Frank C. writes in gather.com

Two weeks ago at a supermarket two streets over from the office where I work, I bought a few items for lunch. The cashier asked me if I wanted my items in a bag. When I told her yes, she licked her fingers and reached for a bag, opened it and put my purchases in the bag.

Last week I went to a sandwich deli near my office and bought a sandwich to go. The guy working there asked me if I wanted my sandwich and chips in a bag. When I said yes, he licked his fingers and reached for a bag, opened it and placed my food inside.

Yesterday I bought some milk and fruit at a convenience shop on the ground floor of the building where I work. You can probably see this coming, but the cashier licked his fingers, opened a bag and filled it with my items.

I'm not germophobic nor do I think I've already become a cantankerous old git. But I'm really sick and tired of people licking their fingers to turn pages, sort paper or-most egregiously-put my food purchases in a bag.

Clink link to his post

TatrD posted in her Turn Another Page blog

I really, REALLY can't stand people who lick their fingers. I mean both while eating and when shuffling through papers.

I was at a store today and purchased some frames (anyone near a Hobby Lobby they're 50% off right now). The girl was wrapping them up for me in paper and felt it necessary to lick her fingers as she shifted through every freakin' paper. Then, in order to open each of the bags, she felt she needed to lick her fingers again. It was all I could do to take the bag from her when she was done. People, PLEASE don't do this, I beg of all our readers. I especially hate it when someone licks their fingers to find a piece of paper and then hands me the paper. I feel it's pretty much the equivalent of spitting on the paper and then giving it to me. ICK!

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mastermelanie writes in ramblings of a math nerd

have you ever thought how ickie it really is to lick your finger to turn the page and then do it again straight away without washing your hands first ?

we've done this for ages and things seem to be okay, but if you take a bit to think about it there is some ickiness involved, especially if you don't know where the pages have been before (like in student assignments, catalogs, or library books).

Click link to her blog

Amy posts in her blog Elvis has left the building

please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.
please stop licking your fingers.

Click link to her blog

Check out Yelp New York's online conversation:

Mike S. says:

I keep a wet sponge next to me in a small little bowl. Then, when my finger can't grip the page, I run my index finger along the sponge for the perfect flip. It may seem a bit extreme, but i should also add that I have never read, so I've yet to put this into practice.

Link: http://vondajonutt.blogspot.com/2008/04/sortkwik-saved-my-life.html

vonda blogs in Smorgasbord of Bordom

April 7, 2008
SortKwik Saved My Life
So, I love sortkwik. Have you ever used it? It's this pink waxy-jelly-sticky stuff you can put on your fingers to sort through paper with out having to lick your thumb every 5 seconds and taste whatever was on the paper that you just flipped through. It's awesome.

parris43 picture post in Flickr:

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Comments from Asylum2777 regarding "People who lick their fingers to turn pages of magazines"

Link: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17423422.700-dirty-money.html

From New Scientist Print Edition.

Don't lick your fingers while counting your cash in India. Soiled rupee banknotes are breeding grounds for the bugs that cause tonsillitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis, say scientists at the Regional Sophisticated Instrumentation Centre in Shillong. "The risk is serious. Many notes in India are soiled and held together with bits of sticky tape. These notes are potential killers," says researcher Sudip Dey. The problem is worst in north-eastern India, he says, where notes tend to stay in circulation longer. The central Reserve Bank of India says it is working hard to replace old notes with new ones as quickly as possible.

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The National Archives of the U.K. instructs users how to handle documents:

Everyone at The National Archives – both staff and readers – has a responsibility and duty to preserve all types of documents in our care for users like yourself, now and in the future.

There are some general practices that should be followed by everyone:

- Wash your hands before you start working and avoid using hand cream.

- Try not to lick your fingers when turning pages.

- Avoid leaning on or touching the document, use a paper marker to the text.

- Use cotton gloves when handling photographs, and hold them by the edges.

Here's the link: