FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Supermarket stories (was Rude at the grocery store)

In article >,
says...
> On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 00:40:59 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> > wrote:
>
> >"ravinwulf" > wrote in message
> >news
> >> On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 19:51:26 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> >> > wrote:
> >>
> >>>"Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote in message
> ...
> >>>> On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:12:35 -0600, Damsel >
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>>There's a store in town that offers sanitary wipes at the door, for
> >>>>>people
> >>>>>who don't want to pick up crud from previous users, and to put on the
> >>>>>handle if they've got kids who put everything in their mouths. I think
> >>>>>that's a nice touch.
> >>>>
> >>>> Gelson's in SoCal does this. There's a stand with a container
> >>>> advertising "sanitary wipes." I am such an idiot that it wasn't until
> >>>> I read your post that I realized why they were there. Doh!
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>This has to be the height of silly obsessive fussiness. First of all, it
> >>>is
> >>>generally agreed that having children exposed to a normal range of germs
> >>>and
> >>>viruses is good for them, helps to build their immune systems. Second of
> >>>all, no matter how many things you wipe and disinfect you will at best get
> >>>rid of a very small percentage of what you are exposed to. Finally, GET A
> >>>LIFE, do you really not have anything better to do than obsessing over
> >>>germs?
> >>
> >> How many times have you picked up a package of meat or poultry at the
> >> store that has been sticky on the bottom from blood and other fluids?
> >> Did you push your cart away after handling it? The germs that are on
> >> supermarket shopping cart handles almost certainly go beyond
> >> run-of-the-mill cold germs and whatnot to include things like
> >> salmonella. I don't see anything fussy about wanting to limit exposure
> >> to that sort of thing.
> >>
> >
> >AARRGGHH!! The cooties are going to get you! Those same people pick up items
> >from the shelves and put them back - are you going to disinfect every item
> >you buy? How about the pen they give you to sign your receipt at the
> >register. AARRGGHH, cooties! Ot the cash in your wallet - who knows what
> >filthy people have handled that? And when you give your credit card to
> >someone at the store - god only knows which fatal lethal germs they have on
> >their hands. BOIL THE CREDIT CARD! And when you travel by air, who knows
> >what plague-infested poeple handle your luggage, so you should certainly
> >irradiate the suitcase handles before you touch them. Shake hands with
> >someone? God forbid - it might kill you! Push an elevator button - call the
> >morgue!
> >
> >I hope you get my point. The world is full of germs and once in a while they
> >make you sick. Fussing about shopping cart handles makes no difference and
> >wastes your time and energy. If you want to waste it that is your business,
> >but do not be surprised when more knowledgeable people find it silly.
>
> Don't be a jackass. Some people would prefer that their kids not stick
> what is roughly the equivalent of raw poultry in their mouths, which
> is perfectly reasonable IMO. It hardly hurts you if someone chooses to
> wipe down a cart handle before they put it in front of their kid. And
> I doubt anyone gives a shit if you think they're silly for doing it.

There are certain things we can have reasonable control over and certain
things we can't. If all of us were brought up in a sterile world we'd
have no immunity whatsoever to most of the bugs out there.

While it might not hurt in the short term to wipe that cart handle there
may be a long term impact in terms of immunity.