Pa. grocery store pitches $35,000 worth of food after woman coughs on it

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Harrisburg Patriot-News, aka Pennlive

Pennsylvania Real-Time News

Pa. grocery store pitches $35,000 worth of food after woman coughs on it

Updated 8:40 AM; Today 8:12 AM

By Tribune News Service

HANOVER TWP. -- According to Gerrity's Supermarkets co-owner Joe Fasula, one woman's attempt at a prank will cost the store over $35,000 worth of produce.

In a post uploaded to the Gerrity's Facebook page on Wednesday, Fasula says that a woman known in the Hanover Township area as a "chronic problem in the community" entered the Luzerne County store around 2:20 p.m. and proceeded to cough all over the produce section, as well as parts of the bakery, meat case and grocery.

The woman was removed from the store as quickly as possible by Gerrity's employees, and Fasula says that he's been in contact with the district attorney's office, which will be "aggressively pursuing numerous charges" against the woman.

"We had no choice but to throw out all product she came in contact with," Fasula said. "Working closely with the Hanover Township health inspector, we identified every area that she was in, we disposed of the product and thoroughly cleaned and disinfected everything."

Fasula estimates that over $35,000 worth of goods will have to be thrown away. He added that he is "sick to his stomach" over the loss of the food.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/03/pa-grocery-store-pitches-35000-worth-of-food-after-woman-coughs-on-it.html

---

More here:

PENNSYLVANIA: Grocer Forced To Toss $35K In Food After Woman “Intentionally Coughs” On Display Cases
March 26, 2020

https://www.joemygod.com/2020/03/pennsylvania-grocer-forced-to-toss-35k-in-food-after-woman-intentionally-coughs-on-display-cases/

[woodsprite]

1. Sue her trumpian ass for the lost and replacement produce, labor, damage to business. nt

[jberryhill]

14. I somehow doubt that the local untreated mentally ill person...

...walks around with $35k to recover in a lawsuit.

[MLAA]

38. Agree

[IronLionZion]

2. An idiot got charged with terrorism for licking food and putting it back on the shelf

[ck4829]

5. And another idiot got charged with terrorism for coughing on an employee and saying he had it

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213176862

[IronLionZion]

11. Idiots are the worst

[packman]

16. How about the moran who licked toilet seats

KARMA - he came down with the virus

[Harker]

19. He should go to the back of the treatment line.

Or get out of it altogether. Any moran with a phone can now be a "star" in their own sick little world.

America's jackass culture is demoralizing.

[IronLionZion]

21. 'Corona challenge': TikTok star films herself licking airplane toilet seat

https://globalnews.ca/news/6718358/tiktok-toilet-seat-lick-coronavirus/

I wish these idiots only impacted themselves and not spread it to others.

[Harker]

27. Jaypers.

I think I'll go read a book.

[IronLionZion]

30. Contagion is a good book to read

There's a Robin Cook version and an Erin Bowman version. Both guaranteed to inflame anxiety during this pandemic.

[Harker]

40. That's probably what I need most.

Inflamed anxiety... that's the ticket!

[Sapient Donkey]

45. Oh god... I made a joke about the corona challenge last month

My mind wasn't gross enough to go to toilet seats, though. I said door knobs. Can't say I am surprised to see people actually doing it for the likes, or hearts, whatever. So predictable.

[IronLionZion]

46. I saw a woman in my neighborhood licking car door handles on the street

it was weird and I got the hell out of there ASAP. You never know these days.

[Sapient Donkey]

48. So weird. Was it being recorded or something? People watching her?

A friend of mine told her someone she knows who works in retail or something had a customer lick every bill before setting it on the counter.

Where is the line at between being a major asshole and having mental illness?

[IronLionZion]

49. This one was probably mental illness

but I didn't stick around to find out. Didn't see anyone filming. I live downtown DC where there are all sorts of characters out and about.

[vercetti2021]

3. Send her stupid ass to jail

And fine her the same amount of money she just cost at that store

[durablend]

4. Criminal charges will be filed

“The suspect has been identified and is being evaluated at a local hospital for a mental health evaluation. Criminal charges will be filed,” police posted on their Facebook page.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. The woman was known in the Hanover Township area as a "chronic problem in the community."

You can sue her all you want, but I suspect she has no assets. What's jailing her going to accomplish?

[mpcamb]

9. 'What's jailing her going to accomplish?' Putting jail population, inmates and guards at risk.

[hatrack]

10. Oh, I don't know, keeping her from destroying another $35,000 worth of food?

.

[hatrack]

22. Certainly, the stocks would be cheaper than a well-staffed mental health system . . .

And you may be familiar with the crux of American magical thinking - we want world-class everything, provided it doesn't cost us a dime.

[jberryhill]

26. I actually kind of like the stocks

I think one issue we have is that our justice system, particularly for things generally offensive to the community, is too remote and attenuated for people to feel that "justice" is being provided in an endless stream of status hearings, deferred prosecutions, and so on.

If, for various public offenses, we had designated days in public parks, school playgrounds, etc, where we could set up the stocks, draw a line a distance away, and have local grocers donate their unsold produce, we could (a) sufficiently humiliate the offenders, and (b) allow the community at large to feel they are participating in "justice".

Look at what we are bemoaning here - $35,000 in spoiled produce. That very produce could be put to good use for the emotional benefit of us all.

I know people will criticize me, but I can't see why we can't just give it a try and see how it works.

[jberryhill]

12. We must pretend that mental illness is not a thing

Otherwise, we'd have no outlet for anger seeking an opportunity.

It couldn't possibly be the "chronic refusal of the community to address a problem" which, it seems, was simply waiting to happen.

[Piasladic]

15. exactly what I was thinking

[jberryhill]

17. We should probably just go back to the old "Village Idiot" system

Where people like this were simply made available for the general public to abuse and get their whoopass on.

It provides an outlet for the community at large, and keeps the deranged and feebleminded in their place.

[not_the_one]

42. Sorry but if I have to choose between the deranged person and me

I'm going to side with me.

I suppose we could do absolutely nothing.

Wait, that is exactly what we are doing right now.

Jimmy Carter (with Rosalynn's help) tried to help out with the mentally ill and substance abuse situation in 1980. Reagan repealed it in 1981. (How Trumpian of Reagan.) Tragically, Reagan was the beginning of the end of America. Our few, brief respites from circling the drain have failed to allow us to break over the event horizon. So we continue to circle.

Now, everyone is so afraid that someone's personal liberties may be infringed, obviously DANGEROUS mentally ill patients are walking the streets.

Apparently none of our mental health professionals are smart enough to figure out what steps should be taken, what limits are allowed in isolating them, and how we should provide a place for them until/if their issues are addressed.

Guess it is just another new normal that we have to live with. In other words, do absolutely nothing.

Obviously it all needs to be privatized so the rich could get richer off of it, and it would be done yesterday...

[Bengus81]

28. What would you suggest?

I'd like to see her ass put to work paying off the damage costs she caused but I doubt that would happen.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

31. I have no idea what should be done. NT

[Hugin]

7. Not related to any specific incident, but, out of an abundance of caution...

I've noticed some of the local groceries are emptying out their bulk food dispenser bins and discarding the contents.

I thank them for thinking about me.

[IronLionZion]

23. I've seen them put the contents in wrapped sealed packaging

In normal conditions I'm all in favor of hippie green living but now is the time for plastic on everything. Even the organic co-ops here have banned their employees from bagging your groceries in a bag you brought from home. Bag it yourself or pay for plastic/paper. It's to protect the workers.

[Steelrolled]

29. I'm leery of some kinds of bulk food in the best of times.

[Freethinker65]

8. Community Service hours at her local hospital

[jberryhill]

13. Yah, the mentally deranged do so much good for hospital patients

[clementine613]

20. Damned Rethugs

Don't care about anyone other than themselves.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

32. I doubt that she gets to the polls much. NT

[clementine613]

33. Anyone who does something like this...

... is a Rethug by default.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

37. Don't know about her, but they are condemning her with bigottry

from the FReak site, some have jumped to racism ASAP:

“A chronic problem” with no name or mugshot. Hmm!...”
That right there should tell anyone all they need to know. Nothing will happen. Protected species and a female one.
9 posted on 3/26/2020 by lgjhn23 (Libs are a virus.....the DemoVirus!!)

"Protected species and a female one."
Most likely high melanin content plus low intelligence quotient.
The only question is--burka or no burka?
32 posted on 3/26/2020 by lightman (I am a binary Trinitarian. Deal with it!)

This one deliberately forgets that St. Ronnie emptied the asylums and then Republicons ensured they were never since funded.

There are far too many of these type of a-holes around. Lock ‘em up.
We used to have plenty of asylums around, but Liberals preferred that they be out on the streets, and voting Democrat.
33 posted on 3/26/2020, 10:52:14 AM by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)

[barbtries]

24. jeez.

what motivates people to do this? so wrong.

the last time i went to the store, a few weeks ago, I sneezed. it came out of nowhere, but i immediately felt ashamed. I wasn't sick. Sometimes I sneeze.

At that visit i asked the pharmacist her take on coronavirus. She said, "I'm not worried." really, I said. I wonder what she would say today. Is it wrong that I immediately pegged her as a trumpster?

[Ligyron]

25. This is why I never eat vegetables.

Even canned ones ... because someone could have coughed on them beforehand ya know..

But I wish they'd have canned this President back when they had the chance to..

[Bernardo de La Paz]

34. Maybe don't eat raw, but very foolish not to eat COOKED vegetables. Cooking kills germs.

Canned vegetables are cooked in the can to sterilize them. Safe. Sterile. And somewhat depleted in nutrients and typically loaded with sugar and salt.

Just buy fresh or frozen vegetables and cook then.

There are so many vital nutrients and much fiber in vegetables.

Do you also avoid fruit for the same reasons? If you peel fruit, you can peel vegetables. Much easier to cook vegetables than fruit.

[we can do it]

35. Send her the bill. Deduct it from her income until its paid off.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

36. She is very likely not earning an income. But if she is, sure. . . . nt

[Brainfodder]

39. A mental health ward vaca sounds in order!

Otherwise, execute for treason, idgas.

Idiots are a dime a dozen in this country, apparently....

We can "spare" some.

[jmowreader]

41. I have the perfect punishment for her

Give her a short block of instruction on running a backhoe, then sentence her to three months of digging graves.

[Kali]

43. did she test positive for something?

seems like an overreaction to me. people cough and neglect washing hands all the time, I mean think about it for a second or two. most grocery items can even be disinfected if it is that big of a deal - somebody posted a video here yesterday. unless there was actual phlegm present on raw salad greens this seems kind of ridiculous.

[question everything]

44. Does PA have a stay at home? Brings out the worse in people

[Sapient Donkey]

47. This sounds like mental illness rather than attention seeking

While it's upsetting, I wonder how much control of this she actually had. She belongs in a psyche ward, not in a prison. I mean, I suppose I could be wrong, but based on what I've read it sounds like she has known mental issues.