If you were at the grocery store, and a mentally handicapped person helped bag your groceries...?

Question

Would you ignore him? Talk to him? Smile at him? Feel uncomfortable? Etc.

I mean, if the person is obviously mentally handicapped. You can usually tell.

I'm not asking for myself, I am asking to see how you'd generally react to the mentally handicapped in an everyday situation.

Great answers so far! People aren't so bad after all! :)

Answer 1

i would smile at the person and thank them for doing a real good job. I think people ask questions like this because the person has never had one on one experience with mentally challenged people. My husband is border line mentally challenged and i have lots of people ask me these same questions. It don't bother me, but for some people they don't what to say, or how to act around mentally challenged people. Just remember mentally challenged people want to fit into our society like any normal person. Treat a person the way you would want to be treated if you were the bagging person.

Answer 2

Probably at least thank them. My friend takes such people to places like the grocery store or walmart so they can work for a couple hours, get a little money, and feel more of a connection to society, and fitting in. It is a good program I think, and really I don't see it being a big deal. Those people got dealt a bad hand in life at conception that could have easily happened to you or me. If that were you, how would you want to be treated? Just give them a thank you, and it makes their day, why not?

Answer 3

I worked at a grocery store with a mentally handicapped guy. Some people were nice to him, because they knew him, while other people were very rude to him. The people who were rude would make nasty comments about how he was handicapped and ask why he was even able to have a job working there. I never understood this, because they didn't even know the guy, and he was a very nice person.

Answer 4

I would act the same way i do when i am the mentally handicapped person shopping and there is a none mentally handicapped person bagging my Doritos and beer... And that is Slobber a little on myself tell a dumb joke and hurry home to watch Miami Ink

Answer 5

There is a mentally handicapped man who regularly bags my groceries. I smile and thank him and once I told the store manager how wonderful it was that he remembers to bag my mom's groceries light because she hurt her wrist last year. She hasn't worn a brace or anything for months but he was concerned enough to keep it in mind. He actually does a better job bagging than the people who can't wait to get a better job.

Answer 6

Well, I would probably feel the same way and do the same thing that I do with the very intelligent person who bags my groceries.
Bagging groceries should be the exclusive domain of the dull average so we can engage in regular conversation so we do not feel awkward. The same should be true of everyone we meet: they should be just like me, an IQ point or two above average.
I feel better already.

Answer 7

I would do the same thing just as if it were any other person.. Besides how do I know who is mentally handicapped and who is not?

Answer 8

I wouldnt want anyone to and therefore would not want to feel obligated to be nice to them . I would also look to see if i could see a carer for them so they could handle the situation but otherwise would get on with it.

Answer 9

I almost always smile and talk to the register person and the bagger ~~~ they are all just regular hardworking people like myself ~~~ oh yes, and I look at their name badge and say "good-bye + their name"

Answer 10

I would smile at them just as I would any other person that was bagging my groceries.