Not quite Milton or even Aldous Huxley, but this is what happened on my second outing to Tesco without a mask (since they were made compulsory in Wales).
Nothing.
That's it.
Nobody on the door checking or telling people to wear masks. The shop was busy, and I was the only maskless person barring the few toddlers in their mum's shopping trolleys. Nobody accosted me. Nobody even muttered anything under their breath. I may possibly have got some dirty looks, but you honestly can't tell when you can only see the person's eyes. If anybody did seem to look at me, I just gave them a pleasant smile. Of course, you can't tell whether they're smiling back either.
So I just quietly got on with my shopping. I was pleased to see the lady on the checkout wasn't wearing a mask either, though all the other staff were. I suppose she was sensible enough to realise a mask would make her shift really uncomfortable without providing any more protection than the plastic screen she was sitting behind.
So, please, if you don't want to wear a mask, just don't wear one. Don't claim exemption, or make excuses or anything - just act normally. I really hope that if enough people start acting normally, the fearful ones will see there's no reason to fear.
Please give it a try.
Hi there,
I have had the exact same experience in Tesco, Lidl and Asda North Wales.
No issues at all.
The staff was very friendly and helpful I would say even friendlier to me without a mask than ever before.
Just do it!!
Shopping with a good supply of fresh air is a really pleasant experience, and please SMILE at everyone 🙂
I'm also in Wales and have found that I'm (mostly) left alone, thank Heaven, though I no longer enjoy shopping at all --- the number of others who are not wearing masks seems sadly to be diminishing, and seeing everybody else muzzled depresses me greatly. It's awful.
Also I was in one of the local supermarkets here, and heard the man working at the checkout talking about the number of customers who have had a go at him for not wearing a face mask --- even though he was a member of staff and would no doubt have had an exemption.
I think it might depend on your age: the zealots seem to be more suspicious of people in their thirties and forties or people who look healthy who don't wear masks than about older people or people who clearly have trouble breathing.
I think it might depend on your age: the zealots seem to be more suspicious of people in their thirties and forties or people who look healthy who don't wear masks than about older people or people who clearly have trouble breathing.
I find it depressing too. Though today there was one other lady not wearing a mask. She was about the same as me (50s) and looked healthy. She was studying the gins with care, and we exchanged conspiratorial smiles as I grabbed a bottle of Gordon's (she was obviously more discerning than me!).
But again, I didn't get any tuts, dirty looks or mutterings.
Strange thing on the way out, though. There was a Tesco employee at the exit. She had what I at first took to be a mobile phone in her hands. But as I went out, she smiled and said "Thank you", then she clicked something on whatever it was (not a phone). I thought that was slightly odd. There were some people behind me, all wearing masks, so I watched to see what she did. She smiled and thanked them too, but didn't click anything. Just to make sure, I waited until the next customer left, and again, no clicking.
So are they really counting people without masks??
Yes they are.i have noticed it in shops since the face nappies were introduced.its either with their clicks or registered on paper.
🙄
