Although some states are rescinding their mask mandates, many stores are NOT. FRUSTRATING! But recent stories on OSHA medical waste disposal rules (not being followed!) and buildups of mask waste in oceans gave me an idea. The stores don't care that they inconvenience us/risk our health with mask rules. They are virtue signaling. What can we do?
We can make life more difficult for them BECAUSE of the masks. I wear the disposable medical kind. I have a ton of used ones. (I do re-use them, but I still have dozens, seems like all over my car and house)
How about each time we go to the store we are sure to LEAVE BEHIND a mask. On the floor. On a grocery shelf. On the produce in the vegetable aisle. (ewwww!) In other words, make it so that the store managers want the masks gone as badly as WE do. Because suddenly it's inconveniencing THEM.
We can later escalate to leaving them hanging off things. All over the place. Used ones!
They want masks? We give them MASKS. Used ones. In all the spots they don't want to see them.
Let's take back our stores!
Just do not go to those stores and do not spend any money there.
Don't go litter in their stores and make the poor hourly wage employees who have no say in company policy pick up after you.
I cleaned grease traps as a 'poor hourly wage employee' back in the day. Would definitely trade that for 'picking up crumpled masks' duty. Hourly employees get paid no matter what the task. The point of the exercise is that other customers will start SEEING them. The discomfort level will grow. Managers will have to be 'on the lookout' for them.
Fighting back with CIVIL INCONVENIENCE.
If a manager spots a mask 'somehow' being dropped by me, and confronts me on that, I will say, "Oh, so sorry, must have dropped a dirty one. Where's your MEDICAL WASTE DISPOSAL CONTAINER?" Pause. "Oh. YOU DON'T HAVE ONE? You know, OSHA fines businesses for stuff like that. Word to the wise..." Wink.