Grocery store taking steps to stop unsanitary behaviour

The manager of a local Multifood Supermarket says he’s just as shocked as anybody over an employee’s repulsive behaviour caught on a video that has gone viral.

Store manager Tommy Lin said he has taken steps to clean the store and has fired the employee who appears to be blowing the contents of his nose out onto the store floor and then wiping off his face with his hand and smearing it onto his work coat.

The man has a surgical-type mask around his neck, below his chin, in the 20-second video that was shared on the Windsor Star’s Facebook page and elsewhere.

He can then be seen walking away out of view of the videographer as he continues to wipe his face with his bare hands.

“Yeah, I saw the video. I’m very upset with this problem,” Lin said. “This guy has seasonal allergies but it’s very terrible. I saw the video.”

Lin said the employee no longer works at the store.

He said his employees have been trained on regulations around COVID-19.

“At this moment, (this should) not happen. But at any moment, they should be not doing like this in a public place,” Lin said. “I still apologize for this. I apologize to the community for this. I’m very, very upset.”

Lin said the grocery store, located on Crawford Avenue, was the first store in Windsor to require customers to wear a face mask or something to cover their mouth and nose when shopping.

“We try to (keep) safe for the community, we try to (keep) safe for all families,” he said. “I don’t know what people think, how do like this? (It’s) incredible.”

Lin said he has received “a hundred calls” about what happened.

He said the store was cleaned after the incident. But he’s still shocked by the employee’s behaviour.

“I’m sorry,” Lin said. “I tell the guy to go home. And I apologize.”