Sorry for my allergies...

[Beki710]

So this was an encounter I had with a SC when I was a customer myself.
I have a very severe dairy allergy, I have to carry an epipen with me and be careful about everything I eat. Unless it's something like fruit and veg, or something I've purchased in the past, I have to check the packets of everything I buy for the allergy info. (seriously, I've found processed chicken and tomato ketchup before that contains milk).
So I'm in my local shop and I'm looking for something sweet that I can eat. I notice a fairly well dressed middle age woman looking at me out of the corner of her eye. I try to ignore her and move on. I'm go in the freezer area and I'm looking at some frozen fishcakes when she appears again, looking annoyed. I put back the pack I'm holding and pick up another brand which just so happen to be one of these "healthy eating light" packs. Hooray I can eat them! I go to put them in my basket when suddenly she's in my face:

SC: People who are thin like you should not be checking the calories on packets! This is what's wrong with your generation, obsessed with image!
Me:
SC: Seriously, you are going to end up with an eat disorder, your parents should not allow you to be doing this
(I'm 22 and live by myself!)
Me: Well actually I'm checking the packets for allergy information. I'm allergic to dairy.
SC: That's not likely is it!
Me: It's not any of your business and I really don't care for your opinion.
SC: I'm going to report you!
Me: Okay, good luck with that.

I'm not sure who she was going to report me to, maybe I should have asked? I just turned and walked off, I was fuming. What right does she have to pry into my food and my life? What if I actually had an eating disorder. Part of me definitely wanted to slap her.

[dragon_wings]

People like that would have threatened to report you regardless of your reason for checking the label. Doesn't make it right.

[AquaGirl]

LMAO. Report you? I would have laughed in her face. On a side note, my MIL has the same allergy and its funny, until I met her, I thought milk allergy=lactose intolerance. It's weird though; she can eat a small amount but if she eats too much in a short period she has a reaction. Only she's always lying about how much she's had so we wont say anything about her eating more.

[Gawdzillers]

Obviously, she was going to report you to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. They would send the Calorie Gestapo to interrogate you, and if found guilty, they would sentence you to work in the cheese mines.

[Akasa]

MYOB Wench!

[Miss Fatale]

I prefer not to eat foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup. It's in a lot of foods, so I often have to check labels. I've had people make snide comments about it, though never to my face. Under their breaths or to the person they're with. ("I can just bagels, I don't need to check every package!")

Unless I'm in your way, who cares why or if I am checking the packages? If you ask me to move, I have no problem with that. I try to stand to one side, but it's hard to do that sometimes in narrow aisles. I don't care what other people are buying and don't comment on it, so why should people care about what I'm doing?

Some people just always need something to worry or complain about.

[BlaqueKatt]

dammit people checking labels is a GOOD thing. Nor really it is, you learn stuff from those little symbols on packages, they're called letters, they form words which convey information about...oh THE STUFF YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE INGESTING!!!

I for one like to know what's going into me....

[dragon_wings]

I prefer not to eat foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup. It's in a lot of foods

QFT
THFCS make my stomach upset. It's not pleasant.

[Beki710]

Obviously, she was going to report you to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. They would send the Calorie Gestapo to interrogate you, and if found guilty, they would sentence you to work in the cheese mines.

Oh good God not the cheese mines!

[fma_fanatic]

I get this sometimes. I just ignore them. Sorry if I care how much sodium something has or if the yogurt I want to get might or might not have HFCS. I've never had anyone confront me over it, though. Not everyone can eat everything without issues.

[Pezzle]

Not to derail the story but your post reminded me of work, OP.

I work in a sporting goods store that also sells used sporting goods. We only take stuff that isn't smelly and gross, cleaned, good conditon, GENTLY used etc.

People will literally drag in bags from the basement or garage full of hockey equipment that was wet and sweaty when they took it off - 8 years ago! They'll open it for the first time in my store only for it to literally be a spore mine.. oh right, did I mention I'm allergic to mold a little more severely than most?

I tell them to throw it away and get it out of the store, I even use please. They'll refuse or make a huffing fuss about the fact that I won't buy their mold spotted grody ancient hockey equipment. really? I'm having a somewhat asthmatic reaction (I take Singulair, snort Flonase and carry albuterol to work due to mold exposure - I lived in a moldy apartment for 7 months and it pushed me to asthmatic), my eyes are leaking goop and my arms are covered in hives and you're going to be a bitch?

Urgh. People never understand allergies unless you bring it to their level. Just tell them it'd be like eating a bowl of pollen or dog hair or yellowjacket venom or something.

/ hijack

[Food Lady]

I spend a lot of time reading labels and have never, ever had anyone even notice. Did it seem like that woman might have food/weight issues? Seems like she needed to attack the thin person out of jealousy. It's probably the same as those nasty women who verbally attacked Kisa for wearing a bikini.

[Beki710]

I spend a lot of time reading labels and have never, ever had anyone even notice. Did it seem like that woman might have food/weight issues? Seems like she needed to attack the thin person out of jealousy. It's probably the same as those nasty women who verbally attacked Kisa for wearing a bikini.

She didn't seem particularly overweight, just an average middle age woman to me. Although she did seem like she was trying to dress a bit younger than her age and was wearing a lot of make up. Image issues perhaps?

[PepperElf]

SC: People who are thin like you should not be checking the calories on packets! This is what's wrong with your generation, obsessed with image!

wait, what?
wouldn't that be HOW you kept thin anyway?

what a crazy bat.

[protege]

I always check the labels--either it's because I'm trying to eat better (I am a fat bastard and don't always get to exercise), or because I haven't had the item before. If someone said that to me, I don't think I would have been as polite. I'm sure my reaction would have been something like "fuck off, bitch"