# Sick people shopping GRRRRRR



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Stopped off at the store to pick up a couple things and was standing back, keeping distance from the register, the girl working was doing the same on her side of the counter. (I'm happy to see that the cashier doing all she can to keep distance from customers)

In walks a girl coughing and looking like death warmed over, sweating, and dark circles around her eyes. Cool weather so she should not have been sweating.

The cashier knew her and hollered over at her asking how come she wasn't at work. 

The girl says, "I'm to sick to be at work". :hair

I took a few side steps and without even thinking said, "Whatever she's got, I don't want it." 

Her friend at the register said, "I don't want it either" and took another step back. 

Small local store that does not sell even an aspirin, so she was not there to get meds. :runforhills:


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Man and young girl come into the restaurant to eat dinner.
(Linens on the table)
They sit in the back.
They look 'tired'....like it's been a long day.

LO AND BEHOLD MOM joins them.
She "just had to get out of the house, she was going stir crazy"
She had soup.
SHE WAS GREEN.......no lie, no exaggeration.
She HAD THE FLU!!!!!

SO when they left, we grabbed the table cloth at the corners. 
Picked up the table cloth (with gloves on) with EVERYTHING (plates, silverware, glasses, etc) on it and threw it ALL in the trash....and took the trash immediately to the bin outside.
We bleached the table, chairs, front doors, bathroom doors, walls and the entire bathroom. My boss was SO wizzed off I thought his head was going to spin off.

The Flu.
SHE was at the pharmacy filling her prescriptions and came to a restaurant for a bowl of soup.
WHAT?
THE FLU.

People are SO selfish. It's sickening.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

LZ5...now i got a new saying...thanks alot....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

You want to see sick people, try working at a pharmacy. LOL

Everyone always thinks I have a cold when it's just raging allergies. And ladies, no one needs to smell your perfume two aisles away. It's irritating to those of us with sensitive allergies.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I am not trying to defend sick people who go out. I agree that the best place for them is home. But, for some, they may have (or think) they have no other choice. For instance, those in an abusive relationship who fear a beating if they don't go out and do the shopping no matter how sick they are. Or the single mom who can just barely afford child care and gets no sick days off of work. Or someone new in an area that hasn't had the time yet to make friends who can do some shopping for them. These people I can see going out and rather than judge them, we need to have compassion on them, maybe even help if we can.

But, for those that go out because they choose to go out no matter how sick they are w/no regards to others, yes, they should not be out. It is not fair to the rest of the population.


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## Backyardcreek (Aug 24, 2014)

I understand there are situations that may require a person that is ill to go out in public. Yet a box of n95 masks & box of gloves are available in every drug store/ big box store. Yet in our society, it's everyone for his/her self. 
I exercise, take care of my well being, etc. & I do not care for the person who looks/sounds ill standing near me. I have others that depend on me so yes, I'm self serving.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

We ran across this all the time when we were self employed and paid dearly for other peoples indiscretions while sick.

More than once I would be waiting on a young mother with a small 4 year old child in tow and would hear the child cough. Not a clear your throat kind of cough but a deep wet bronchial type of explosive cough. No hand cover, no tissue in sight. I would comment saying "my that's a big cough for such a little guy" Momma would laugh and say "Yes, we just came from the doctor. He has strep throat. I have his prescription in my purse" :runforhills: I always step away from them at that point and get my husband to wait on them as I have had rheumatic fever twice in my youth and in all honesty, another bout of it would probably do me in.

We have also had people come into our business, get within 3 feet of us and announce that they are trying to get a cold when really they are coming down with the flu. Last bout of it closed our office for two weeks and laid us both out flat in bed with severe bronchitis. Funny thing was a year earlier the same family came in and gave us both H1N1. THAT wasn't fun at all.

Nothing surprises me anymore. Mainly it's ignorance that causes people to do this sort of thing. I sincerely believe that a lot of people not understand the science of virus or bacteria transmission. They always think that 'I can't spread anything.' when they go out and about. 

The best advice I can give is educate yourself as to how to protect yourself and others.


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## Mrs Katzenchix (Aug 19, 2005)

A few weeks ago while I was at Meijer looking at clothes someone walked up behind me and let out a loud sneeze that I felt on the back of my neck. I spun around just in time to see a woman walking briskly away. No excuse me, of course. I'd like to think the woman just didn't feel the sneeze coming on until she was right behind me, but it almost felt like a sneak attack.


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## no really (Aug 7, 2013)

Got one for you, my SIL, her 3 kids and I were shopping in Del Rio. We were waiting in line to check out when right in front of us a woman with a bunch of small children, one of them starts coughing, very plainly whooping cough! The kid was wandering along the line pretty much spraying everyone, we put down our stuff hustled the kids out and did the sanitize routine. Nearly the whole line evacuated.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Many people are selfish and if there is no penalty will do exactly what they please. That is why the whole Ebola thing is so scary...


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## Litlbits (Jan 6, 2014)

'Was reading this post earlier today then left to run a few errands, went to a store and the customer at the counter looked very sick, flushed face, weepy eyes, coughing, gravelly throat. UGH. Came home and scoured my hands, wiped down the steering wheel of my car along with the car door handles. Just wish people would stay home when they are sick!


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Tommyice said:


> You want to see sick people, try working at a pharmacy. LOL
> 
> Everyone always thinks I have a cold when it's just raging allergies. And ladies, no one needs to smell your perfume two aisles away. It's irritating to those of us with sensitive allergies.


Finally someone that understands!! Perfume and cigarette smoke just kills my allergies and triggers my asthma. The kids on my bus have learned to wait and put that stuff on when they get to school. Otherwise all the windows go down no matter what the weather.


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## happycat47111 (Nov 23, 2013)

OMG that reminded me of something! We were at the doctor's office a few months back and there was a pregnant woman working in the office. There was some horrible virus going around, and this chick would take out a can of aerosol Lysol and every single time someone would come up to the window, she'd spray for two minutes after they were gone. 

I complained. Told them flat out that if they have patients who come in who have severe allergies with asthma, homechick could trigger them. They didn't give a crap. Looked at me like I had three heads. We've since moved on from that practice. Turns out the whole shebang was lazy and worthless, front office to the back. But seeing her do that&#8230; it really ticked me off. People have no clue. 

And after reading something on another thread here about what happens in shopping carts&#8230; you know, where babies' bottoms go? I stopped using that little seat to stash my purse, my eggs, my produce. Everything goes IN the cart now. And I have to fasten the seat to the cart to keep from automatically putting stuff in it out of habit.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I can't stand to be around those that use a ton of perfume, smell like cigarette smoke, etc. Not only does it bother my allergies, but it can trigger a vertigo attack.


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## sdnapier (Aug 13, 2010)

Mrs Katzenchix said:


> A few weeks ago while I was at Meijer looking at clothes someone walked up behind me and let out a loud sneeze that I felt on the back of my neck. I spun around just in time to see a woman walking briskly away. No excuse me, of course. I'd like to think the woman just didn't feel the sneeze coming on until she was right behind me, but it almost felt like a sneak attack.


Ewww and double yuck! She would have heard about it from me.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Just want to clarify a point - if you want to keep a virus OUT, wear the N-95 mask. If you want to keep a cough IN, wear a regular mask. There is a difference in how the masks work, and an N-95 only traps particles one way, from the outside in.

I totally agree with both the cig smoke/perfume issue and the going out deliberately when you're sick. Please don't inflict it on the rest of us!


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

Litlbits said:


> 'Was reading this post earlier today then left to run a few errands, went to a store and the customer at the counter *looked very sick, flushed face, weepy eyes, coughing, gravelly throat. *UGH. Came home and scoured my hands, wiped down the steering wheel of my car along with the car door handles. Just wish people would stay home when they are sick!


You just described how I looked when I left work. Someone sprayed one of those horribly cloying perfumes as I was entering their prescription. It gave me great joy to tell her that she'd have to pay out of pocket since her insurance had terminated her. Then I promptly started sneezing and I haven't stopped since.


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

One reason I love the drive thru pharmacy in our town. I don't even have to get out to get meds


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

You wouldn't love that drive thru if you worked there. LOL 

For a pharmacist and techs, it is the worst thing ever invented because there are some people who think it should work like McDonalds drive thru.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Internet & mail order are so nice. ANd shop early in the morning or late at night, much fewer people about in the first place.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Yep. I'm at the store shopping at 730 am, home by 745. Love it.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

It's an unfortunate thing but a lot of sick people do go out in public and expose healthy people to whatever ails them. In an ideal world the sick people who have to go out would wear masks and gloves but they don't ... or won't ... or can't .... for various reasons known only to them. I think there's not much that can be done to forcibly confine sick people to their homes or force them to wear protective gear to prevent them from infecting the public when they go out. 

There is another option for healthy people to protect themselves in public if they are really concerned about the risks to their health. It would mean that those concerned people are the ones who need to take personal responsibility for their own health and they are the ones who need to wear masks and gloves and other protection when they're out in public.

When the SARS scare a few years back had so many people freaked out I saw hundreds of people in public wearing masks and gloves to protect themselves from becoming infected.


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## Becka (Mar 15, 2008)

I've found the best way to keep sick people away from me is to wear a mask. People see that, think I'M the sick one, freak out and keep their distance. You get funny stares, but it works!


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

When I was a cashier at a grocery store I had a mother bring a child, who was contagious with chicken pox, through my line. I never had them as a child and wound up getting them at age 26. It made me furious because I was also caring for my sick father at the time and wound up passing it on as shingles to him.


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## 36376 (Jan 24, 2009)

When someone tells me they are sick or don't feel well. I step back and tell them flat out to keep their distance because I can't afford to get sick. I went to visit a friend that had both knees replaced while she was in rehab. She hugged me and then less than 5 minutes later said that her stomach was upset and had been all day. I could have choked her!


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

I have family members that do that. Found out they were not home just because they were sick of work for the day but really sick gi issues and they had me come over to help them with something. ack.

for me a cold lasts forever. goes into sinus infection almost always so a 5 day cold can last weeks. A never ending sinus hangover sucks. I pull out all the stops but it still just takes time. a lot of it.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I don't worry about colds as much since a friend of mine told me to gargle with colloidial silver. At the first little niggling of a feeling of I might be coming down with something, I take a not quite full tblsp of cs and gargle with it for as long as I can stand it and then swallow. I very rarely get sick now when I used to stay sick all the time. Just one spoonful generally knocks it out and I feel fine the next day. Amazing stuff.


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

Tommyice said:


> You want to see sick people, try working at a pharmacy. LOL
> 
> Everyone always thinks I have a cold when it's just raging allergies. And ladies, no one needs to smell your perfume two aisles away. It's irritating to those of us with sensitive allergies.


I worked as a pharm tech for a while. I got sick all the time from handling the scripts, money, etc.


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

To play devil's advocate, it is important for people to be exposed every once in a while to some of the lesser ailments out there to keep their immune system thriving.

That being said...

People who go into public sick (and showing symptoms) really piss the hell out of me - my boss brings their filthy little urchin children to the office when they're sick instead of leaving them at home where they belong because they think they they might get kidnapped or some such bull. They cough and sneeze and wipe their grubby little nasty hands all over everything.

They have gotten everyone in our office sick at one point or another, resulting in lost productivity and lost money, all because they coddle them too much.

I love kids, and am great with them, but these kids are friggin' brats


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