A Tesco shopper who argued with staff in Salisbury about his right to enter a store without wearing a mask should be ashamed, according to a Journal reader.

We received a letter after a local resident witnessed a dispute at the Castle Street Tesco store recently.

The writer called for us all to be thankful for what shop workers do, and for them to be protected during the ongoing virus crisis.

Rules were recently toughened up to ensure all shoppers at supermarkets wear masks to protect themselves and others from the spread of Covid-19.

Here is the letter in full:

'We need to protect staff'

I was very sorry to witness the argument between staff of Tesco, Castle St, and a seemingly articulate customer who was insisting on his right to enter the store without a mask.

I know that, sadly, this lengthy argument would not have been an isolated incident and that the staff in this store have had to put up with quite a lot of abuse at various times during the pandemic. 

We all rely on essential stores for our daily supplies and we need to protect their staff as well as ourselves by complying with the rules.

The staff in the supermarkets in Salisbury have all been unfailingly cheerful and helpful throughout the pandemic and deserve our thanks.

The argument was still going on as I left the store but the ‘gentleman’ concerned should be thoroughly ashamed of himself - he needs to think about the consequences of his selfish behaviour, if not to himself, but to those around him.

Dorothy Bunsee

Salisbury

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