sue]

.

[KidKruger]

Everyone has their limitations Duncan, don't be hard on yourself.

I don't need answers for whatever drivel accusation you concoct !!

(laughing emoji goes here !)

DuncanW Wrote:

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> I couldn't begin to guess why you felt the need to

> offer that woeful excuse for the veiled racist

> comment you made. Only you know the answer to

> that, buddy.

[JohnL]

DuncanW Wrote:

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> But I just don't think it is down to other

> customers to try to enforce this regulation for

> all sorts of reasons, not least you may well be

> accosting someone who has a genuine reason for not

> wearing one. Someone with an ASD or anxiety type

> condition probably already finds the situation

> they're in quite stressful.

>

Actually Sky News showed a graph a few days go that showed the whole nation on the whole is compliant with a few exceptions.

The journalist presenting it suggested the biggest bang for your buck would be to tighten measures for everybody not chase the non compliant people.

Of course the non compliant would stand out even more in this case.

[DuncanW]

Did they also have a graph to show compliance of the Sky News team itself :)

[JohnL]

DuncanW Wrote:

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> Did they also have a graph to show compliance of

> the Sky News team itself :)

Beth will have served her penalty soon, Kay has a few months left to go.

Wonder if like a footballer they'll have to work their way back to the top - I've seen a lot more of the deputy political editor recently.

Their penalty and how easily they find it to return is an example to us I suppose.

[DuncanW]

Speaking of footballers, as a Palace fan I am aware of two first team players who have been exposed breaking Covid rules. Neither of whom lost their first team places even temporarily. I expect this is mirrored at other clubs.