I have been self-isolating since February, 5 months. Then last week I had to have an ultrasound, it was not a good experience. It was my first foray into the world in a long time. Today I had to go into a retail outlet to purchase the wheat for my bread. It was my second foray into the world in less than a week, and it was not a good experience. Since I’ve only had two experiences in the last five months, I can’t tell whether I’ve just had very bad luck, or if the world out there is getting a great deal nastier than it already was.
The company that sells Canadian Wheat at a price we can afford is in Toronto. They will not ship, and will not allow pre-order, and prepayment, before pickup.
I HAD to go into the store. They warned me on the phone, that there might be other customers in the store, they were not monitoring that. So after the long drive to Toronto, I wore a big shirt and long pants over my clothes, donned my mask and face shield, and entered the store.
It was awful. There were four people ahead of me in line to order. One young man wasn’t wearing a mask at all, and he and the cashier (she was wearing a mask) were giving me withering looks and saying over and over to each other, “unbelievable” and shaking their heads. That was extremely unpleasant, I stood my ground.
While waiting in line another man came in wearing no mask and started wandering around, I had to move several times to keep him at a distance. The man in line ahead of me was wearing a mask, but he was wearing it over his mouth only, his nose exposed, he talked and laughed a lot. I kept my distance.
The cashier, when my turn came, kept asking me to repeat myself, even though I was shouting so loud there was an echo, and rolling her eyes at me. BUT the order got taken, I paid the bill, and got out of there. It was awful, and it was over.
Is everyone else having these kinds of issues with people not wearing masks in retail outlets? Wow.
Then we had to go the delivery bay to pick up the order and the whole atmosphere changed. The warehouse staff were exceptional, all wearing masks, polite, helpful, kept their distance, just great!
It took a while to sanitize me before I could get back into the car, removing the exposed clothing and bagging it, spritzing myself with hydrogen peroxide, cleaning the face shield. We covered our purchases with a blanket, to prevent any airborne particles hanging about in the cab of the car during the long trip home.
We buy our wheat annually, it is a long trip there and back. It isn’t an activity I look forward to!!!!!
We are home safe and sound now, everything is washed, or sprayed with hydrogen peroxide. All our clothes for the day have been laundered, we have showered, and can finally relax.
The round trip took six and half hours, and the follow up at home, sanitizing and dealing with exposed items such as our purchases, the credit card, and the face shield, took another three hours.
I am exhausted.
Tomorrow we begin the process of storing what we purchased.
If we don’t get sick from that visit to the retail outlet, I will consider today’s adventure a total success.
Worldly
Weather
20°C
Date: 9:00 PM EDT Tuesday 4 August 2020
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 100.9 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 20.1°C
Dew point: 19.2°C
Humidity: 95%
Wind: NW 10 km/h
Humidex: 27
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“It’s a dangerous business going out your front door.”
J. R. R. Tolkien
1892 – 1973
Hi Maggie. What an awful experience. I’m sorry you had to go through that. The cashier and customer giving you looks are jerks. I’m glad the warehouse people were nice and kept their distance.
I haven’t been in a local store for months. But I do run into some people in my building who still don’t wear masks. Two of them smirk in a way that makes me feel they want me to challenge them. I just do my best to avoid them. Almost everyone else in the building wears masks. But we have a couple of teachers who will be returning to school next month. I’m worried for their health and also that they might bring covid back home with them. There’s always something to worry about, it seems. I’m glad you’re safe at home 🙂
Horrible experience for you. I shop grocery stores in my neighborhood fairly frequently, so I don’t find it traumatic, but I don’t have the medical issues that might make it so for you. We always wear masks (not shields) and stores have become more attentive to reminding you – the other day I’d neglected to pull my mask over my nose while I was walking there, and a clerk asked me nicely to cover my nose – but they are not stringent about it and I think they should be. People who deride you for being cautious are just pinheads. Glad you got your wheat, at least. Virtual bear hug.
I think I would have told the cashier in no uncertain terms, You’re not paid to ridicule customers. And if they seem uncontrite, call for a manager. But when you’ve made a major expedition and you’re exhausted that’s hard, I know. Ah, the tyranny of stupidity.
That’s such a shame you had such an horrid experience. You ARE taking much more strenuous caution than most regarding the illness, but no one has the right to judge you. They have no idea what your health risks are. I’m glad you were at least able to get what you wanted. Have a good recovery day tomorrow!
That’s the problem as Joan mentioned……others don’t know what’s going on in your life and why you are doing what you are doing. You do whatever you need to do to make yourself feel safe.
Masks are a contentious issue – just ask any Melbournian (or Victorian for that matter). After months of ‘not needing them’ now we are legally required to wear them outside our homes. As usual there are some who object loudly (but then they’d object to anything) most of us are complying…..or getting fined for not doing so
I wonder, when the shop assistant got stroppy did you not think to put your order down in writing. Make out you’re deaf. Desperate times mean desperate measures.
Thanks for today’s comment- lucky you to be able to crochet…..it’s one skill I’ve never been able to master.
It astounds me how many people refuse to take this Corona virus seriously. I have been into several stores and wear a mask and use hand sanitizer a lot when I am out. Most people are wearing masks but you do get some that just refuse to wear them or to follow other regulations that are in place to protect them. I am also amazed when I see so many government officials gathering in large groups and not wearing masks. I would call the store where you got your wheat from and file a complaint about the cashier. There is no reason you should have been made uncomfortable while making a purchase there. Stay safe!
Sandy, thanks for the good wishes! Wow, teachers returning to the classroom is a worry for them, not so much the kids, but the adults, particularly older adults, are going to be risking their lives. I do so hope that no one in your building gets the virus, and if they do, that they can avoid bringing it home to your building!! Stay safe dear friend!
Steve-Paul, “tyranny of stupidity” so well put!!
it was an unpleasant experience, and it stands out particularly because it is one of the only two experiences I’ve had in the last 5 months. In my view the masks are to protect others, the face shield is to protect me. And I am so glad I wore it because two morons weren’t wearing masks at all, wandering around the store, coming close to people, touching stuff, morons.
We run into this same cashier every year. It is a warehouse, selling items in large quantities, in bulk, so that customer service isn’t much of a concern for them, captive audience so to speak.Their main clientele is large food processors to whom they ship products the store is a bit of a sideline.
Every time we go there we see customers who are very aggressive, and difficult to deal with, and this cashier has to be tough to deal with all the testosterone that is aimed at her, I saw it while I was there, it doesn’t phase her. So she is probably perfect for that particular job, dealing with some very aggressive jerky type customers constantly, they don’t get the best of her.
But the downside for us is that she is as aggressive and jerky as some of the customers she has to deal with. Last year one of our items disappeared at the counter, and we didn’t notice until we got home. She was the only other person in the store at checkout, so I guess she must have grabbed it and shoved it under the counter where we couldn’t see it, might have taken it home later. The company gave us a discount, it wasn’t much. But she is a hurdle when it comes to our annual buying of supplies. The company doesn’t care if she is a little rough with some people, customers are lining up as it is, we are expendable. So there really is no appeal to nasty behaviour, we just have to put up with her if we want to shop there. I continue to seek alternatives, but none have been found so far.
Stay safe dear friend.
Joan, you are right, my precautions are by far the most stringent I’ve seen out there. We aren’t heaviy impacted here in Canada, yet, but perhaps we will dodge the bullet, who knows, it isn’t over yet. My chances of surviving the virus are much smaller than a lot of other people’s, but anyone can run into serious trouble with this thing, e.g. Nick Cordero. The science community is considering that overweight and obesity are significant factors in the severity of symptoms for Covid-19. It is heartening that there are better interventions now than there were last January, even April.
In my life, not going the distance with precautions, because “what are the chances”, has proven disastrous, more than once. If there is a chance, it could happen.
Sometimes I dream about the Pandemic just going away…
Stay safe dear friend!
Eileen, thanks for sharing your observations, it sounds like my experience is not unique, as far as people not wearing masks or following regulations. That is sad!
There is little to be gained by calling the company, we had issues last year and followed it up with the company, but she is still there, perhaps she is a relative of the owners, that is what I suspect. She is also as jerky as some of the customers, and there are some very aggressive and obnoxious male customers that come into that place.
Stay safe dear friend!
Cathy, that is so true, we don’t know why other people are doing what they do, what their challenges are. The man who had the mask over his face but not his nose might have had a medical condition that meant he needed to do that, he kept his distance, so he was following the rest of the guidelines, and he was easy to avoid.
NOW that is an idea, take the order in in writing!!! Yes, I will definitely be giving that a try. You are so right, these are desperate times, quietly desperate.
Your knitting is so lovely! Love those bears, and all the little sweaters!
Stay safe dear friend!