How to deal with a yuk moment?

When a local beach cafe opened here a couple of years ago, the cakes were all on display at the front of the counter by the till. A friend offered to buy me one, but I declined (quite loudly) on the grounds that they were uncovered and probably covered in germs, not to mention dried out. The next visit, they were all sporting Perspex covers

I don't think my hairdresser would have done that either but equally I wouldn't like to say anything and would probably go home and wash my hair! I've always hated bakery shops which have trays of uncovered scones or buns on display on top of the counter right in front of customers who can both breathe all over them and also reach over to hand the assistant their money. I've noticed the worst offender where I live now has these covered up but still feel they should be under the counter glass display.

A friend was buying some ham off the bone when the assistant slicing it sneezed all over it. She is a timid person so didn't say anything just paid for the ham and then threw it away. I told her that wasn't fair on other customers. When I was in a bakery in Spain the assistant came in from putting out the rubbish bins and started to serve the unwrapped bread. I reprimanded her and she was very apologetic but it put me off buying unwrapped bread.

You're in the ladies' toilet and a woman comes out of a cubicle having used the loo, and walks past you to exit with no intention of washing her hands, do you say something? As if you're the Toilet Police? I swear I will - one day.

No namo, I wouldn't say anything. I'd just look after my own hygiene.

At the supermarket the assistant dropped the piece of fish we were buying on the floor, picked it up and put it in the bag. I saw him out of the corner of my eye and never said a word. It was the last piece and I only told my partner when we got home. I never realised I was such a wimp!

namo - I often leave ladies toilets without washing my hands, it depends where I am. Once through the door though I use the antibacterial hand gel I have in my handbag. In (clean) posh hotels I usually do wash my hands so I can use the hand cream provided.

As for a hairdresser messily sneezing on my hair - no, no, no. I think I would say something.

grannyactivist I do the same as you, and have sometimes been glared at.

Antibact gel or wipes I mean.

I was buying bacon once when the assistant who was slicing it, stopped to have a good old nose blow - I could see the tissue was all wet and soggy but she carried on handling the sliced bacon and handed it over to me. I'm ashamed to say I didn't say anything, but left the bacon on a shelf. What a wimp - it was a long time ago and I certainly wouldn't ignore it now!

I was in a cafe recently where I ordered a coffee. The cup was a little too full and it ran down the outside edge. Before I was given it the assistant ran her finger up the outside to catch the drip. I was berating myself for days for not saying "can I have another one please" I just cannot believe I said nothing as its not like me to avoid something I was unhappy with. I'm still holding on to this as we speak.

My mother who was much more assertive than I will ever be, watched a shop assistant place some cheese onto some scales where there had been bacon just seconds before and told him he could keep his cheese and in future use a sheet of paper when weighing goods.

Food hygiene was much less of an issue back then but mum was right and I remember feeling proud of her.

I would probably have been struck dumb too but did refuse to buy a sandwich I had ordered after I noticed a large fly buzzing around the counter where all the ingredients were. I explained why I was not taking said sandwich but it did not seemed to bother the girl serving me at all.

I'm a bit nervous about complaining about food if case they bring me a replacement that has had something worse done to it! Does that make me paranoid?

When on holiday last year, I looked through the window of the butcher's shop at the meat displayed there. We were planning to have a BBQ so I wanted some nice steaks. I was horrified to see a huge blue bottle casually flitting from sausages to steak to chicken etc.

I went in and told the butcher but didn't buy anything.

Inishowen - if the behaviour of one of the staff in my local M and S is typical,I doubt whether she removed the bread. I witnessed a member of staff drop several chocolate brownies on the floor. She picked them up,blew on them and put them in the display basket!

Ooh don't get me started on this! I can't believe the number of folks who go round sniffing and sneezing! Does no one teach them to, at least, sneeze into their elbow? Even our young GC can manage that.
And the number of women you see at public loos who just rinse the ends of their fingers under the tap-no soap-so spreading their dilute urine on everything they touch. I'm paranoid/very careful to not touch handles, seats or anything in public. My DS was a nurse and I learned from her-thank you DS.
Having said that I don't know if I would say anything-folks can be so a**y these days can't they even if/especially they know they're in the wrong.

My bug bears are all of the above but also people who don't wash their hands after the toilet! Gross! I think ot's respectful to others to minimise contamination by my bottom or nose germs!
I am a retired nurse so infection control is a big thing for me.
Also when I was little my mum always told us never to eat a sweet from Granddad unless it was wrapped because he didn't wash his hands after the toilet. So we were brought up to wash our hands and I drummed it into my own kids.
However my adult married stepkids are not so concerned with hygeine and their kids always seem to have tummy bugs. We have tried to explain the contamination cycle of bacteria but they just think we're pernickety.

A friend of mine saw someone sneeze all over the loose olives in Morrison's. I've not bought any from there since...

I once saw a small child lick a doughnut on display in M&S and hugs mother just laughed and dragged him away but didn't tell anyone. Yuk!

Sorry, I meant his mother!

I saw a program once where the sweets available to anyone at a hotel reception desk were tested and were found to be contaminated with faecal germs from people who had dipped into the bowl after visiting the loo and not washing their hands. Yuk, yuk, yuk.

I was once on a coach trip when a child sitting behind me was sick on the floor. My son and I felt it splash our legs under our seat
but we kept quiet and did'nt say anything to the mother.

I hate it in asda where they have the unwrapped rolls on the shelf at childrens nose height. Also when people sneeze the germs fall and could descend to the rolls. I just never buy them, although I would if they were higher and wrapped. Lidl does the same with the instore bakeries.

When Im working as a therapist I never work if Ive got a cold and always use a hankie if I sneeze but I wash my hands, it may interrupt the therapy/massage but the client always understands.

I learnt a lot about hygiene when I was on chemo and even now a year later my white blood cells are still low and I get lots of colds.