Don’t be grody to the max.
I’ve become one of those people…
At the store today, I took Ry to the bathroom. There was one other person in the bathroom, using the stall I like to refer to as the “poop stall”. I don’t know about you but when forced into a public BM, I prefer the luxuriousness of the handicapped stall.
We use the 2nd stall. First Ry, then me. It took us a long time because using a public restroom with a five year old and a newborn, including a giant stroller, a diaper bag, a school bag, a lunch bag & jesus christ a Thousand Other Things, is such a production, epic really.
So at the end of our little off-broadway piece, as we’re washing our hands, the other person comes out of the stall. It’s one of the store employees. I watch her adjust her smock and then I watch her walk out the door, presumably back to work. Without washing her hands.
I know she’s just taken a shit in a busy public restroom and I know she is headed back to work where she will be in contact with lots of people and product.
So we leave the restroom and I see the aforementioned employee bagging groceries at the registers. eeeeewww, right?
Without hesitating I go to customer service and make a complaint to the manager on duty. She seemed somehow offended or burdened by my complaint but dutifully listened. She asked for a description, which I gave. Then ry and I got a scratch ticket while I watched the manager find the employee and take her inside the employees’ room. then I watched the gross, dirty bagger go into restroom, where she may or may not have washed her hands.
But not before already touching a bunch of stuff, other people’s grocery items, getting fecal matter and who knows what all over the place.
So yes. Yes. I am one of those people. Who complain about employees. Who harrass store managers because of my own phobias. Who is obnoxious and full of righteous indignation. I know we’re exposed to all kinds of nasty shite on a regular basis and people the world over don’t wash their hands. I’ve coughed and sneezed without covering my mouth. I’ve used the bathroom without washing my hands before, plenty of times (although not after pooping. I’m a slob not a caveman).
But come on, labor force. If you use a public restroom at work, wash your hands after. Especially after you poop. And especially if there are customers in the bathroom who can see you not washing your hands. At least give me the illusion that you’re clean. Please. So I don’t have to lie awake at night obsessing over the sundry of germs & other icknesses of our biological world; all of it lying in wait to hurl themselves into my mouth and my eyes and my nose and my ears and god knows where else.
This reminds me of the movie I watched on Halloween, drag me to hell. It had some of the best grossest awesomest scenes of disgusting things getting puked or shoved or sucked into the girl’s mouth and/or nose. You should watch it.
I’ve done that. And with even less provocation than you had. I complained one time when I saw a person at the deli slicing meat without wearing those latex gloves they are supposed to wear. And it wasn’t even meat for me, I was just walking by. And I didn’t feel one bit guilty. I am paying good fucking money that I go to work for every goddamn day for those fucking groceries, I don’t need people’s disgusting germs all over them and I think we all deserve better service for our money, I mean really. I think it’s the least we can expect, that they will wash their goddamn hands and wear the motherfucking gloves provided for them when they are handling the food we need to eat. Or, for the god’s sweet sake, at least be better at HIDING the fact that you are a disgusting motherfucking slob, at least do me the courtesy of not advertising the fact, right?
So, yes. I am with you on this one.
Go Christa! I’ve yet to see an bona fide employee skip washing in front of me, but when I do – watch out!
You know, I get a lot of “fecal matter is on everything” from Ryan. Did you know those candy dispenser things are some of the filthiest germ collectors out there?
My favorite germy image was from a date night with Ryan. He wanted to watch a special on disease on PBS. It was about Typhoid Mary. The reinactment show her peeling peaches, digging her poop laden finger nails into the peach as she peeled it for a delicious desert. She transmitted it to a ton of people that way. But, just seeing the peach juices run all over her fingers knowing there was poop under there. Very icky.
You know I’d never hold my tongue if I disagreed with you, but I absolutely agree with you on this one. You did exactly the right thing (with the exception of recommending Drag Me To Hell, which I found unfrightening, a cardinal sin in a horror movie).
LLavos yo manos Amen.
I am glad I’m not alone in my grossed out-ness and complaining.
also: i shall never eat anything peach-related again. thanks gina.
FYI: I don’t recommend drag me to hell because it was scary. it wasn’t scary at all. at least not to me. it felt more campy than anything. I was particularly fond of the scenes of various icky things going into a girl’s mouth and that’s what I base my recommendation on. things getting sprayed into a girl’s mouth.
I agree with you though–it wasn’t frightening. we also watched let the right one in, after that, hoping for scary, but we both fell asleep. so I guess it wasn’t scary either. even though I’d heard it was a great horror movie.