Supermarkets - the Megathread

elperello

Just a suggestion but I think it might be easier to remove the bread and fruit etc. from their wrappings and dispose of the wrappings, then place the bread in new bags and the fruit in a bowl.

daydorunrun

Louche Lad wrote: »

Grapes in a plastic punnet, for example: I put a small amount of soap on the outside of the box and then wash and very quickly rinse with a huge amount of water. And bread, if it's wrapped in paper (e.g. Brennan's), again I'll put a very small dab of soap on the packet before rapidly rinsing off. So far I've not managed to ruin any bread, fruit etc. but I'm hoping that's enough to remove most of any potential viral particles.

You would have to wash the shopping while singing happy birthday twice for it to be effective Shirley?

Plumbthedepths

Wow, the fear is palatable here.

r93kaey5p2izun

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Wow, the fear is palatable here.

That's fine so. So long as it tastes good. A spoon full of sugar, and all that!

stephenjmcd

Wash my hands before leaving the house, use sanitizer on the way into the supermarket, use the sanitizer again when I'm done. Head home, wash the hands as soon as I get in the door and then put it away as usual.

So far so good

Plumbthedepths

Asa Magnificent Nut wrote: »

That's fine so. So long as it tastes good. A spoon full of sugar, and all that!

You clearly don't understand the comment. It was easy to create fear, not so easy to eradicate it.

r93kaey5p2izun

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

You clearly don't understand the comment. It was easy to create fear, not so easy to eradicate it.

That must be it so. My poor understanding.

Loveinapril

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

Yeah, that's the thing. I find it really mentally destructive, especially as someone with OCD. I'm afraid I'm never going to be able to stop, even long after this is over.

I am so sorry you are struggling with this. I suffer with manageable, medicated anxiety and am wondering the same. How will we ever feel comfortable going back to shaking strangers' hands, eating in restaurants, going on public transport etc. Even when someone leans to close to me to get something in the shop I squirm. I cannot imagine what someone with OCD is going through.

My daughter is growing fast and I need new pjs for her (her toes burst through her babygrows!). There is a real lack of stock online. Does anyone know if Tesco Clarehall is opening late?

Not sure why but really missing my shopping this morning. Was always first thing on a Saturday like clockwork, used to get me up and going. Haven’t got dressed before 3pm on a Saturday in weeks now.

Living Off The Splash

odyssey06 wrote: »

This plus bread, as you might not think to wash hands after taking out a slice and popping it in toaster.

Milk and orange juice cartons etc, as they have a layer of condensation on the outside, could be higher risk for virus droplets. Probably not going to think to wash hands between making cup of tea \ coffee and drinking it.

Anything non-perishable I leave in bags in boot of car for couple of days.

Same here. We give all packaging a wipe with anti bacterial wipe. Various grocery items are quarantined. Does anyone ever consider that clothing/shoes might pick up something when out?

I'm looking suspiciously at my plums and peaches that I bought the other day. Growing my own salad leaves so no need to worry about bought leaves that are not cooked.

iamwhoiam

Loveinapril wrote: »

I am so sorry you are struggling with this. I suffer with manageable, medicated anxiety and am wondering the same. How will we ever feel comfortable going back to shaking strangers' hands, eating in restaurants, going on public transport etc. Even when someone leans to close to me to get something in the shop I squirm. I cannot imagine what someone with OCD is going through.

My daughter is growing fast and I need new pjs for her (her toes burst through her babygrows!). There is a real lack of stock online. Does anyone know if Tesco Clarehall is opening late?

H and M have PJs online and nice summer clothes etc for kids

https://www2.hm.com/en_ie/kids/shop-by-product/baby-girls-size-4m-2y/nightwear.html

Princess Calla

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

Does anyone ever consider that clothing/shoes might pick up something when out?

I kick off my shoes as soon as I come into the house... I always have. First I think it was comfort, I'm tiny so always wore heels, now since kids are on the floor it's more germ focused... I don't make guests take off shoes, but it does cause anxiety

I put all my clothes I wear in the supermarket into the wash when I get home. Again I'm tiny so emptying the trolley and packing bags I spend the majority of the time stretched on my stomach across the counter. (my clothes are all put on clean before I go to the shop so I doubt I'm infecting anyone)

I also jump into the shower once groceries are unpacked.

This is why I can't start disinfecting the groceries, I'm already a looper. I shop in dunnes so elderly hour starts at 11, I'm there first thing in the believe that the groceries have been decontaminating themselves overnight anyway.

I hadn’t initially thought about the clothes thing but if it was something to watch then I’d have had this weeks ago.

lainey_d_123

Princess Calla wrote: »

I kick off my shoes as soon as I come into the house... I always have. First I think it was comfort, I'm tiny so always wore heels, now since kids are on the floor it's more germ focused... I don't make guests take off shoes, but it does cause anxiety

I put all my clothes I wear in the supermarket into the wash when I get home. Again I'm tiny so emptying the trolley and packing bags I spend the majority of the time stretched on my stomach across the counter. (my clothes are all put on clean before I go to the shop so I doubt I'm infecting anyone)

I also jump into the shower once groceries are unpacked.

This is why I can't start disinfecting the groceries, I'm already a looper. I shop in dunnes so elderly hour starts at 11, I'm there first thing in the believe that the groceries have been decontaminating themselves overnight anyway.

Jayz, I never let people wear shoes in my house in the first place. Mades me shudder thinking what they could have stepped in outside (spit, chewing gum, dog sh1t), and walking it all over my floors, where I go barefoot after a shower :eek:

I'm finding it harder since the weather has got warmer. When this kicked off, I was always in a big heavy coat and scarf so wasn't too bothered about my clothes touching anything. I'd just get the coat and scarf off and hang them up by the door. Now I'm more conscious of my clothes touching stuff in shops or whatever, I do tend to change out of them when I get home, but I also never did like wearing 'outside' clothes indoors, so not too much of a change.

What I'm finding is that my inside clothes are getting really threadbare from so much use. I have 3 pairs of joggers and 3 pairs of leggings, and about 6 cotton casual tops and they're all in bits from being worn all the time and washed loads. I have all these lovely clothes hanging up in the wardrobe and I'm sitting around in the same loungewear all the time. I'm almost wanting Primark (here in the UK) to reopen so I can go and get more.

loyatemu

just back from Aldi, bit of a queue but not too long a wait. Shelves well stocked - if anyone is looking for plain flour, Aldi have it in 16kg bags!

Usual selection of people with masks not pulled up over their noses; a couple shopping with one glove each (loads of couples shopping together actually); checkout person putting the groceries down so I practically have to climb under her plastic screen to get them.

Good article here that suggests that unless you're working there all day, the supermarkets aren't particularly high-risk.

lainey_d_123

loyatemu wrote: »

just back from Aldi, bit of a queue but not too long a wait. Shelves well stocked - if anyone is looking for plain flour, Aldi have it in 16kg bags!

Usual selection of people with masks not pulled up over their noses; a couple shopping with one glove each (loads of couples shopping together actually); checkout person putting the groceries down so I practically have to climb under her plastic screen to get them.

Good article here that suggests that unless you're working there all day, the supermarkets aren't particularly high-risk.

It suggests that surfaces in general are not really a risk. Has there been any confirmation that this virus can be transmitted through surfaces? In the call centre example, hardly anyone sitting a certain distance away from the infected person was infected, even though they surely all used the same lift buttons and door handles and so on.

I saw an article which said someone in Germany had passed it on through passing a salt shaker at a restaurant, but is it not far more likely it was from being in close quarters with the other people, in a confined space, for over an hour?

ShineOn7

stephenjmcd wrote: »

Wash my hands before leaving the house, use sanitizer on the way into the supermarket, use the sanitizer again when I'm done. Head home, wash the hands as soon as I get in the door and then put it away as usual.

So far so good

That's interesting as, if I remember right, you're a HSE worker Stephen?



And you're happy enough to not clean the shopping down before storing?

Town I'm in isn't too bad for Aldi and Lidl but the big Tesco regularly has a queue that looks like 40-50 people. Is it as bad/worse elsewhere around the country?

Plumbthedepths

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Town I'm in isn't too bad for Aldi and Lidl but the big Tesco regularly has a queue that looks like 40-50 people. Is it as bad/worse elsewhere around the country?

I have a choice of 3 towns within 12 miles of my home. The town I regularly go to rarely has a queue of more than 6/7. Might have something to do with the times I go, usually in the evening. Lidl/Aldi/Tesco/Dunnes and a Homesaver store.

NIMAN

ShineOn7 wrote: »

That's interesting as, if I remember right, you're a HSE worker Stephen?



And you're happy enough to not clean the shopping down before storing?

Did many do this?

When I first heard about it, I asked everyone I worked with and family, and not one person did it. And I don't know one person who tested positive or got any symptoms.

I think washing down your groceries was a tad OCD.

I heard of a friend of a friend who did it, who also took their clothes off the minute they got into the hall from work, and they always went straight to the shower before chatting to their family.

As I say, OCD.

rubadub

Deleted User wrote: »

Town I'm in isn't too bad for Aldi and Lidl but the big Tesco regularly has a queue that looks like 40-50 people. Is it as bad/worse elsewhere around the country?

The queue at my tesco moves quite fast, there are plenty of tills inside and when you are finished shoppping there is usually no queuing time at the till, I use the hand scanners.

So if it was a normal day I typically would have to queue at the tills for a while, which I find more annoying then being outside queing in the fresh air, even if for slightly longer.

I have only been to aldi twice and did have to queue in the shop a while, even though there was no queue outside. They seem to just put on enough staff to guarantee they are always busy. I have not been to aldi when there was a queue outside and did wonder if they put extra staff on to minimise queues at tills.

ongarite

What the rationale for washing your clothes???
By the same logic, if that's what you can call it, one should wash their clothes everything they go out for a walk as may come in contact with people breathing on them or disinfectant the seats, carpets, door trim of their car.

Being locked up all day must be triggering some people's paranoia and OCD..

Plumbthedepths

NIMAN wrote: »

Did many do this?

When I first heard about it, I asked everyone I worked with and family, and not one person did it. And I don't know one person who tested positive or got any symptoms.

I think washing down your groceries was a tad OCD.

I heard of a friend of a friend who did it, who also took their clothes off the minute they got into the hall from work, and they always went straight to the shower before chatting to their family.

As I say, OCD.

One of my colleagues described to me her routine when she goes home and how she interacts with her family. Depressing is a mild description of her behaviour. Living in such a heightened state of terror is not good for the individual or their family particularly children.

NIMAN

I'd agree, not good to display that level of panic to young kids.

The vast majority I'd say didn't strip at their front doors, wash their clothes when they got in from work, wiped down all their shopping etc, and the vast majority didn't catch it.

Go figure.

MadYaker

NIMAN wrote: »

Did many do this?

When I first heard about it, I asked everyone I worked with and family, and not one person did it. And I don't know one person who tested positive or got any symptoms.

I think washing down your groceries was a tad OCD.

I heard of a friend of a friend who did it, who also took their clothes off the minute they got into the hall from work, and they always went straight to the shower before chatting to their family.

As I say, OCD.

Probably just people who live with someone over 70 or with a health condition. Some pople are OCD though, guy that works with me washes his hands about 20 times a day, he can't stop!

NIMAN

MadYaker wrote: »

Probably just people who live with someone over 70 or with a health condition.

I don't remember ever hearing the CMO or anyone official tell anyone they should wash their clothes, take showers or wipe down their groceries.

Perhaps someone can provide a link to prove me wrong?

Wash hands, don't touch your face and cough into the elbow.....they were reiterated constantly.

stephenjmcd

ShineOn7 wrote: »

That's interesting as, if I remember right, you're a HSE worker Stephen?



And you're happy enough to not clean the shopping down before storing?

no I'm far from a HSE worker, work in IT. I've family who work in the HSE alright.

But yeah I see no reason to change what I've been doing.

odyssey06

NIMAN wrote: »

I don't remember ever hearing the CMO or anyone official tell anyone they should wash their clothes, take showers or wipe down their groceries.
Perhaps someone can provide a link to prove me wrong?
Wash hands, don't touch your face and cough into the elbow.....they were reiterated constantly.

The Irish Times has a good summary here... risk is deemed as low to very low to nonexistent -> it comes down to what level of risk you want to run with.
The virus can live on some surfaces for 72 hours.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/coronavirus-q-a-how-to-shop-safely-during-covid-19-1.4220019

NIMAN

odyssey06 wrote: »

The Irish Times has a good summary here... risk is deemed as low to very low to nonexistent -> it comes down to what level of risk you want to run with.
The virus can live on some surfaces for 72 hours.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/coronavirus-q-a-how-to-shop-safely-during-covid-19-1.4220019

Hardly official advice.

odyssey06

NIMAN wrote: »

Hardly official advice.

fair point - but CMO has been wrong on asymptomatic transmission and masks... maybe he's right on this one. Maybe he's wrong again.
It is feasible for the virus to transmit on shopping items.
I'm adopting the precautionary principle, not criticising anyone else for acting otherwise.

ShineOn7

stephenjmcd wrote: »

no I'm far from a HSE worker, work in IT. I've family who work in the HSE alright.

But yeah I see no reason to change what I've been doing.

Sorry, maybe that's where I got the HSE link from some previous posts

jlm29

NIMAN wrote: »

I don't remember ever hearing the CMO or anyone official tell anyone they should wash their clothes, take showers or wipe down their groceries.

Perhaps someone can provide a link to prove me wrong?

Wash hands, don't touch your face and cough into the elbow.....they were reiterated constantly.

The virologist, or whatever he was on Claire Byrne said that there might be a place for wiping down the groceries If there was someone vulnerable in the household. I can’t remember exactly what his credentials were, but he talked a lot of sense!

iamwhoiam

I am actually not sure why it would bother anyone if someone else is wiping their packages or shopping ? Surely its a choice for individuals and they are not asking others to do it ? I wipe my shopping down and packages I get delivered but what anyone else does is entirely up to them

fr336

Strangely all this has made me less OCD, instead of checking if I've locked the door 5 times I clean it once which I don't think is a big ask for piece of mind if nothing else.

fr336

OCD can be a serious mental illness but on the other side of the coin you have people who don't wash their hands properly if at all in normal times which I've never been able to get my head around. It's human 101!

lainey_d_123

NIMAN wrote: »

Did many do this?

When I first heard about it, I asked everyone I worked with and family, and not one person did it. And I don't know one person who tested positive or got any symptoms.

I think washing down your groceries was a tad OCD.

I heard of a friend of a friend who did it, who also took their clothes off the minute they got into the hall from work, and they always went straight to the shower before chatting to their family.

As I say, OCD.

Where are these people based, though? There are very, very few cases in some parts of Ireland, so the risk would be very low to start with.

I'm in London and there have been thousands upon thousands of cases here, so the chance of infected people being in supermarkets and touching stuff would be fairly high. I think caution when you're in a high risk area can't be dismissed as OCD, but it's hard to know how far to go with the caution.

I'm not sure why people are bothering with the clothes thing, really. I do tend to change as soon as I get in, but more out of comfort. I've never liked the idea of sitting on my couch or my bed in clothes I've worn on the tube/bus/wherever and sat in God knows what...it just doesn't seem very hygienic. Similar to wearing shoes indoors.

Princess Calla

NIMAN wrote: »

I don't remember ever hearing the CMO or anyone official tell anyone they should wash their clothes, take showers or wipe down their groceries.

Perhaps someone can provide a link to prove me wrong?

Wash hands, don't touch your face and cough into the elbow.....they were reiterated constantly.

I can only speak for myself and as I've said I'm abit of a looper. I'm not following anyone's advice only my own irrationality.

I wash my clothes when I get home as I'm leaning over the trolley and counter etc.. Yes I'm aware it's a tiny risk but I've small children that cuddle into me sitting watching TV so I wouldn't be comfortable wearing the clothes... Its not a big inconvenience and god knows I've plenty of spare clothes.

I shower for two separate reasons.. I've long hair and even tied back god only knows what it's touched... I couldn't go to bed with it not washed as my thought process is... Any germs are on my pillow... I'm now breathing the germs in my sleep....this is not a new thing for me

Second reason is abit gross, but a shower usually clears the sinuses, so my thinking, if I have breathed anything in it will get flushed out before it can go further.... I have no scientific reasoning on this, but hey no harm.

I'm also usually frazzled by the time I get home so a shower is nice and also washes my face, if I have happened to touch it etc.

I don't wipe groceries down as I went germ crazy on my first pregnancy (though to see my house you wouldn't think it) and I know I'm crazy and I'm trying to reign it in so I just can't introduce anything else.

Plumbthedepths

Princess Calla wrote: »

I can only speak for myself and as I've said I'm abit of a looper. I'm not following anyone's advice only my own irrationality.

I wash my clothes when I get home as I'm leaning over the trolley and counter etc.. Yes I'm aware it's a tiny risk but I've small children that cuddle into me sitting watching TV so I wouldn't be comfortable wearing the clothes... Its not a big inconvenience and god knows I've plenty of spare clothes.

I shower for two separate reasons.. I've long hair and even tied back god only knows what it's touched... I couldn't go to bed with it not washed as my thought process is... Any germs are on my pillow... I'm now breathing the germs in my sleep....this is not a new thing for me

Second reason is abit gross, but a shower usually clears the sinuses, so my thinking, if I have breathed anything in it will get flushed out before it can go further.... I have no scientific reasoning on this, but hey no harm.

I'm also usually frazzled by the time I get home so a shower is nice and also washes my face, if I have happened to touch it etc.

I don't wipe groceries down as I went germ crazy on my first pregnancy (though to see my house you wouldn't think it) and I know I'm crazy and I'm trying to reign it in so I just can't introduce anything else.

Wow. I wish you well but that's not good .

lainey_d_123

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Wow. I wish you well but that's not good .

This is enormously tough for anyone with OCD or anxiety issues. You know how everyone feels anxious at the moment and worries about getting sick? Magnify that by about 100 to even begin to know what it's like for people with actual mental health issues around hygiene and germs.

I think a lot of us know we might be going too far, but a global pandemic isn't the time for shock therapy. I think if people can do things to make themselves feel better, then that's what matters, even if it seems illogical or silly.

I've put some limits in place for myself, but there are still things I do like spraying the taps with disinfectant after washing my hands (having come in from outside), wiping down door handles and wiping groceries. Probably more than most people are doing, but if it gives me peace of mind and lets me relax at home feeling like everything is clean and safe, that's what matters, imo. It's a constant balancing act between not letting anxiety take over, and not feeling uncomfortable in your own home because you're not happy that things are safe.

Muahahaha

jlm29 wrote: »

I was doing cleaning it down, but then some expert dude on Claire Byrne said there was no need. And I read the same thing in a few places. So I stopped. Because we’re a family of six and it was destroying my soul.

At the beginning I thought about washing the shopping down but to be honest I dont think anyone would be able to get rid of every germ upon it without the use of a dark room and a UV light to see what is on it. My thinking was that without a UV light you are just doing it blind and you're always going to miss a bit so the exercise would be pointless.

Princess Calla wrote: »

Do you think when the garden centres etc open up the supermarkets will be less busy?

Maybe so. Though I read Lidls magazine and they are selling a lot of DIY stuff like power tools and paint from Thursday

fryup

i wonder how many retail staff out there have covid without showing any symptoms??

styron

fryup wrote: »

i wonder how many retail staff out there have covid without showing any symptoms??

Combined Aldi and Lidl have stated 24 of their 9200+ staff in Ireland have had Covid 19: 0.26%, around 1 in 380. Other stores appear to be similar.

wonski

fryup wrote: »

i wonder how many retail staff out there have covid without showing any symptoms??

People without symptoms would not generally be tested so You will never find out tbh

Plumbthedepths

styron wrote: »

Combined Aldi and Lidl have stated 24 of their 9200+ staff in Ireland have had Covid 19: 0.26%, around 1 in 380. Other stores appear to be similar.

Goes to show the hysteria some display about Supermarkets is misplaced.

Caranica

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Goes to show the hysteria some display about Supermarkets is misplaced.

Not necessarily. There are no stats of how many people picked it up at the Supermarket.

stephenjmcd

Caranica wrote: »

Not necessarily. There are no stats of how many people picked it up at the Supermarket.

The staff are there for what 8 hours a day or more. If people were picking it up in the supermarkets then so would the staff seeing as they've hours of exposure, touching surfaces, dealing with the public etc

You'll never know how many picked it up in a supermarket but the staff are an extremely good gauge

Plumbthedepths

Caranica wrote: »

Not necessarily. There are no stats of how many people picked it up at the Supermarket.

Staff infection rate is a good indication tbh. Considering their exposure to hundreds every day. As I said the hysteria was misplaced.

Edit, Stephen's is more informative.

stephenjmcd

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Staff infection rate is a good indication tbh. Considering their exposure to hundreds every day. As I said the hysteria was misplaced.

Edit, Stephen's is more informative.

I agree, longer exposure to multiples of customers and colleagues. You'd know if a supermarket had an outbreak, it wouldn't be open.

odyssey06

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Staff infection rate is a good indication tbh. Considering their exposure to hundreds every day. As I said the hysteria was misplaced.

What hysteria?
Even if it has turned out to be the case that they are not risky, that doesn't mean previous concerns were hysterical. Remember also supermarkets have taken measures to protect staff

Had they turned out to be risky, one could be concerned without beng hysterical.

Retro.

stephenjmcd wrote: »

The staff are there for what 8 hours a day or more. If people were picking it up in the supermarkets then so would the staff seeing as they've hours of exposure, touching surfaces, dealing with the public etc

You'll never know how many picked it up in a supermarket but the staff are an extremely good gauge

Stuff are mostly wearing gloves and behind screens

That's why they're not getting it