Cashiers, I do not want your saliva

[torinsmom]

When my brother and I were little, my mother caught my brother licking the top of the ketchup dispenser (you know the kind that look like a sharpened pencil on top). Mom had to give it to the manager for sterilization. Sometimes the individual packets are better

DS licked a salt shaker at McD's when he was about 2 I took it to the counter and the lady said "Don't worry about it"! Since then, I ask for packs

Marsha

 

[npmommie]

the joggers/walkers , with wet bills from their clothes.......oh gross.

LOL, this reminds me of that episode on Curb your Enthusiasm,
funkhouser owed larry david money and he was jogging and ran into larry and pulled out a sweaty $50 bill. larry didn't want to take it but was forced to, then everywhere he went no cashier would take the $50 bill..........

 

[MinnieMe87]

We had a bunch of glycerine cakes on hand to "tackify" our fingers, but there were always a few tellers who chose to get all that germy, yucky money spitty instead. Gross.

I used those cakes like they were going out of style when I worked at a grocery store. There was no way I was licking my fingers and touching that nasty money. I used the cakes when I bagged too, if I couldn't get a grip on the plastic bags.

 

[MouseketeerOvaHere]

Just an FYI, those shopping cart handles and the money is far dirtier. Also, restaurant menus and salt and pepper shakers contain some many germs, it's ridiculous.

And that completes your daily gross out.

 

[C.Ann]

While I agree that there is a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes it isn't an excuse to pile one more thing on.

We also touch surfaces all day covered with germs and bugs but I still wash my hands after using the bathroom. I'm not going to say to myself "well, you touched gross stuff all day so don't worry about washing your hands now".

While we can't do anything about the unavoidable almost everything in this thread is avoidable. I'm not germaphobe but that doesn't mean I welcome inconsiderate behavior.

Now that's a very logical post if I've ever read one!

Why expose yourself to things you can avoid so easily?

 

[JerseyJanice]

If I were the OP, I'd make a mental note of that cashier's face and name tag, and avoid his/her register in the future.

There are a couple of cashiers at the store I shop at most frequently I do my best to avoid. Two are what I call "Coupon Cops" and the other is clueless about how to ring up produce. When I choose a line, I look at how many people there are in front of me and how much stuff is in their carts, then I check to make sure the cashier isn't one of the ones who annoy me.

I actually always try to bag my own groceries. I like to group things in a certain way so it's easier for me to put everything away when I get home. For example, I have a pantry and a refrigerator in my basement. I put the stuff I know I'll be putting down there together, so I can just bring the bags straight downstairs.

 

[MushyMushy]

If I were the OP, I'd make a mental note of that cashier's face and name tag, and avoid his/her register in the future.

There are a couple of cashiers at the store I shop at most frequently I do my best to avoid. Two are what I call "Coupon Cops" and the other is clueless about how to ring up produce. When I choose a line, I look at how many people there are in front of me and how much stuff is in their carts, then I check to make sure the cashier isn't one of the ones who annoy me.

I actually always try to bag my own groceries. I like to group things in a certain way so it's easier for me to put everything away when I get home. For example, I have a pantry and a refrigerator in my basement. I put the stuff I know I'll be putting down there together, so I can just bring the bags straight downstairs.

Sounds like going to the store with you is a lot of work!

 

[waltsgirl]

Who do you think is putting the groceries on the shelves? Unless you are wearing plastic gloves when you are taking the cans off the shelves you are touching something that has tons of germs! Not only did the worker put it on the shelf, but other customers picked it up to look at it and then put it back down.

Unless I am going to go live in a bubble I can't worry about it.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Sounds like going to the store with you is a lot of work!

It is. When we were first married, my husband used to come grocery shopping with me. I cured him of that inside of a year!

Now I just pull in the driveway and beep the horn for him to come out and help me carry the bags in.

 

[npmommie]

Just an FYI, those shopping cart handles and the money is far dirtier. Also, restaurant menus and salt and pepper shakers contain some many germs, it's ridiculous.

And that completes your daily gross out.

LOL, the store where I shop has a bucket of purell wipes right with the carts.......so i wipe down before i even start

Who do you think is putting the groceries on the shelves? Unless you are wearing plastic gloves when you are taking the cans off the shelves you are touching something that has tons of germs! Not only did the worker put it on the shelf, but other customers picked it up to look at it and then put it back down.

Unless I am going to go live in a bubble I can't worry about it.

this is true, so I take everything from the back, that way whatever germ is on there has had some time to die since it has been sitting a little longer on the shelf

 

[npmommie]

It doesn't bother me either and I'll tell you why. If you really really start worrying about everything you touch and everyone who touched that and what they might have done with their hands before that and whether or not they washed them after.... I mean, you'll go crazy. If these are the things we SEE, just imagine what all the workers who come in contact with all of our stuff are doing when we're not looking. The world is a dirty place and we can't control it all.

this is very true, so I try not to think about it too much.

I remember a few years ago back when I still worked at the hospital........one of my patients happened to be a health inspector who went into all the restaurants in the city............well he said pull up a chair I will tell you some stories, and oh did he ever.
I knew exactly which restaurants were the filthiest ones to avoid!

 

[JVL1018]

I was a bank teller for a few years.
We did have a customer who was a stripper-she used to bring in her stacks of dollar bills. Ick.

I had one guy come in with his paycheck-had red stuff all over it.
I picked it up by the corner and said is this blood?? He replies, yes, but don't worry about it, it's dry now.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

Yuck...to all these stories...

How about going into Dollar Tree, and overhearing your cashier telling her boss (not really a whisper, I could hear her) while she is ringing up your stuff... "Don't fuss if I take off really fast...I've had the runs and been puking all morning. But I knew you were short today and came in anyway" .

I happened to be there with my 2 1/2 yr old that catches everything. Needless to say, I used hand sanitizer on my credit card and everything I bought that could be wiped down. And didn't touch anything else in that bag for a week.

 

[Ember]

You know, I once got yelled at for washing my hands when I worked at a coffee cafe. I was sick, so I would wash them each time I sneezed or coughed. Admittedly, I was washing my hands pretty often. I was working with food and drink so I always did the whole "sing two happy birthday's" trick to make sure I got most of the germs on my hands.

Then a person in line actually started making comments about how long I took. I glanced back and explained that I was just trying to keep others from getting sick and that I had sneezed into my hand (Eww!). The lady started berating me for making her wait. "It's not like your going to stir my coffee with your fingers, what's the problem?!" Direct quote.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

You 'picture' gunk? Or you actually see gunk? Because it's extremely likely someone with large(?) fingernails takes excellent care of them.

Not really. Fingernails harbor bacteria. That's why hospital staff have to have their nails trimmed and can't wear fake nails. It's also why the little scrub sponges for the OR have a nail brush on one side (sponge on the other). Fingernails are way dirtier than hands, no matter how often she gets a manicure.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Not really. Fingernails harbor bacteria. That's why hospital staff have to have their nails trimmed and can't wear fake nails. It's also why the little scrub sponges for the OR have a nail brush on one side (sponge on the other). Fingernails are way dirtier than hands, no matter how often she gets a manicure.

Zombie thread.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Boy, a few names in this thread brings back the memories...

 

[sonnyjane]

Zombie thread.

Zombies, I do not want YOUR saliva!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Zombie thread.

Oh my gosh. They get me every time. I really should avoid the links at the bottom of each page.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Zombie thread.

Oh my gosh. They get me every time. I really should avoid the links at the bottom of each page.

Oh my gosh, I didn't even notice! (And it wasn't even the bottom of the page that got me. It was right in the regular list by the time I saw it.)

But I guess it's still relevant, so:

I don't mind bagging my own groceries.

I actually always try to bag my own groceries. I like to group things in a certain way so it's easier for me to put everything away when I get home. For example, I have a pantry and a refrigerator in my basement. I put the stuff I know I'll be putting down there together, so I can just bring the bags straight downstairs.

I prefer bagging my own, too! And it's way more about efficiency of putting things away than germs. - I might not even have noticed the stuck bag thing, but I want all my cold stuff together!!

I think I like Aldi's as much for the fact that you bag your own as for the prices! (It's quite a bit farther for me, though, so I usually just go to the local place and suck it up. Unfortunately, they jump right in if you start to bag to own.)