Never ever ever and it's going on 11 years. Stainless is not a very good conductor. Something else must have been going on in the store.

Thanks rococo, it shocked the hell out of me, literally. :) Maybe there was some other material that caused it. I do notice that I get zapped a lot more when I'm wearing flip-flops. I thought rubber soles were supposed to help prevent it.

Linelle,
I owned a food business for 13 years.
We had alot of stainless counters, sinks, you name it.
Required for a food business.
It wasnt the counter that shocked you, I never heard of
someone getting a shock from stainless steel.
Something wasn't grounded in that store.
And by the way, that is a myth, electrical shocks and lightning can very well go through rubber, easily.

butterfly, really, a myth? I thought that's what protected you if you got hit by lightning in a car.

BTW, I live on the West Coast and lightning is somewhat rare where I live, so I really know nothing about it.

maybe they had an electric hotplate on the cart with a frayed wire?

You're protected in a car, but not because of the rubber tires. You're protected because the frame of the car guides the lightning around you instead of to you. See link...

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/cars-can-be-safe-place-during/17283636

Well, it happened again, in another Trader Joe's. I kid you not. This time the little Angus burger + bun flew right out of my hand as I made contact with and got zapped by the stainless counter.

This time it was at the permanent cooking corner where they give out samples, not a little cart as before. The floors are, what, linoleum? The stuff they have in most grocery stores. I was wearing Teva flip-flops with a wedge sole.

I think my shoes + the flooring are the culprits.

linelle, I could not resist googling this. Didn't find much but this link caught my eye because it mentioned linoleum flooring.

Did any employee see this happen? I would certainly report the incident to a manager. They really don't need someone with a heart condition getting an electrical shocks in their stores.

Here is a link that might be useful: electrical shocks in kitchen

debra, thanks for the link. I don't think any employee saw this happen. Only the guy standing next to me who said, "5 second rule!" as I picked up the hapless burger sample. I would have eaten it if it happened in my house, but not off the floor at TJ's.

I don't think it was faulty wiring, more what I call a static shock, like you sometimes get off your car door and esp. in dry climates, high altitude, and when the wind is blowing. I sometimes will get a little zap when I touch a can on a supermarket shelf. One of my cats has very silky fur and I occasionally get little zaps off her.

I seem to be electrified! I seriously hate shocks.

Just interesting that it happens at TJs. When I had cloth seats in my car, at certain times of year, I would get shocks that actually hurt. Now with leather I haven't gotten any.

So I googled teva and electrical shocks. Came up with this link. Supposedly this kind protects against shocks. Is this what you have?

Here is a link that might be useful: are these your shoes?

debra, I think the anti-shock shoes were Pumas. Here's a pic of the shockmeisters. They're a little beat up, but my faves.

It is funny that it's happened only at TJs, never at Costco where I eat my way through the store. I have a friend with a little economy car with super synthetic seats. Shock City. I hate to ride in her car.

Oh thats weird. I just looked at the link again. The photo is a Teva but the text is about Puma. Sorry!

I never saw a pic of your counter that close up before. Like it.

I managed to shut down the electricity for the entire midway section of a Midwest state fair when my plastic sandal made contact with a very large, obviously faulty electrical cord. I had just wrestled my son's stroller over the cord and then I stepped on it. Voila: flash, bang, smoking shoe, darkened midway, and workers frantically running my way...I do not remember if I managed to scream or not but the sandal went flying.

I NEVER EVER step on electrical cords...the thicker the cord, the more paranoid I am. There was a clear gold-colored ink imprinted label on the bottom of my sandal...I think there must have been some kind of metal in the ink that made contact with a break in the covering of the cord. I do not understand how both my son and I managed to avoid a major jolt of electricity.

Ranton, wow! Shutting down the midway is much more dramatic than me flinging a small burger. I don't blame you for never stepping on electrical cords.

Hi Linelle-we have experienced that in our local walmart. Push the cart down the aisle- open door to reach into the cooler or freezer and get a nice static shock. The cashier said a lot of the customers were complaining. It happens all over the store so i don't think it is the wiring on a particular case. They thought it had something to do with the type of wheels on the carts. It's annoying and you start to not want to reach for anything.
Also in the kitchen I work in which of couse is all stainless surfaces if you lean against the counter while pulling the plastic wrap out of the box you get a good shock. I think both happen more in winter with the dryer air, but maybe with the a/c on too.

Not sure why you got shocked, but I really like those sandals! How about a photo of you wearing them? ;-)

Wooden shoes Linelle. Yes, very cute sandals.

lol, Linelle, I go to Trader Joe's for the samples and to get an idea of what to make for dinner. Costco? I don't need dinner after leaving. haha.. They are doing the burgers here too in greater ATL. The Vita Mix man is a fixture there too serving up his concoctions. Not to be outdone, our Publix has cooking demos daily with a recipe card and notebook you can keep them in. I have gathered lots of new recipes from them. They have all of the ingredients right behind them in a cooler so you can sample it, buy all the ingredients and take home the recipe card all in one place. Love it. Hope you get to the bottom of this shocking situation!!!

I worried about this slightly when I put in my copper countertops, seeing as how well copper conducts, but it turned out it was never any problem whatsoever. Perhaps our wooden floors helped?

I live in harsh winter land - very dry indoors in the winter, so static shocks are common. I don't touch any electronics without touching metal first - like the stainless steel cabinet housing the components.

I have one pair of tennis shoes that is especially bad - just walking on the concrete floors, I can generate a pretty good zap. Other shoes - no problem, or at least much less of a problem.

Thank God it's not just me. I get the heebie jeebies just reading about shocks. I have a definite phobia. I will avoid touching anything if I think a zap is coming. Ever had one when the dental hygienist shuffles across the carpeted floor and touches a metal pick to your teeth? Awesome!!!

REI carries Teva flip-flops and the prices aren't bad. If it didn't get cold or wet here, I'd wear them year-round.

Hahaha Allen. My feet are not my best feature, although my pale aqua nail polish is quite a hit, esp. when I serve at the Communion rail on Sunday and my toes peek out from under my robe.

countryatheart, I can't tell you how many times I've gotten zapped by supermarket freezer or dairy cooler doors. I don't even want to touch them anymore. What's the floor like where you work? Probably like the one in TJs and other supermarkets.

gr8day, I buy a lot of stuff when I can taste it first. TJ has some decent carnitas I would have never tried before sampling it. And no zaps either. :)

circus, yes, hooray for wood floors. I've never gotten zapped in my own kitchen, despite a s/s fridge and DW and other sundry metal items.

In the Maybe-It's-Just-Me department: Back in the day I was a smoker and used to carry books of matches in my purse. On two separate occasions, I had a book of matches spontaneously combust IN MY PURSE. After the second one, I got the message, and switched to a lighter.

I get shocked from shopping carts at Sam's Club. It seems to only happen on dry, windy days. An employee said it had to do with the polished concrete floors, and the hard rubber wheels on the carts.

This post was edited by Errant on Sat, May 24, 14 at 1:07