An East Midlands supermarket worker has made a plea to customers to cut out a "disgusting" habit that people engage in. The woman says she and her colleagues are losing patience with customers placing money and lottery tickets in their mouths, even for a short period of time.
She says some shoppers have even been known to lick their notes before handing them to staff. These unhygienic practices are beginning to bother workers, with some refusing to accept damp notes in favour of fresh ones or a bank card.
Speaking anonymously, the woman, who is from Wigston in Leicestershire, said people were reverting to their old non-hygienic ways, despite the ongoing misery and disruption being caused by the coronavirus pandemic. She made a plea for an end to these actions in a strongly worded letter to the Leicester Mercury and LeicestershireLive website.
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She writes: "I work at a supermarket. Why have some customers reverted back to the pre pandemic, disgusting habit of holding money and lottery tickets in their mouths? Or licking them with their own saliva.
"Myself and my colleagues have refused to accept the money, asking if they have another note or a card. With the lottery tickets, you have 180 days to check - so we ask them to check again in a few day's time.
"How would these customers react if we started to put money and tickets into our mouths before we hand them over? They will react with horror and repulse.
"So why do customers think it's okay for them to do this to us? If any customers complain about this and want to speak to a manager, my managers will back us 100 percent. Please drop this disgusting habit for good."
One of the fears is the customers could spread coronavirus. There is a small chance the virus could be carried on cash or lottery tickets.
A recent study commissioned by money.co.uk, found 19 different bacteria on a variety of UK coins, polymer £5 and £10 notes and paper £20 and £50 notes, including two potentially life-threatening bacteria associated with superbugs - Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Enterococcus faecium (VRE). The airborne bacteria, Listeria, was also found.
Dr Paul Matewele, professor of microbiology at London Met, who led the team carrying out the research, said: “People who have compromised immune systems could be most at risk from handling dirty money - if you’re visiting people in hospital who might be vulnerable to infection, you could unknowingly transfer bacteria off your cash which is resistant to antibiotics.”
Dr Matewele and his team of students found that cash is incredibly dirty and is a breeding ground for bacteria. Cash is exchanged between people thousands of times before it is discarded meaning bacteria is easily transmitted between people.
Last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which pose the greatest threat to human health. MRSA and VRE, two of the listed bacteria, were found on the cash samples tested.
