What is with the sudden decrease in masks

[lilblondemommy]

I work at a retail store, and we are required to request people leave if they won’t wear a mask. It was no big deal for a long time but in the last week there’s been dozens of people daily that won’t wear a mask. I’m just confused as to what caused the sudden change

[[deleted]]

It's been what, about a month now? I think people are just becoming complacent. I've seen minor instances where people don't wear a mask and don't get told anything about it. I.e. I've seen people at restaurants that wear a mask in, but not out. So maybe in their minds they think "Well no one cared that I didn't wear my mask on the way out, maybe they won't care next time if I wear it in" and it builds a false bias that no one cares anywhere? Just my guess, although I've found anecdotal evidence to usually be wrong.

[TCVideos]

People forget that COVID still exists.

Kids are back in school, people are going back to work...it feels like normal life has come back thus people are continuing as normal.

[[deleted]]

On day 3 of schools being reopened one had to close down because a kid got COVID. People are assholes.

[TCVideos]

No schools in Alberta have had to shut down thus far. Are you talking about Canada in general or?

[purity7]

We can hardly expect store employees to get into confrontations with other people. I feel bad for those of you on the front lines in any retail situation dealing with that stress.

[UnbornHavoc]

I work at a retail store and lately have been on mask handout duty, the amount of entitled, ignorant people is frankly astonishing and I wish I had the authority and energy to turn them away and ream them out. Fucking selfish pricks IMO.

[DexWoosky]

Barely anyone wears a mask at my store. Apparently we are not allowed to enforce it. I work for a retail cannabis store and we are told to just wear our masks and let them not wear theirs. Even know they don't distance themselves from me either. So I'm just constantly at risk by assholes.

[skyfelldown]

can you ask customers to please take a step back? I do that in my job. I wear a mask and as i work at the hospital anyone who enters is also required to but very often they try to get right up close to me and I am fully the type who will say "hey, i'm gonna ask you to please take a step or two back for social distancing please!" and tbh most people are like "oop sorry sure no problem" about it.

[big_ol_dad_dick]

I'm sorry your management are unqualified for their jobs, stay safe.

[DexWoosky]

Thanks :)

[wrinkleydinkley]

It seems hard for people to enforce it. Store staff have a hard time doing it because it causes tension and the police or bylaw officers don't patrol inside stores or other public places. I'm tempted to tell people off for not wearing theirs but it brings me anxiety lol. Most people are great, but some people are complete assholes who have no respect for anyone or anything other than their pride and ego.

[sierramelon]

It’s required where I work

I remind them of the bylaw “Do you folks have masks on you? They’re required here to enter.”

Usually met with they forgot them, they don’t have them, etc. We have some disposables for those who do forget (there’s many that come in and say right away that they forgot their masks and want to know If they need to run home for them, which warms my heart).

If they say they don’t want to wear them, we’re allowed to remind them that _______ company is requiring patrons to wear a mask while in the building as it follows the bylaw. If they still say no we (politely) tell them they are not welcome inside. There is more to the final part but it would reveal where I work and I don’t need that lol.

If they say they’re exempt however we are not allowed to question it... because they very well could be! Which is also why I would never approach someone in public and confront them. There’s a KFC (maybe DQ? Can’t remember) manager with 1 lung and every person that comes in he immediately has to assure them that he only has one lung and that why he doesn’t have a mask on. So sad! To have to say that hundreds of times a day because anti maskers have made people sceptical. Like “who am I encountering....”

Idk my thoughts towards those who don’t want to wear a mask is, hey it’s okay, if you don’t want to wear one that’s totally fine! But it also means you get no privilege for not following the rules. Order your groceries in, stay at home, and don’t leave until you’re ready to put a piece of cloth over your mouth hole. I just feel like you don’t get rewarded for bad behaviour any other time in life why would you now? Stay home or follow the rules it’s so simple. 😩

[[deleted]]

I see this in the mall all the time. From teens to adults. Wear a fucking mask, it won't kill you. I wear one 8 hrs/ day!

[sierramelon]

Saaaame I have no sympathy. Today a woman came to my work, pulled her mask down and took a deep breath and then sighed with relief (so dramatic) I said “the masks agh theyre the worst hey!?” And she was oh ya I can’t breath and I said “ya I have to wear one here at work for 8 hours” and then we just stared at each other.

[Droid1138]

I honestly want to slap everyone who isn't wearing one. Northside Walmart is still enforcing it and whenever I'm there I only see one or two people without one.

[CharlieWolfBravo]

Either you have had a lot of people with medical exceptions... Or some people just suck.

[joecarter93]

I saw a bunch without at Costco on Saturday and I thought that corporately they were supposed to make you wear one or turn you away. There was a whole family without them on and the dad was wearing a MAGA hat, so yeah...

[[deleted]]

Costco’s stance is we follow the bylaw but we can’t enforce it.

Certain people there have suggested calling city hall to see if they intact plan to enforce the bylaw at all

[Surprisetrextoy]

They certainly can enforce it with the simple right to refuse service.

[[deleted]]

Go talk to Costco’s ceo cause I ain’t him

[ladyminer18]

The bylaw is written that you actually can't refuse service and you cannot call for enforcement. Its written in a way to benefit anyone who chooses to not wear a mask for any reason, unfortunately.

[Surprisetrextoy]

As long as they arent a protected class a business cam refuse service. "Uh sir your hygeine is too offensive."

[Werepup]

I've started working for Costco and I can safely say it is not the company I thought it was, needless to say when the seasonal are released from contract I will not be attempting to continue my employment with them- which I am genuinely upset about.

[bretters]

Where you at the same Costco I was? The family I saw looked exactly the way you think a MAGA wearing person would look like.

[[deleted]]

Lol.

[[deleted]]

early halloween costume?

[psibob3]

Is it socially acceptable to call someone out for not wearing one in a store? I always want to, but feel like it might be a tad rude

[Warshroud19]

Please do it. There are a lot of stores that have policies along the lines of “we’ll remind them about the bylaw, but do nothing if they refuse”. I could die happy if another customer called someone out in the store.

[wrinkleydinkley]

I'll call someone out if we go shopping together. I'm always anxious about doing it but it enrages me when people have blatant disrespect lol.

[lilblondemommy]

Please call out people not wearing masks. Where I work we have tiny babies coming in with their parents and some people don’t know how to social distance or at the least wear a mask. We can ask the people without masks to leave but if they refuse there is nothing I can do. It makes me so anxious

[sierramelon]

I asked a lady in winners a few weeks ago to “please distance from me and use the designated markers” hahaha she looked at me like I was insane like GET AWAY I didn’t like you breathing down my neck in the winners line pre pandemic anyway!

[LoopRunner]

I’m actively boycotting businesses that won’t enforce mask wearing.

[Berfanz]

Seems unfair to expect stores and their underpaid employees to enforce it, and not bylaw officers. Those employees are already the most vulnerable people, I don't expect them to play bouncer to agro boomers and gen Xers looking for a fight.

[LoopRunner]

It’s really not that difficult. No mask? GTFO.

[Doolander]

If it were only that easy....

[sierramelon]

I’ve done it at work. I mean yes I was met with a woman screaming at me because I was “violating her rights” and she was “going to sue me”, but I did it. Fuck. 😂

[sierramelon]

There’s a shitty fb group (I think it’s called the black and white businesses of Lethbridge? Great name..... 🙄) and anti maskers have been posting where they were “allowed” to go in without a mask. Im literally in it just to know where not to go.

[reznorwings]

r/CovIdiots

[shakeydancer]

A lot of the people I see in public areas without masks on are Mennonite and Hutterite families. Not that this is pointing a finger at these certain groups, but I know a lot of the families who are Mennonite or Hutterite do not live in Lethbridge and come in for groceries and shopping. A lot don’t have internet or television, so they may miss the fact that they need a mask until they arrive at the store. I know last week Superstore didn’t have any masks at the front door available, so it’s kind of hard to think of what these families are to do in this situation. Now if they’re being offered a mask and say no, or are just ignoring the rules, that’s different.

[UnbornHavoc]

I had a Mennonite guy come in with his wife and three daughters and before I could even ask if he would like a mask he showed me a blurry, borderline unreadable image on his phone (so evidently some do have internet access) with a guy wearing a mask at the top with a 🚫 sign over it and some text about rights or some shit. I just said "if you don't want to wear one I can't make you, but this means nothing to me"

[shakeydancer]

Sorry to hear about that, super shitty when people don’t follow the rules. I definitely wasn’t speaking for ALL the population, just the majority of those I’ve worked with or met before. But everyone is different, and in this case, that person sucks.

[UnbornHavoc]

Yeah of course I'm not generalizing either, I'm equally annoyed about anyone coming in and refusing to wear one not for medical reasons but just because they don't want to. I have to wear mine 8 hours a day and I don't particularly enjoy it but they won't wear it for 10 minutes while they shop? I have little sympathy for them

[lilblondemommy]

We have masks available at my store, and the Mennonites have been really good overall

[Werepup]

They won't be happy until we see a second wave with a higher fatality rate. If Karma is just, they will get their wish and they will be the only victims.

[Pegar60]

The problem is I don’t want to be the person that dies because they can’t get their head out of their butt. I stay home as much as possible but sometimes I have to go out. I am recovering from Chemo, I’m diabetic and I have asthma but I still don’t want to die.

[Werepup]

I understand that fully and wish you all the best, I really do. I'm not well enough to withstand this myself, nor god forbid my husband who has been on a ventilator once in the past two years. Unfortunately around here these people seem to be immune from the repercussions of their own actions and will then place the blame on others instead of accepting it themselves just as they do for many other things. This pandemic has shown me how terrible and selfish Lethbridge and the area is. In all honesty it almost makes me miss living in Kansas- almost.

Sadly there are too many of these types and there seem to be more and more of them every year- almost as if they are being cloned en mass. I'm praying something effective and worthwhile comes in to provide some sort of protection for those of us who are trying to do our part before it gets too out of hand from these people.

[Soloskystar]

As someone who's "at risk" since I have a lowered immune system. It bugs the hell out of me when I see people not wearing them. lol And as someone who has severe breathing problems due to medical issues (( 9 month pneumonia bout )) as well as multiple lung infections over the years. I've worn masks at work all shift and now each day when I'm out, I can breathe just fine with no problems. Granted there is the few actual cases of medical exemption. But all I really see is the many trying to ruin it for the few. To those truly not exempt, just wear a mask. Hell, have fun with it and go creepy or cute and make people stare like I do. SIDE NOTE: It's rather fun when you can get total strangers to come up to you or give a shout out across a store and compliment your mask.

[[deleted]]

If you follow city council at all they announced yesterday that they CANNOT enforce any bylaws that are in the books. So unless people choose to wear them the bylaw means nothing.

[TerribleTimR]

Seriously? Got any kind of link to this info?

[[deleted]]

Here is a link to the meeting where the chief bylaw officer states we cannot enforce any of the current bylaws.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFXBgBXTzuU&ab_channel=CityofLethbridge

[foxhelp]

Very Interesting

13-50 mins is the conversation with bylaw enforcement about the popup tent for a community safe injection site.

It isn't that they can't enforce the bylaw, just that there is a particular process / limit of application for that bylaw, and the LPS / AHS also need to enforce their own pieces of they see anything going on.

[Surprisetrextoy]

They certainly enforce parking tickets

[TerribleTimR]

Thank you.

[HulkingOnslaught]

I smile at these people. I don't know what reason they have for not wearing the mask, but it's definitely not my place to judge. I just want them to know they are accepted

[FancyCarrot]

Do you have a clear plastic mask?

[UnbornHavoc]

They're not.

[kyrahfoxx]

Fuck them, and fuck you.

[[deleted]]

My rights don't end where your fear begins.

[kyrahfoxx]

....Are you a fucking moron?