I experienced almost the exact same thing in almost the exact same situation. This was mid-February and we were getting ready to lock down and were buying about $500 worth of beans and pasta from the Trader Joe’s nearby. The cashier asked whether we were worried about the virus, and I felt this really strong urge to lie or make up something that didn’t sound concerning.
I do think this was not completely unjustified. A day earlier we tried to buy food from Costco, but a lot of the staples were gone, and all the cashiers seemed very angry with the “preppers” who just bought all the shelf-stable food, and it didn’t seem impossible this cashier would react similarly.
In the end, I evaded the question, saying something technically true without speaking about the issue. I think I said we were in a large group house and were cooking food for everyone, which was true, but also didn’t really respond to the question.
I mentally came back to that scenario multiple times over the pandemic and also thought a lot about why I was so hesitant to say anything about my concerns. I definitely have a sense that you are not supposed to have “real” conversations with cashiers, because those would take up time and get in the way of other people, but I had a sense that bringing up such a concerning hypothesis in such a time limited context is bad. I also felt just object-level afraid that they might refuse to allow us to actually buy the food if I gave them a straightforward answer.
Habryka and I went together to buy food from the Trader Joe’s. I don’t recall what was or wasn’t said. All I recall is that I was concerned that they wouldn’t let us buy so much food, that some staff member would come out and get angry at us and stop us, like I was at school and breaking the rules. But they were notably positive about it (“Wow! This is a fun order!”), and I felt relief and was extra friendly.
Added: We went at like 6pm I think? There was a lot of people around, and I felt a bit conspicuous. I acted normal. I think I was thinking about how to get around the system if they stopped us. I think I had some vague fantasy of coming in and out a lot in different wigs and noses, which is not a very realistic plan, but I was sure concerned that I wasn’t allowed to buy so much, and was sort of mentally preparing for that world.
I experienced almost the exact same thing in almost the exact same situation. This was mid-February and we were getting ready to lock down and were buying about $500 worth of beans and pasta from the Trader Joe’s nearby. The cashier asked whether we were worried about the virus, and I felt this really strong urge to lie or make up something that didn’t sound concerning.
I do think this was not completely unjustified. A day earlier we tried to buy food from Costco, but a lot of the staples were gone, and all the cashiers seemed very angry with the “preppers” who just bought all the shelf-stable food, and it didn’t seem impossible this cashier would react similarly.
In the end, I evaded the question, saying something technically true without speaking about the issue. I think I said we were in a large group house and were cooking food for everyone, which was true, but also didn’t really respond to the question.
I mentally came back to that scenario multiple times over the pandemic and also thought a lot about why I was so hesitant to say anything about my concerns. I definitely have a sense that you are not supposed to have “real” conversations with cashiers, because those would take up time and get in the way of other people, but I had a sense that bringing up such a concerning hypothesis in such a time limited context is bad. I also felt just object-level afraid that they might refuse to allow us to actually buy the food if I gave them a straightforward answer.
Habryka and I went together to buy food from the Trader Joe’s. I don’t recall what was or wasn’t said. All I recall is that I was concerned that they wouldn’t let us buy so much food, that some staff member would come out and get angry at us and stop us, like I was at school and breaking the rules. But they were notably positive about it (“Wow! This is a fun order!”), and I felt relief and was extra friendly.
Added: We went at like 6pm I think? There was a lot of people around, and I felt a bit conspicuous. I acted normal. I think I was thinking about how to get around the system if they stopped us. I think I had some vague fantasy of coming in and out a lot in different wigs and noses, which is not a very realistic plan, but I was sure concerned that I wasn’t allowed to buy so much, and was sort of mentally preparing for that world.