Do Walmart cashiers normally wear rubber gloves?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

My roommate just returned from his second trip in as many days to our brand new "urban Walmart" ... or whatever they are calling their mini-Walmarts in cities.

On both days, he noticed the cashiers wearing rubber gloves. Yesterday, it was three out of three cashiers with gloves and today it was two out of three.

I guess I'm a suspicious sort of fella but this Walmart is just about ground zero in our neighborhood we lovingly call "Boys-Town" or "The Gayborhood." This is Chicago - East Lake View.

I've never been in a Walmart so I don't know what their normal procedure is. But I've been in other high-traffic stores and I can't honestly say I've ever seen full-on rubber gloves. Rubber tips for handling cash etc., but no gloves.

The only time I have seen a cashier wearing rubber gloves was at a toll booth.

I know money is one of the dirtiest things we handle on a daily basis. Part of me thinks germophobes would wear gloves.

But part of me wonders if people "not from around these parts" got wrangled in to opening this new(er) store. I know the drill - I (a gay man who was in the closet at the time) worked in the suburbs with some real winners. When I would mention where I lived (It was Wrigleyville to them) I would hear things like: "Do you carry a gun?" and "are there a lot of fags in your neighborhood?"....AIDS jokes etc. etc.

Maybe I'm being overly sensitive. But this is one of those things that make you go hmmmm.

[BeHereNow]

1. I think you are being over sensitive-

Any one who works with the public- handling money, using pens to sign
credit card purchases etc... is VERY wise to use "protection."
I have worked in schools with a myriad of special needs kids- ALWAYS wear gloves
or I would be sick all of the time with whatever flu was going around.
BHN

[Hassin Bin Sober]

15. The funny thing is, my roommate works in a VA pharmacy.

Nobody around him wears gloves except when doing medical proceedures on patients. He said he had some guy at the window dribbling something on the desk tray out of his gauze packed mouth the other day.

YUK

[Marnie]

25. Yet people in hospitals and nursing homes do not wear gloves all the time.

They are mandated for certain tasks where a health care worker might come in contact with a wound or bodily fluid etc.

Also in the health care situation gloves are worn to protect the patient from the health care worker and to protect the health care worker from the patient. But neither wears gloves, gowns, masks etc all the time.

Sounds like the cashiers are being silly or they are grossly misinformed about how most infections are transmitted.

They should of course wash their hands before eating or using bathroom facilities, but that goes for just about any situation.

[MiniMe]

2. I think it is the germ thing

Maybe the workers don't get sick leave and can't afford to afford to miss days. Or they may have kids at home who are sensitive to illness.

[NMDemDist2]

3. i've never seen that n/t

[Speck Tater]

4. I've seen checkers in several stores wearing those throw-away clear pastic gloves...

when handling groceries, packages of meat from the butcher dept., etc. I imagine it keeps them from getting all that sticky goop on their hands, and then spreading it around to the next customer's purchases.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. There was a Deli I used to go to where the guy would wear his glove to handle the deli meat ...

... and then take cash with the same glove. But he would take it off to work the register.

It never bothered me that much. I've never been really paranoid about germs. It just made me shrug.

[alphafemale]

5. Haven't used cash on a regular basis in years.

I'll get some paper money if I know I'm going to tip a pizza man...that's about it. And I despise pocket rocks with every fiber of my being.

[Duer 157099]

6. I'd wear gloves if I even went into a Walmart

Those places just creep me the hell out, I can't even go in them.

[onehandle]

16. Word. nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

20. I tried to keep the "people of Walmart" out of this but I hear you.

The funny thing is.... they were planning on building this same store about 10 blocks south and the local merchants threw a fit and blocked it. A moth later the build-out starts on this store and everyone is like WTF? Same street just about a mile north.

[Snotcicles]

31. I'd wear rubber gloves just waving as I drive by a stinking Walfarts. nt

[notadmblnd]

7. Personally, I don't understamd the point of gloves unless they are changed after evry transaction.

If the clerk is wearing the same pair of gloves all day, then they are collecting germs on themselves and passing along those germs from customer to customer- so it really is no different than using bare hands

[HopeHoops]

14. Hell, the TSA doesn't change their gloves - THAT's the rule I want to see in place.

While an individual glove is inexpensive, changing them every time would cost a SHITLOAD! I think those body searches would get a little less common if they were required to use a fresh pair every time.

[Marnie]

30. Also thewearing of gloves creates an anarobic condtion.

Many of the bacteria that normally can be found on the skin, and whick can become pathogenic in the proper growing environment will grow better in the warm, moist low air conditions under the gloves.


So, yes the gloves, if they are to be worn for long periods should be removed and the hands washed, and then new gloves put on.

And, yes the gloves, if worn should be fresh for each customer as the wearing of them can prevent the cashier from realizing that they may have gotten some contaminant on them, and they would then pass it along.

[Duer 157099]

33. Heh, that assumes they are doing it to protect customers

They are doing it to protect themselves, or so they think.

But just watch them. If they wear gloves and still rub their nose or eyes, then they totally defeat the purpose, and most do.

[BlueToTheBone]

8. touching money and the BPA laden register receipts

is a good reason to wear those disposable gloves.

[madmom]

10. If it's a new store just opening up, it got quite possibly be that they are

helping with other tasks when not checking people out. I helped open one here and when they are new and just opening there are a lot of things not normally thought off trying to get things going. Just a thought.

[southernyankeebelle]

11. I have been in many WalMart and only in the deli or bakery areas I have seen them wearing

gloves. I can see that. But come on folks everyone uses money. All these business take their money to a main bank someplace and the cashier reuses the money. You don't know where your money is coming from. Goodness lets get real. I use to be a cashier. I seen all kinds of people come thru the lines. When I finished for the day or even if I go to lunch I always make sure to wash my hands. That is the best protection. I'm retired now and I still wash my hands often. I can't afford to get sick because I already have health issues. Wash your hands because that is the best prevention.

[Marnie]

35. I work in a hospital lab

You are correct, hand washing is the most strongly recommended preventative to picking up or passing along infectious organisms.

Gloves are worn but not 24/7. Since I work in the lab and am in constant contact with possibly contaminated specimen, I am supposed to wear gloves pretty much constantly. But we are expected to put on fresh gloves if those being worn might have become contaminated by direct contact with a specimen. They are taken off to answer the phone, etc.

However when the gloves come off, lab or Wall Mart, the first thing that has to happen is the hands must be washed, as bacteria thrive on the warm moist skin under the gloves.

[southernyankeebelle]

36. Really if people just wash their hands. My granddaughter who is 5 brought home a paper

on how to wash your hands. She had to teach us and we had to sign a paper that we learned. We had to sing happy birthday 2 times that soap up your fingers and then rinse. We I always think of her while washing my hands.

[B Calm]

12. Have you caught that stomach flu that's going around?

I did during Christmas, and it sucks!

[Quantess]

13. Why don't you just ask one of them?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

18. My roommate is considering doing just that.

I thought I might throw this out on a "discussion" forum as I have no experience with Walmart and don;t plan on patronizing the store.

[Quantess]

22. I've gone to Walmart a couple of times for small purchases.

Maybe they have a pair of socks on clearance or something, or a 2-liter of soda pop, or a flower bulb. A small purchase after you look around the store.

Anyway, I'm sure they'd tell you why if you asked casually & politely.
Who knows, maybe their manager is a germ freak who nags them about germs.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

27. Who knows. I may not be able to resist.

He started out his story telling me about all the great deals he got.

What's interesting is he is, by no means, overly sensative to stuff like this. That's what struck me ... it was HIS vibe. He tends to be more middle of the road - even a bit conservative (ex military ... kicked out for being gay though). We've had a few "discussions" over youtube videos of cops beating protesters or arresting brutality witnesses on their front lawns. He leans a little toward the "well there is two sides" end of the spectrum.

[onehandle]

17. I've been traveling a lot and see many random people wearing rubber gloves when handling money.

Be it the 'Gayborhood' or 'Redneckia.'

Don't take it personally.

[Arkansas Granny]

19. I've seen cashiers at several stores wearing disposable gloves. I assumed it was to keep them

from contacting all the germs that are commonly found on money. I can't imagine what they would be exposed to during a single shift. I'd probably wear gloves, too, if I had to handle that much money.

[blogslut]

21. Maybe it's to protect the public from germs

I despise using disposable gloves but I've worked in numerous jobs where they are required and for good reason. Most times it isn't about protecting the workers but rather, about protecting the public.

As for cashiering, somewhere along the line some idiot consultant convinced companies that customers would feel that "personal touch" if, when giving change, they lay the bills directly on the customer's palm with the coins on top. Stupid fucking idea but 90% of cashiers do it and that means their hands touch a whole lotta stranger's hands.

[arcane1]

23. I've seen cahiers at grocery stores, etc, wearing them

I assume it's a germ thing, since they are handling money all the time.

[Snotcicles]

24. Robber gloves=Kootieville.nt

[laundry_queen]

26. I've seen it here.

I'm in Canada and I've seen several cashiers do it. I supposed they are trying to protect themselves from illness between handling packages of meat and chicken, and touching money. Ick. 'course that doesn't help those of us who get handed back the change with all that crap on it. WE aren't protected, lol.

[louis-t]

28. I see cashiers licking their fingers to count money.

I think I'M going to start wearing gloves when I go shopping.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. LOL. That's old school.

I can't say I've seen it done in a while. I may have done it when I handled cahs.

I worked as an F&I manager at a car dealership back in the day. I used to HATE handling cash. Once in a while we would get some old-timer come in with 20k in cash all proud of himself thinking he was doing me a favor. A). I didn't make money on cash and B). MORE IMPORTANTLY I was always worried about a mis-count or discrepency.

Bad things happen to people carrying lots of cash. We had one customer drop an envelope with 10k in it. The guy dropped it and one of our sales people picked it up outside theservice dept. Luckily for the customer, he realized his mistake and turned around to find the unsuspecting salesperson looking in the envelope - no doubt with his gears turning.

I once had to count 80k in small denomination bills from a shady car "wholesaler".... it took all night.

[11 Bravo]

29. Well, I know the Wal-Mart "While-U-Wait" proctologists are usually gloved, but ...

I'm not too sure about the cashiers.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

37. They change them out...they swap with the deli workers.

How's that old joke go? Congratulations, you are getting a change of underwear! Fred you change with Bill and Jim you change with Hank........etc.

[11 Bravo]

42. You owe me a new keyboard! I spewed an adult beverage all over it when I read your post.

[Duer 157099]

34. Because WalMart is a crime syndicate and the workers don't want their fingerprints involved?

Could be

[Buns_of_Fire]

38. Maybe Walmart's having a special on prostate exams this week. nt

[Joe the Revelator]

39. They were them at my local Walmart all the time...it's a new development

In the last 2 years or so.

[Autumn]

40. I'm seeing that a lot at the Walmarts I go to

I think it's a cold and flu thing.

[Tallulah]

41. I think so too

the cashiers wear them at the store I go to. I assumed germs.