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Hey, everyone, it's been a while since I posted anything. A combination of COVID stress & depression. I'm finally crawling back out of the hell hole of the past year and change.
That said, I've got some stories banked up to share, which I hope to get typed up in the next couple of weeks.
For most part, my bad COVID interactions were all with other people in the grocery store or getting take out from local restaurants. Mostly because we stopped going anywhere else entirely. Let's start with grocery stores.
Social Distancing, how does it work?
There were many instances of either people squeezing past me or forcing closed a walkway so it was squeeze past or stand and wait. I'm going to focus on the major incidents, where things went weird:
Incident the first:
This took place in late spring of 2020. The beginning of the major lockdown in my state, when I had also been laid off, so I was home all the time and could shop during the day. I was masked, heavily sanitized my hands & cart, and was often the youngest person shopping by a couple decades, because I would go in just after the morning 'Senior Hour' the local grocery stores implemented.
The stores also switched to cutting lunch meat at the deli in advance. They put out a cooler case of pre-cut portions to reduce waiting in line and personal interactions. Generally super handy. I wanted to grab some lunch meat, but the case was mobbed when I first got in, so I saved it for last and swung back around with my full cart. There was a woman standing in front of the case, so I wait. And wait. And wait... for several minutes. I am finally disgruntled enough to say something when she twitches, and walks away without taking anything from the case.
I step up, start looking at what is left, and reach in to grab a pack of ham. As I do, I see someone else's hand reaching between my elbow and ribs to grab the pack of ham out from under my own hand.
I wouldn't have been comfortable with that particular violation of my personal space before COVID was a thing. Never mind in the midst of it! I backed away rapidly and whipped around to see it was the woman who had spent all that time standing there staring at the case.
Me: What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea how social distancing works, lady?
Loony Lady: I am distancing! I never got closer than 6 feet! I just needed some ham!
Me: *continuing to back away with my cart* You reached between my arm and my body. That's far less than 6 feet. I don't care if you want to endanger your own health, but don't endanger mine. Get your ham and stay away from me.
Loony Lady then grabs her cart and beelines right at me, so I back further away, she keeps coming.
Me: *Now out of space to back up because I'm in the corner of the store* Stay away from me. I don't trust you to be safe and you're clearly breaking social distancing rules.
Loony Lady: *shouting as she rams her cart into mine* I just wanted to apologize. I'm safe! I don't have it! I didn't get close to you! You're a liar!
Me: Stop coming so close and back off.
Loony Lady: *holding one arm to the side and pointing up and down it with the other* I wasn't too close! See! Arm's reach, that's 7 FEET right there.
Me:
You think your arms are 7 feet long? I just... Okay. Then please stay at least 14 feet away from me. I don't trust you to be safe and I don't want you near me.
Loony Lady: You're f***ing rude. You should be NICE TO ME! I'M JUST AN OLD WOMAN TRYING TO SAY SORRY!
Me: Great. You said sorry. Now get the f*** away from me and stay away.
At which point she proceeded to follow me all the way to the registers while shouting "Sorry you're so scared of someone being nice!" over and over. Which did have the benefit of attracting everyone else's attention and a manager intervening to pull her aside while I rang out on a self checkout register and got out while she was still distracted with loudly telling them how rude I was.
Incident the second:
Same store, different day. The stores here all had one way traffic on the aisles for increasing the ability to social distance. It didn't work out great, though most people could handle the concept.
Having walked through nearly the entire store, including several aisles I didn't need to be on except for maintaining one way traffic, I was finally about done. The woman who had been in front me for the last third of the store was alone with her three children. The youngest, who looked about 2 years old, was having a tantrum. I understood the kid's feelings on the matter.
As we get to the end of the aisle, a cart comes whipping around the corner against the one way traffic. The guy pushing the cart nearly hit the oldest kid who was in front of his mother's cart.
The guy pushing the wrong-way cart snaps out a condescendingly toned "Watch where you're going!" as he passes by both of us, to grab a box of crackers from the middle of the aisle.
The woman with the kids in front of me looks at him, looks at me, we both roll our eyes and I say, to her, "One way is a concept which is really hard for some people. Just look at how badly they handle one way streets." We both chuckle and she moves on around to the next aisle.
A few minutes later, I need to actually place an order at the deli cheese counter, since I need some specialty products to manage my allergies. I'm standing in the socially distanced line waiting when I hear from behind me:
Wrong Way Man: What did you say to me earlier, f*** face?
Me: *turning to see who it is* I didn't say anything to you. I did observe to a different customer that 'one way is tough concept for some people'. But that comment was not made to you.
Wrong Way Man: THERE ARE NO ONE WAY AISLES, HERE, MORON!
Me: *pointing between his feet* Then why is there a 'Wrong Way' sign on the floor right there? *pointing at eye level next to him* Why are there signs on all the aisles saying one way with arrows and wrong way warnings on the back?
Wrong Way Man: I'M WEARING A MASK, YOU F***! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
Me: I'm wearing mask, too. Great. You met the bare minimum requirements for being in the presence of other people right now. You want to be safe in a pandemic? Then obey all of the rules like social distancing and one way aisles in stores where they are marked. If a woman alone with three kids, one of whom is having a tantrum can do it, then so can you.
Wrong Way Man: F*** YOU! YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY. YOU DON'T EVEN WORK HERE!
Me: If you're out in public and ignoring the rules put in place for everyone's safety, including your own, then expect to get called on it. If you really want to get home safely to your family, then follow the rules which are designed to protect you. For all you know, I might have COVID and be asymptomatic. Getting too close to me might kill you and your family when you bring it home to them. And, really, this whole thing is over something I said like 10 minutes ago to someone else entirely.
Wrong Way Man: Maybe you should just mind your own f***ing business.
Me: You're out wandering around in a place full of other people, ignoring the rules set up for everyone's safety. So you made it the business of everyone around you by being unsafe while claiming you want to be safe. If you don't like people commenting on it, then obey the rules.
Wrong Way Man: F*** you! Shut the f*** up! *storms off*
I saw him again at the checkouts where he literally growled in my direction before ignoring me. And then tried to exit through the 'Enter Only' doors and had to be corrected by an employee. Who pointed out the eye level signs on the inside of the doors telling you to go the other way.
Incident the third:
While shopping with my wife, wherein I am reduced to the position of beast of burden unless otherwise asked, I was observing a woman who seemed very unaware of the world around her, as she wandered around the produce section. She kept drifting up next to people who would back away and the woman didn't even seem to notice. As I watched, she pulled her mask down to go rooting around in her nostrils with a finger. Which she then promptly smeared across the cantaloupe next to her. Super gross, disgusting, and unsanitary in the pre-pandemic world. During a pandemic... yikes.
I pointed it out to my wife, had her keep people away from the cantaloupes when the woman moved on, and went to flag down an employee. When I got back, the odd woman was in the cooler section of the produce dept. opening sealed containers to sample food. At which point, everyone nearby was watching. As the employee was coming over, the woman started walking around to the people asking them to take a taste of things to get their opinions on which was better. She looked really confused when people were backing away and telling her to stop.
The last I saw, there were several employees with the woman and they were taking off into an office space. I'm hoping they found someone to get her the help she clearly needed.
That said, I've got some stories banked up to share, which I hope to get typed up in the next couple of weeks.
For most part, my bad COVID interactions were all with other people in the grocery store or getting take out from local restaurants. Mostly because we stopped going anywhere else entirely. Let's start with grocery stores.
Social Distancing, how does it work?
There were many instances of either people squeezing past me or forcing closed a walkway so it was squeeze past or stand and wait. I'm going to focus on the major incidents, where things went weird:
Incident the first:
This took place in late spring of 2020. The beginning of the major lockdown in my state, when I had also been laid off, so I was home all the time and could shop during the day. I was masked, heavily sanitized my hands & cart, and was often the youngest person shopping by a couple decades, because I would go in just after the morning 'Senior Hour' the local grocery stores implemented.
The stores also switched to cutting lunch meat at the deli in advance. They put out a cooler case of pre-cut portions to reduce waiting in line and personal interactions. Generally super handy. I wanted to grab some lunch meat, but the case was mobbed when I first got in, so I saved it for last and swung back around with my full cart. There was a woman standing in front of the case, so I wait. And wait. And wait... for several minutes. I am finally disgruntled enough to say something when she twitches, and walks away without taking anything from the case.
I step up, start looking at what is left, and reach in to grab a pack of ham. As I do, I see someone else's hand reaching between my elbow and ribs to grab the pack of ham out from under my own hand.
I wouldn't have been comfortable with that particular violation of my personal space before COVID was a thing. Never mind in the midst of it! I backed away rapidly and whipped around to see it was the woman who had spent all that time standing there staring at the case.
Me: What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea how social distancing works, lady?
Loony Lady: I am distancing! I never got closer than 6 feet! I just needed some ham!
Me: *continuing to back away with my cart* You reached between my arm and my body. That's far less than 6 feet. I don't care if you want to endanger your own health, but don't endanger mine. Get your ham and stay away from me.
Loony Lady then grabs her cart and beelines right at me, so I back further away, she keeps coming.
Me: *Now out of space to back up because I'm in the corner of the store* Stay away from me. I don't trust you to be safe and you're clearly breaking social distancing rules.
Loony Lady: *shouting as she rams her cart into mine* I just wanted to apologize. I'm safe! I don't have it! I didn't get close to you! You're a liar!
Me: Stop coming so close and back off.
Loony Lady: *holding one arm to the side and pointing up and down it with the other* I wasn't too close! See! Arm's reach, that's 7 FEET right there.
Me:
You think your arms are 7 feet long? I just... Okay. Then please stay at least 14 feet away from me. I don't trust you to be safe and I don't want you near me.Loony Lady: You're f***ing rude. You should be NICE TO ME! I'M JUST AN OLD WOMAN TRYING TO SAY SORRY!
Me: Great. You said sorry. Now get the f*** away from me and stay away.
At which point she proceeded to follow me all the way to the registers while shouting "Sorry you're so scared of someone being nice!" over and over. Which did have the benefit of attracting everyone else's attention and a manager intervening to pull her aside while I rang out on a self checkout register and got out while she was still distracted with loudly telling them how rude I was.
Incident the second:
Same store, different day. The stores here all had one way traffic on the aisles for increasing the ability to social distance. It didn't work out great, though most people could handle the concept.
Having walked through nearly the entire store, including several aisles I didn't need to be on except for maintaining one way traffic, I was finally about done. The woman who had been in front me for the last third of the store was alone with her three children. The youngest, who looked about 2 years old, was having a tantrum. I understood the kid's feelings on the matter.
As we get to the end of the aisle, a cart comes whipping around the corner against the one way traffic. The guy pushing the cart nearly hit the oldest kid who was in front of his mother's cart.
The guy pushing the wrong-way cart snaps out a condescendingly toned "Watch where you're going!" as he passes by both of us, to grab a box of crackers from the middle of the aisle.
The woman with the kids in front of me looks at him, looks at me, we both roll our eyes and I say, to her, "One way is a concept which is really hard for some people. Just look at how badly they handle one way streets." We both chuckle and she moves on around to the next aisle.
A few minutes later, I need to actually place an order at the deli cheese counter, since I need some specialty products to manage my allergies. I'm standing in the socially distanced line waiting when I hear from behind me:
Wrong Way Man: What did you say to me earlier, f*** face?
Me: *turning to see who it is* I didn't say anything to you. I did observe to a different customer that 'one way is tough concept for some people'. But that comment was not made to you.
Wrong Way Man: THERE ARE NO ONE WAY AISLES, HERE, MORON!
Me: *pointing between his feet* Then why is there a 'Wrong Way' sign on the floor right there? *pointing at eye level next to him* Why are there signs on all the aisles saying one way with arrows and wrong way warnings on the back?
Wrong Way Man: I'M WEARING A MASK, YOU F***! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
Me: I'm wearing mask, too. Great. You met the bare minimum requirements for being in the presence of other people right now. You want to be safe in a pandemic? Then obey all of the rules like social distancing and one way aisles in stores where they are marked. If a woman alone with three kids, one of whom is having a tantrum can do it, then so can you.
Wrong Way Man: F*** YOU! YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY. YOU DON'T EVEN WORK HERE!
Me: If you're out in public and ignoring the rules put in place for everyone's safety, including your own, then expect to get called on it. If you really want to get home safely to your family, then follow the rules which are designed to protect you. For all you know, I might have COVID and be asymptomatic. Getting too close to me might kill you and your family when you bring it home to them. And, really, this whole thing is over something I said like 10 minutes ago to someone else entirely.
Wrong Way Man: Maybe you should just mind your own f***ing business.
Me: You're out wandering around in a place full of other people, ignoring the rules set up for everyone's safety. So you made it the business of everyone around you by being unsafe while claiming you want to be safe. If you don't like people commenting on it, then obey the rules.
Wrong Way Man: F*** you! Shut the f*** up! *storms off*
I saw him again at the checkouts where he literally growled in my direction before ignoring me. And then tried to exit through the 'Enter Only' doors and had to be corrected by an employee. Who pointed out the eye level signs on the inside of the doors telling you to go the other way.
Incident the third:
While shopping with my wife, wherein I am reduced to the position of beast of burden unless otherwise asked, I was observing a woman who seemed very unaware of the world around her, as she wandered around the produce section. She kept drifting up next to people who would back away and the woman didn't even seem to notice. As I watched, she pulled her mask down to go rooting around in her nostrils with a finger. Which she then promptly smeared across the cantaloupe next to her. Super gross, disgusting, and unsanitary in the pre-pandemic world. During a pandemic... yikes.
I pointed it out to my wife, had her keep people away from the cantaloupes when the woman moved on, and went to flag down an employee. When I got back, the odd woman was in the cooler section of the produce dept. opening sealed containers to sample food. At which point, everyone nearby was watching. As the employee was coming over, the woman started walking around to the people asking them to take a taste of things to get their opinions on which was better. She looked really confused when people were backing away and telling her to stop.
The last I saw, there were several employees with the woman and they were taking off into an office space. I'm hoping they found someone to get her the help she clearly needed.
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