Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

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storewanderer
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by storewanderer »

Was in Costco today. About 85% of customers still wear masks inside. Also if you want to go to the pharmacy counter you must still wear a mask (but nowhere else in the store).

Of course there was a woman walking around some aisles coughing with no mask on. I encountered her again 10 minutes later. At that point, she was in the clothing area. I watched her cough all over clothing she was looking at, briefly hold her hand up to catch one of the coughs, then start rummaging through the clothing again with the same hand.

Yep... lovely.

Maybe in a few days we will all have a better understanding of why the CDC made this abrupt change on masks.
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by HCal »

The CDC's guidelines may be scientifically sound, but they failed to consider the practical reality of the situation. There is no way of knowing who is vaccinated and who isn't, and it's very likely that there is a significant overlap between "antivaxxers" and "anti-maskers". So this change essentially makes masks voluntary.

California still has the mask mandate in place, but I imagine it will now be even harder for stores to enforce, not that very many of them were doing so to begin with. I'm cautiously hopeful that enough people are vaccinated to prevent another wave.
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by Super S »

Alpha8472 wrote: May 15th, 2021, 8:43 pm The mask dropping policies seem to be for economic reasons. Some of these stores do not want to turn away customers for a lack of mask. They just want to make as many sales as possible.

There is a little more going on. Stores have been inconsistent with enforcing the mandate. And due to the inconsistency, there have been many confrontational situations. Not just yelling, but in some cases upset customers have been kicking over displays and even making death threats. Some retail businesses have lost staff due to workers being expected to play the role of mask cop, which has added to the stress of understaffing at some stores. Long waits have become common at all types of retail establishments as those looking for work have decided that confrontational situations aren't worth lower pay in some cases.

As for economic reasons, some businesses have slowed way down as people have exhausted their stimulus money, and in some cases, those who are irresponsible have started returning items purchased with stimulus money as they realize they need to use that money to pay bills. Some stores are not placing many restrictions on this and the return lines in some stores right now are like the days after Christmas.
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by veteran+ »

storewanderer wrote: May 15th, 2021, 9:01 pm Was in Costco today. About 85% of customers still wear masks inside. Also if you want to go to the pharmacy counter you must still wear a mask (but nowhere else in the store).

Of course there was a woman walking around some aisles coughing with no mask on. I encountered her again 10 minutes later. At that point, she was in the clothing area. I watched her cough all over clothing she was looking at, briefly hold her hand up to catch one of the coughs, then start rummaging through the clothing again with the same hand.

Yep... lovely.

Maybe in a few days we will all have a better understanding of why the CDC made this abrupt change on masks.


"We" are such a lovely species.............aren't we?
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: May 15th, 2021, 9:01 pm Of course there was a woman walking around some aisles coughing with no mask on. I encountered her again 10 minutes later. At that point, she was in the clothing area. I watched her cough all over clothing she was looking at, briefly hold her hand up to catch one of the coughs, then start rummaging through the clothing again with the same hand.
Do note, though, that someone coughing may very well have nothing to do with this virus. For instance, I know of someone who will start coughing just from their throat getting dry, and it often takes a couple minutes to get it to stop (with cough drops or something to provide moisture). In a case like that, there is no danger of getting something.
Same idea with those who walk outdoors and sneeze from the sun.

Now, there's no way to know what the issue was in this case, but just a general thought that these symptoms can occur from many reasons.
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

I agree that the KN-95 is much easier to wear than the plain surgical mask for a long period of time because the bulk of the mask itself doesn't really come in direct contact with your face. Rather it forms sort of a cup over your nose and mouth. Aside from politics and some Americans "rugged individualism"-(tongue in cheek intended) I never understood what the big deal is about wearing a mask in the first place or getting vaccinated for that matter. I mean look at it this way-the anti maskers/vaxxers on the surface appear very selfish by not going along with the program. But think about this-isn't the joke really on them because wearing masks and getting vaccinated does help society overall BUT it first and foremost helps the individual. Right-wing "logic" is just so much fun to try and decode at times. :roll:
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by storewanderer »

BillyGr wrote: May 16th, 2021, 8:48 am
storewanderer wrote: May 15th, 2021, 9:01 pm Of course there was a woman walking around some aisles coughing with no mask on. I encountered her again 10 minutes later. At that point, she was in the clothing area. I watched her cough all over clothing she was looking at, briefly hold her hand up to catch one of the coughs, then start rummaging through the clothing again with the same hand.
Do note, though, that someone coughing may very well have nothing to do with this virus. For instance, I know of someone who will start coughing just from their throat getting dry, and it often takes a couple minutes to get it to stop (with cough drops or something to provide moisture). In a case like that, there is no danger of getting something.
Same idea with those who walk outdoors and sneeze from the sun.

Now, there's no way to know what the issue was in this case, but just a general thought that these symptoms can occur from many reasons.
Yes, we have dry air. It is allergy season. There are many potential reasons. Still, seeing someone, in a store, with no mask, coughing multiple times over a time period, is bad.

I was in a grocery store deli last week. I waited 10-15 minutes to get helped since they were understaffed and the new employee didn't seem to be too well trained and there was a customer there who had less than $10 of total deli purchases in the end but seemed like she just had one request and one question after another, then she wanted to pay for her items in the deli, despite she could have walked a few steps to self checkout which had no line, which created another challenge, then kept trying to pay with a gift card that wouldn't swipe. So I had to wait a long time. While there about 10 minutes in the employee for the sushi (contracted) bent down and hid under the counter and went into a coughing spell for about 45 seconds (mask on). Did not hear it again the rest of the time I was there, so didn't think much of it.
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by pseudo3d »

Super S wrote: May 16th, 2021, 7:23 am
Alpha8472 wrote: May 15th, 2021, 8:43 pm The mask dropping policies seem to be for economic reasons. Some of these stores do not want to turn away customers for a lack of mask. They just want to make as many sales as possible.

Some retail businesses have lost staff due to workers being expected to play the role of mask cop
That was always a difficult position, as you got some poor schmuck who never signed up to the role to harass customers (or worst, get into angry confrontations with--retail stores have over the years have trained non-LP officers to avoid confrontation, especially in a potentially violent one) or worse, someone craves power and will use that to bad ends.
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by veteran+ »

pseudo3d wrote: May 16th, 2021, 11:17 am
Super S wrote: May 16th, 2021, 7:23 am
Alpha8472 wrote: May 15th, 2021, 8:43 pm The mask dropping policies seem to be for economic reasons. Some of these stores do not want to turn away customers for a lack of mask. They just want to make as many sales as possible.

Some retail businesses have lost staff due to workers being expected to play the role of mask cop
That was always a difficult position, as you got some poor schmuck who never signed up to the role to harass customers (or worst, get into angry confrontations with--retail stores have over the years have trained non-LP officers to avoid confrontation, especially in a potentially violent one) or worse, someone craves power and will use that to bad ends.
Perhaps "harass" is not the best choice of words.

Asking a customer to follow policy is not harassment. If they feel harassed because of that they should leave and go to another store or perhaps open up their own store.

Shirt on? don't like it, leave.

Shoes on? don't like it , leave.

Mask on? don't like it, leave.
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Re: Stores Dropping Mask Requirements

Post by storewanderer »

veteran+ wrote: May 16th, 2021, 4:34 pm Perhaps "harass" is not the best choice of words.

Asking a customer to follow policy is not harassment. If they feel harassed because of that they should leave and go to another store or perhaps open up their own store.

Shirt on? don't like it, leave.

Shoes on? don't like it , leave.

Mask on? don't like it, leave.
Safeway and Raleys have removed mask required signage today. In those two stores everyone still had a mask on...

Smiths put up a new handwritten orange poster board sign "PER SMITH'S POLICY ALL CUSTOMERS MUST WEAR A FACE MASK WHILE SHOPPING AT SMITH'S."

Nobody was monitoring it and multiple people had no mask on. Still more than 90% of customers had masks. I did see multiple employees noses, especially around meat and deli (worst place to be seeing that).

Also at Target- they still have a sign up "DUE TO EMERGENCY ORDER A FACE COVERING MUST BE WORN IN STORE." Actually Target, no, that "emergency order" ended last Thursday. Update your signage. Typical poorly run Reno Target. Target also still had a box of masks at the entry to be taken freely so there is that. Once inside Target, I saw at least six different families walking around with either no mask on or a mask around their neck.
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