Tongs at the bread counter

06/07/2010 by paul.

I have been pondering on the use of the plastic tongs in Tesco (or other supermatkets, I guess) at the bread counter.
The tongs are placed in the bread roll bins, inferring that you should use them to select your bread rolls and place the rolls into the plastic bag for the check-out. I think that it is meant to be a sort of hygene issue.
I always pick up my rolls with my hands and take them to the check-out and I am dying for someone to tell me off and insist that I use the tongs to handle the rolls. 
I want to ask the manager of Tesco, what exactly is the roll of the tong ?.
If I pick up my roll and take it home, as far as I can see, any germs on the roll, assuming that it has not been rolling around on the floor behind the counter, at any time, are my germs.  Also, if I use the tongs, I will transfer the germs from the previous customer to use the tongs, to my hands, and then in due course to the roll.    Also, if I use the tongs, I will transfer my germs to the tongs and then in due course to the next customer to use the tongs.
It strikes me that the tongs are an excellent means of transferring germs around….but I suspect that those who placed the tongs in the bread bin, meant quite the opposite.         Perhaps, as soon as anyone has used the tongs, an assistant rushes out and sanitises them before they are used by the next customer …!!!    Hmm! I doubt it.
So, come on supermarket manager, ask me to use the tongs…please….then I can ask my question.

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