The needle story...

[mymaskofsanity]

I have mentioned in a few posts about the disturbing things returned with peoples beer bottle/can returns to the beer store I work in.

Here is the story of my first encounter with a needle.

This homeless looking crack addict guy is strolling up to the store pushing a grocery cart of beer bottles.

Oh great, I think. Another one of societys finest.

He begins bringing in his cases, and placing them on the return roller.

I slowly slide these disgusting looking cases toward myself to see how many are in each case when I tilt the case towards myself.

What is that? I think.

Something has caught my eye inside one of the bottles.

I carefully place my fingers around the neck of the bottle and lift it out.

Imagine my horror when I see inside, several dirty, disgusting, used drug needles.


ME - About to kill
D - Druggie

ME - "What in the F*** is this?"
D - "What?"
ME - "You're bringing back needles in bottles? are you F***ing stupid? Take your empties and get the F** out of my store right this F***ing second."
D - "What? why ? they're not mine"
ME - " I don't give a S**t who they F** they belong to. YOU BROUGHT THEM IN HERE ! "
* I'm shouting quite forcefully at this point and the other 5 customers in the store look as frightened as kittens in a combine *
ME - " GET THE F*** OUT OF HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT, YOU PUT MY HEALTH AT RISK?! YOU THINK I WANT AIDS FROM YOUR DISGUSTING A** ??, IF YOU"RE NOT OUT OF HERE IN THE NEXT 5 SECONDS I WILL GRAB YOU BY THE THROAT AND DRAG YOU DOWN THE FRONT STEPS BY YOUR FACE !!!"

* I'm 6ft tall and 220, pretty big and intimadating at times, when I yell theres no doubt as to my seriousness *

Needless to say he left rather quickly and I've never seen him again. I told my boss everything I said and she backed me. The customers afterward were almost scared to death , inquiring as to what he did to send me off the edge.

[UncleImpy]

I should first say I completely identify with the horror of the moment. I probably would have been so shocked/horrified I would have dropped em and smashed glass everywhere making the situation worse.

However. I think you probably went a little overboard swearing and screaming at this guy especially when there were other, 'legitimate' customers in the store who, by your own admission, were upset because of how you 'went off'. Hopefully I'm not off base here.

[the_std]

I agree with UncleImpy. While a health-and-safety violation as huge as this is a very frightening issue, to be sure, there is no need to be unprofessional about it. The reason you were upset was completely understandable, but scaring your other, "legitimate", customers is not a good idea.

Oh, and the "society's finest" crack is pretty offensive. I know a lot of homeless people who will go through garbage cans outside to find recyclables so that they can make a few dollars and lead as respectable lives as possible. Not all homeless people are bad people. That's like saying all people with homes are good people. Heck, I know there are a few people on this board who have lived on the streets before and would probably find that offensive.

[Qaeria]

Typical Bigot. You can't catch AIDS from a needle residing in a bottle. You think that was disgusting? Go to a brewery and see what a Foam-Picker has to go through. I could see it being a problem if your recycling facility was preparing glass for Fibreglass manufacturing, in which case you have to break the bottles down and then the needles would be exposed. Up here, glass bottles are cleaned, sanitized, and returned to the brewery for re-filling. It is the job of a foam picker on the line to remove bottles with questionable contents.

Personally I think you were out of line, and had it been me, I'd have taken a bat to your brain for that behaviour regardless of your size. It is people like you that keep "Society's Finest", as you put it, on skid row. Even if every bottle you processed had a syringe in it, you are more likely to contract Hepatitis from the actual bottle itself than AIDS from a needle you wouldn't touch anyways. Be thankful that these drugged out freaks have the decency to put a needle in a bottle rather than leave it bare on a playground or something.

[mymaskofsanity]

Typical Bigot. You can't catch AIDS from a needle residing in a bottle.

Because I said I would catch aids from outside the bottle right?

How do I know that they arent loose in the case to prick me?

I am generally concerned and disgusted and feel horrible for the pickers that do have to sift through that shit....

My beer store is attached to a brewery I know the people that have to do that...

Be thankful the drugged out freaks have DECENCY to put thier needle in a bottle instead of a playground?

Thats quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Putting a needle in a bottle is not acceptable for disposal



And about the societys finest comment, ya maybe im a rude but when you see these people gathering bottles only to spend the money on beer you would have a different view. 99% of the people that return bottles/cans for money to my store are visible stricken with the signs of alcohol/drug abuse.

I get the worst of the worst and I suppose I forgot that when writing others don't generally see the neighborhood I work on or the people I see on a consistent basis.

I mean not to offend anyone that has lived on the streets, my views have been jaded from what I see I suppose.

[UncleImpy]

I get the worst of the worst and I suppose I forgot that when writing others don't generally see the neighborhood I work on or the people I see on a consistent basis.

I worked as a sandwich shop store manager for 7 years in an area of town where everything ELSE shut down at sunset...for a reason...except for the Lucky's Liquor around the corner, and us. I've been held up at gunpoint no less than 5 times, and had a customer held at knifepoint on me. I can assure you that I am well aware of the kinds of individuals you see.

I stand by my point that you went too far.

[Shabo]

TYou can't catch AIDS from a needle residing in a bottle.

The name calling wasn't really necessary there, and no, you can't catch AIDS from needles in a bottle. However, you can catch HIV from needles that fall out of said bottle, which is why the OP wanted nothing to do with it. I really can't say I blame him there.

It is people like you that keep "Society's Finest", as you put it, on skid row.

I'm pretty sure he's not using "society's finest" to talk about the homeless that are trying to eke out a decent living off the bottles, but rather the boozers and druggies that do it.

Be thankful that these drugged out freaks have the decency to put a needle in a bottle rather than leave it bare on a playground or something.

Yes, it is rather nice of them to put them where someone won't accidentally step/fall/otherwise puncture themselves with it, but that doesn't mean it's ok to bring in your dirty needles just because you want the $.05 from the bottle. It's still a hazard to others. Hospitals have special disposal procedures for used needles, and while these processes aren't available at home, it goes to show that used needles can be really dangerous and shouldn't be out and about in the public.



To the OP, That's pretty gross. Good thing you caught that before someone got hurt. As far as your temper? Well, the profanity might have been a bit excessive, but you did tell him to leave a few times before you yelled at him.

[mymaskofsanity]

II can assure you that I am well aware of the kinds of individuals you see.

I stand by my point that you went too far.

Oh I was reffering to my views of homeless people that was brought up. ( Well i dont really know they are homeless I just know theyre bringing back bottles and they look gross some of them )

I don't make my excuses for my flipping out, but I was terrified and angry and thats how I reacted.

By my own admission I went off the edge, I've had similar circumstances since where I handle it better. But this was the first time I had ever seen this and the idea of contracting something scares the crap outta me.

[IT Grunt]

I'm going to go ahead and chime in here, and say that yes, perhaps it was a little over the top, but you have to step back and realize that with the diseases prevalent in today's world, you can't take chances. Needles ARE nasty business, and what if he or anyone else did not catch that they were in there? It's doubtful there's a cap on them, thus there's nothing to stop them from coming out to where they CAN do harm. Hospitals and other medical facilities have extremely strict procedures for handling sharps for numerous reasons, and the spread of disease is one of them.

I can imagine his fear at that moment, and there are times when fear and adrenaline can make us say things we might regret later.

[mymaskofsanity]

And how am I a bigot?

Because the person who claims he does not know where the needles came from, and I reply I don't want Aids from you?

I don't want the chance of a needle being brought in to prick me and contracting whatever the person using it has.

Having the opinion that needle using druggies could have contracted diseases does not make me a bigot.

[Qaeria]

Ok, well maybe some clarification. I fail to see the problem with putting needles inside bottles / cans as that is NOT ILLEGAL in Canada. Through proper education and training, recyclers and related industries can protect themselves. And I am not protecting the homeless. I WAS homeless! Bottles, cans, and whatever scrap metal I could find (Needles and all) was what got me off the streets, into an education program, and now gainfully employed.

I respect your perspective on the Health / Safety side of things, especially if it is a question of legality, but, things work differently in different places.

And to the idiot who said my comment about preferring needles in bottles as compared to on a playground was dumb needs to re think that. Go to just about any Fire department in Western Canada, and they will tell you to use a long pair of tongs, leather gloves, and A BEER BOTTLE OR CAN to dispose of a needle UNLESS there is a sharps drop box located nearby.

[Rapscallion]

This one went to shit rather quickly. Closing it, and thanks to people for using the report button.

We don't attack each other on this board. If you have a problem with a comment someone made, use the report feature or debate it in a civil manner.

Rapscallion