The legal requirement to wear a face mask in public places ended a week ago and while some in the north-east are glad to ditch masks, others remain more cautious about Covid.
One of the main places many individuals have been advised to wear face masks throughout the pandemic is the local supermarket.
But what percentage of supermarket customers in Aberdeen’s main shops are still wearing masks now that the rules have relaxed?
The Food and Drink Team headed out on a mission at lunchtime to find out which of the shops in the Aberdeen area are still seeing the highest numbers of individuals continuing to wear face masks.
We counted 100 individuals from the moment we got inside the shop, to the moment we left. Each person was counted individually.
The results do not include staff members of any of the stores and are based on shoppers alone.
And while the legal requirement has changed, the Scottish government and health experts are still advising people to continue to wear face masks voluntarily in indoor crowded spaces and on public transport.
Asda – Garthdee
I headed down to Asda in Garthdee to see just how many of the shoppers had dropped wearing face masks altogether.
Having spent many a Saturday and week day evening in my local supermarket, I was already aware that a lot of shoppers weren’t wearing their masks even when it was a legal requirement.
This lunchtime 26 out of 100 of the people surveyed were wearing masks while shopping and 74 were not. Shoppers were flying into Asda with a hundred making their way through the shop’s doors in around five minutes.
I asked a shopper who was still wearing a mask if she planned to continue wearing one to which she replied “absolutely”.
Sainsbury’s – Garthdee
The next stop I headed to was Sainsbury’s just across the roundabout from Asda. My friend is a regular shopper here and told me that many people have continued to wear face masks and that it was unusual to see someone without one in the store during the pandemic.
When I entered Sainsbury’s there were lots of people wearing their masks, but the more I wandered around the less masks I spotted. Out of the 100 people counted 41 were wearing masks while shopping and 59 were not.
Marks & Spencer – Bon Accord Centre
The final stop for the supermarkets I was checking out was Marks & Spencer. Markies wasn’t as busy as the other shops and it took me longer to count up 100 individuals.
Of the 100, 42 were still wearing their masks while 58 weren’t. These numbers were very similar to Sainbury’s in Garthdee and a shopper who wasn’t wearing a mask commented on how nice it was to not have to wear one any more.
“I’m just glad I don’t have to wear them any more,” the man said.
Lidl – Lang Stracht
The first shop on Karla Sinclair’s list was Mastrick’s Lidl, before nipping across the road to see how Tesco compared.
Quiet on arrival, things quickly picked up as hungry shoppers stopped by for their foodie fixes.
Out of 100 people entering the store, 41 were wearing masks while 59 were not. And Tesco proved not all too different.
Tesco – Langstracht
“It’s just a habit of mine now,” said a pro-mask shopper to Karla when questioned on why they were still sporting a face covering. However, once again, they ended up being in the minority.
There were 36 people spotted wearing masks and 64 not.
She found there was a high percentage of young shoppers heading into the store in comparison to older generations – could that have had a part to play?
Aldi – Kittybrewster
Out of the three stores Karla visited, this one was the most interesting.
The race to see who would come out on top – between mask wearers and non-mask wearers – was neck and neck throughout her 25-minute visit.
But in the end, she was left stunned by the outcome. Masks prevailed, but only just.
There were 51 customers spied wearing a mask, while 49 were maskless.
Morrisons – King Street
Andy Morton dropped into Morrisons on King Street.
He said the lunch time crowd was starting to thin and from his spot at the exit it felt like hardly anyone was wearing a mask.
His count eventually showed that out of 100 people leaving the store 71 were maskless. This is his local supermarket and he said it felt like a significant drop from what he has experienced even a week ago.
One masked shopper told Andy he would continue to wear his mask “with discretion” and that he was happy to do so.
But another passerby said it was a relief to not wear one anymore.
“I’m already used to not wearing it,” he said.
Conversation