Is it just me or…

[A930Rocket]

Being a germaphobe, I wash my hands several times a day and use hand sanitizer frequently.

Today I got some gas and bought a couple of drinks at the Circle K. I held the two drinks so the bar code was facing the cashier. I asked her to use the small handheld reader and she said she couldn’t. I said the reason I’m doing this is because of germs, Covid, etc.

She said people touched the drink before it got in the cooler. 🙄 True, but she could’ve potentially rang up hundreds of transactions which the buyers also touched before she got to mine

I’ll take my chances with a couple of people touching the drinks in the cooler versus the cashier ringing up hundreds of people and both touching the drinks.

She then picked up one of the drinks by the top, where the mouth goes and rang it up.

I told her I was never coming back to that store again. I should’ve just walked out, like I did one other time.

So, is it just me?

[Bill Douglas]

I wash my hands about 50 times a day. GF said I'm nuts and I said you are lucky to have a BF with nice clean hands.

[Gogar]

Did you wear a glove when you touched the gas pump? Did you touch the door handle of the drink cooler? Did you touch the front door of the store?

You can certainly live your life the way you want, no disagreements about that. But if you want to remain intellectually consistent you have a pretty steep climb there.

[Geronimo '74]

If you’re that conscious about germs and disinfecting, surely not drinking out of a can directly is a little step. (Or just wipe the can with a disinfectant wet wipe)
Were you that cautious before COVID?
Maybe you are too much of a germophobe to be practical in real life?
Your phobia, your problem, your responsibility, no?

[KFC911]

Yeah

[LWJ]

No matter, the lip touching part of the can / glass should never be touched by anyone other than the consumer. Gross.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by LWJ

No matter, the lip touching part of the can / glass should never be touched by anyone other than the consumer. Gross.

Though I agree with regard to glasses/cups... and mebbe cans, bottles have caps covering the opening. Though I don't buy 'em .... how does virtually everyone pick up a 2 litre bottle .... I do by the top?

Giving anything a wipe makes sense if you are iffy about it though.

Germs .... ya can't avoid 'em unless you are "bubble boy" .... survival of the filthiest !

signed....

Charles

.....what was in those bottles was probably unhealthier than what was on them

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by LWJ

No matter, the lip touching part of the can / glass should never be touched by anyone other than the consumer. Gross.

Gross if you see it.
How about the times you did not?
For all we know, the guy that filled the fridge had anal worms, covid, no shower in five days and a F all attitude.
Cheers on drinking out of any can you fail to disinfect…
The girl behind the counter is not the problem.
She just ignored A930R’s issue, because it is not her issue. (And her handheld scanner was probably broken)

[GH85Carrera]

I fully believe in germ theory, and the evidence is solid that clean hands are a good thing for a person's health.

BUT

It is easy to overdo. Dry skin on the hands is one sure sign of over-washing. A few years back, long before Covid, we visited the Louisville Slugger factory and museum, and it was very crowded. They have endless hands on displays of bats, and objects to pick up and touch. All of them secured by a stout cable. After a while of touching things we took the tour of the bat making areas, and then watched a movie and sat in a seat used all day long by strangers. I made mental notes to be really sure to wash my hands before we ate.

We were loaded up on the tour bus, and off to the restaurant. Only the bus driver dropped us off at the wrong place, and he drove off to park. The new restaurant was very accommodating and after waiting they set up a room for our group. We had to wait in the front lobby for several minutes, and then finally get seated. In the confusion of the wrong restaurant and the wait, I forgot to wash my hands. I promptly had a great custom made burger and fries, and several glasses of tea. Then I remembered I forgot to wash my hands. No big deal, my immune system did it's job and I did not have even a minute of illness.

[flatbutt]

Sometimes I gross myself out more by thinking about what I'm touching than by actually touching it.

[MBAtarga]

Do you have any idea how long that drink container sat in a bug and rat infested warehouse BEFORE it was touched by a human and placed in the cooler?

[A930Rocket]

lol. Good answers!

I was like this well before Covid.

I use hand sanitizer after pumping the gas. When I enter the store and open the fridge, I use one finger, if I can’t push it in.

The drinks come shrink wrapped in a package of 12 or so. I’m hoping only one person installs them in the fridge racks to minimize contact.

The reader is small and was working as she used it to scan the items. It seems like a simple request but she got flustered.

She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so maybe that’s why she didn’t understand holding the reader to scan the items.

[Bugsinrugs]

While I respect your concern ( my son is a germaphobe) I just can’t live my life that way. I learned many years ago to embrace the filth. Everything I do gets me filthy. Whether it’s tiling a shower or installing a floor or removing a toilet, I get very dirty. I have all vaccinations and haven’t been sick at all for close to three years. My wife came down with Covid. Fully vaccinated and wears a mask everywhere. I slept next to her and never got it. Maybe I am just too dumb for the germs to have anything to do with me.

[craigster59]

For as much stuff that I handle all day long that has been touched by numerous people, if I'm not on set and in the view of actors and crew members, I wash my hands maybe 3-4 times a day if I'm lucky.

I figure the more stuff that I'm exposed to, the more antibodies I build up. Now, this doesn't apply to food prep, cooking or social interactions. I've just never been much of a "germaphobe".

My Wife on the other hand wears nitrile gloves when shopping, cooking and doing housework. For her it's more of a "touchy feely" thing and being German she's not spreading hand lotion all over the place. German's LOVE their hand lotion.

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

Maybe I am just too dumb for the germs to have anything to do with me.

Personally, I've come to this conclusion as well.

[Sooner or later]

Not a concern for me.

[stevej37]

I'm not concerned either...except for the door handle on a public restroom.

I feel that building a resistance by coming into contact with germs is good for a person.

[GH85Carrera]

As a kid, I grew up in the Leave it to Beaver type of world. I drank water from stranger's garden hoses, played outside for an entire day, and never washed my hands until I got home to eat, and only because mom made me, and I will admit now my had washing was not remotely up to standards of getting my hands very clean. Dirt never hurt!

One of my school mates lived a few houses down from us, on base. His house was closer to school, so when we walked home together, he got home first. I watched one day and him mom made him strip to his underwear, as she sprayed him with Lysol head to toe. He of course was embarrassed and swore me to secrecy. He reveled in coming over to our house for a sleepover as we had a dog, and on Saturday morning we ate cereal while sitting on the floor in front of the TV with the dog between us, rode out bikes down to the Alabama river, and acted like kids.

No one was allowed into his house except his dad and himself. His mom was a total germ freak like Howard Hughes level.

My mom was sensible, and let boys be boys. His dad and my dad were both pilots in the Air Force, and were golf buddies off duty.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

While I respect your concern ( my son is a germaphobe) I just can’t live my life that way. I learned many years ago to embrace the filth. Everything I do gets me filthy. Whether it’s tiling a shower or installing a floor or removing a toilet, I get very dirty. I have all vaccinations and haven’t been sick at all for close to three years. My wife came down with Covid. Fully vaccinated and wears a mask everywhere. I slept next to her and never got it. Maybe I am just too dumb for the germs to have anything to do with me.

Maybe it's all the bugs in your rugs which keep you hardy.

[KFC911]

After all the lead paint and M80s we survived .... germs are afraid of us now !