Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

This is the place for general and miscellaneous posts on topics which might extend past the boundaries of any specific region. No non-grocery posts.
Alpha8472
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Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by Alpha8472 »

I have never heard of this before. It is like a giant sneezeguard.

However the cashier has no shield to their back and they are still less than 3 feet away to the next lane of customers.
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by BillyGr »

Alpha8472 wrote: March 24th, 2020, 5:54 am I have never heard of this before. It is like a giant sneezeguard.

However the cashier has no shield to their back and they are still less than 3 feet away to the next lane of customers.
Seems that would be fairly easy to overcome, by only using every other register (which shouldn't be too hard, as many places don't usually have all registers working at the same time anyhow).
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by storewanderer »

I am thinking those plastic shields are a giant germ center. I would not want to get near one. But I'm not sure how much different the self checkout machine I am willing to get near is... oh well. I pity whoever has to clean them. Maybe they can detach them and dump them in boiling water/bleach to clean.
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by mbz321 »

storewanderer wrote: March 24th, 2020, 8:58 pm I am thinking those plastic shields are a giant germ center. I would not want to get near one. But I'm not sure how much different the self checkout machine I am willing to get near is... oh well. I pity whoever has to clean them. Maybe they can detach them and dump them in boiling water/bleach to clean.

This is the most ridiculous post I have seen. There are germs everywhere in a supermarket. Don't lick the plexiglass and you will be fine. I'm sure the cashier appreciates not being coughed/sneezed on.

Back on topic, the Costco I work at put up guards for the cashiers by creatively cannibalizing the plexiglass from the pop-up Seafood sale display cases.
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by storewanderer »

mbz321 wrote: March 25th, 2020, 1:25 pm
storewanderer wrote: March 24th, 2020, 8:58 pm I am thinking those plastic shields are a giant germ center. I would not want to get near one. But I'm not sure how much different the self checkout machine I am willing to get near is... oh well. I pity whoever has to clean them. Maybe they can detach them and dump them in boiling water/bleach to clean.

This is the most ridiculous post I have seen. There are germs everywhere in a supermarket. Don't lick the plexiglass and you will be fine. I'm sure the cashier appreciates not being coughed/sneezed on.

Back on topic, the Costco I work at put up guards for the cashiers by creatively cannibalizing the plexiglass from the pop-up Seafood sale display cases.
Well if you breath onto that plexiglass from the customer side since it is literally a couple inches from your face if you are standing in front of it, some of the condensation from the air from your mouth is going to stick to it. Unless this is unique to me and I am just really full of hot air. Which, maybe. But so are many other people. So, the same goes for the other customers who were there. And if one is sick...

So now as you breath onto that plexiglass from the customer side are the particles from other customers (who are potentially infected) then jumping off and coming into contact with your nose/mouth?

I never said it was bad for the cashier... they are also not nearly as close to it as they speak... plus that is one or two cashiers speaking into it over the course of a day. Vs. hundreds of customers. Big difference.

Personally I'd get away from this plexiglass in short order while checking out. I would definitely not stand directly in front of it nor speak into it.
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by Alpha8472 »

The plexiglass is mostly to protect the cashier who is subjected to coughing and sneezing customers all day long. This is similar to the sneeze guards at buffets. It is not 100 percent protection, but it does limit some of the germs from getting through. It is better that these particles deflect or stick to the surface than go into the cashier's lungs or eyes. The coronavirus enters through the mouth, nose, and eyes. You need eye protection as was learned by doctors treating patients in China who caught the virus even while wearing masks. It entered through their eyes.

What people need are far UVC lights. This type of light will kill airborne germs and germs on surfaces. Far UVC is different than the other UVC of 254 nm. Far UVC cannot penetrate outer layers of skin or the surface of the eye. Many hospitals are using robotic machines to sterilize their interiors with UVC light. It is effective at killing bacteria and coronavirus.

One day these lights can be installed in hospital waiting rooms and on airplanes. They can be switched on between flights and sterilize planes.
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by storewanderer »

I am surprised they don't also put a plexiglass down at the very edge of the checkstand to protect the bagger from the germs...
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by Alpha8472 »

I have seen other supermarkets in other areas with taller and longer plexiglass that covers the entire checkstand on the news. The Safeway design is bad, because the credit card reader would be behind the glass if the glass were all the way down the checkstand.
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by SamSpade »

In case anyone needed a visual of what these look like - here is Harmon's grocery from Utah:
https://twitter.com/HarmonsGrocery/stat ... 2537823235
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Re: Safeway Installs Plexiglass Barriers At Checkouts

Post by klkla »

Gelson's in Hollywood has them now, as well. It seemed to work well enough.
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