Supermarkets and Covid-19

[Hadders]

My fairly large local Sainsbury's today, no queue to get in or for checkouts, which was good. But they seem to have shuffled the layout of a lot of the aisles around, and split some categories (e.g. breakfast cereals) between two aisles instead of all in the same one. So now if you can't find something, it's not clear if it's sold out, or just been moved somewhere else.

Changes happen at this time of year in supermarkets to accommodate Christmas. Not just Christmas ranges that you will see in seasonal sections but consider something like cranberry sauce. Normal sales are next to nothing so very little shelf space will be allocated to it, but at Christmas sales increase by over 1000%. To keep it on sale more shelf space needs to be devoted to it so this means shuffling other products around. There are probably a hundred or so similar products across an average store that all need to have shelf space flexed so the cumulative effect of this results in quite a lot of shuffling around.

Then in January it all gets put back to normal....

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Then in January it all gets put back to normal....

Nah. That's when all the unsold Christmas stock gets replaced by Easter Eggs and the such like...

 

[Andyh82]

Nah. That's when all the unsold Christmas stock gets replaced by Easter Eggs and the such like...

He’s clearly just said, that it’s not just the seasonal aisle, is the normal aisles that all have Christmas stuff adding

Christmas cakes in the cake aisle, party foods in the chilled and frozen aisles etc etc, no other season will effect the rest of the store

 

[yorksrob]

And, in the case of my Sainsburys, a supposedly flagship store, without amending the signage above the aisles, so 'soup' for instance, supposedly with pasta in one of two adjoining aisles, had actually been moved to the bottom shelves of an aisle further along, while sausages are now strung out ( ) between two aisles about half a mile apart, which means customers leave their previous sausage selection on the shelves where the 'extra' ones are: most unprofessional.

I'm very pleased that my Sainsburys has largely refrained from such shenanigans. That said, I sense growing unreast amongst my family members that they have yet to reopen their cafeterias. They fear a capitalist plot to do away with them under cover of covid.

 

[Busaholic]

I'm very pleased that my Sainsburys has largely refrained from such shenanigans. That said, I sense growing unreast amongst my family members that they have yet to reopen their cafeterias. They fear a capitalist plot to do away with them under cover of covid.

Mine has reopened, but closes at 5 p.m., whereas the store closes at 10 p.m., so if you go there at 4 p.m., say, it's empty, whereas before it'd be quite busy. Dozy staff there, who take forever, don't help, and the food 'offering' is much decreased, although I see they promise better 'from 27th October': maybe too late to save a huge space, including an utterly unused outside bit that a few years back saw usage for about nine months of the year. Total own goal.

 

[yorksrob]

Mine has reopened, but closes at 5 p.m., whereas the store closes at 10 p.m., so if you go there at 4 p.m., say, it's empty, whereas before it'd be quite busy. Dozy staff there, who take forever, don't help, and the food 'offering' is much decreased, although I see they promise better 'from 27th October': maybe too late to save a huge space, including an utterly unused outside bit that a few years back saw usage for about nine months of the year. Total own goal.

It'll be fine for my parents. They're happy sharing a panini (I thought they only did football stickers !)

 

[philjo]

Just walked past Morrisons and noticed that the entrance doors nearest the road are in use again. since March they have been closed and marked fire exit only, with all shoppers having to enter using the other doors near the car park ( so those on foot had to walk further).
Though not sure if the reopened entrance still alllows access into the store, or is just for the cafe and pharmacy counter.

 

[maniacmartin]

Croydon Purley Way Sainsburys have a stupid Covid one way system. Of the 2 doors facing the car park, they've designated the one next to the tills as the entrance and the other one as the exit. This is the wrong way round and forces people entering and exiting the store to have cross each others' paths.

Regarding the one way systems in supermarkets, the main group of people that I see not obeying them are the staff.

 

[Hadders]

I've seen some one way systems in supermarkets that on first sight appear illogical but it's normally due to where to set up a queueing system if the number of customers in store at any one time exceeds capacity.

 

[trainophile]

Our local Co-op has three aisles, one with the floor arrows point up and the other two pointing down. There's logically no way you can access the third aisle, so of course people just do their own thing in there.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Croydon Purley Way Sainsburys have a stupid Covid one way system. Of the 2 doors facing the car park, they've designated the one next to the tills as the entrance and the other one as the exit. This is the wrong way round and forces people entering and exiting th store have cross each others' paths.

Regarding the one way systems in supermarkets, the main group of people that I see not obeying them are the staff.

I've seen some one way systems in supermarkets that on first sight appear illogical but it's normally due to where to set up a queueing system if the number of customers in store at any one time exceeds capacity.

My local Tesco has people entering the store crossing the path of people leaving. I though it strange but put it down to it meaning that the outside queuing area could be along the front of the store where there is a canopy. Also the main trolley storage area is on that side. Crossing other people's paths for a few seconds won't increase the risk of transmission.

 

[Hadders]

My local Tesco has people entering the store crossing the path of people leaving. I though it strange but put it down to it meaning that the outside queuing area could be along the front of the store where there is a canopy. Also the main trolley storage area is on that side. Crossing other people's paths for a few seconds won't increase the risk of transmission.

And you also don't want a queue snaking into a traffic lane of the car park. All this needs to be taken into consideration by local store management. They don't always get it right but this is all stuff they never signed up for when they became store managers.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

And you also don't want a queue snaking into a traffic lane of the car park. All this needs to be taken into consideration by local store management. They don't always get it right but this is all stuff they never signed up for when they became store managers.

Well, the clue is in the job title MANAGEr.

The queue at Tesco was indeed away from the main traffic lane, could snake around the quietest part of the car park (barricaded off at the time) and then alongside the car park edge to one of the pedestrian exits. Very well thought out from that point of view, I just refused to accept the 45 minute queue to buy basic foodstuffs, and I certainly won't be doing it through winter.

 

[Hadders]

Well, the clue is in the job title MANAGEr.

The queue at Tesco was indeed away from the main traffic lane, could snake around the quietest part of the car park (barricaded off at the time) and then alongside the car park edge to one of the pedestrian exits. Very well thought out from that point of view, I just refused to accept the 45 minute queue to buy basic foodstuffs, and I certainly won't be doing it through winter.

I agree, but the reality is our supermarkets on the whole have done a very good job this year given everything that's been thrown at them.

As for the time taken to queue this is outside the control of the store. Each store is given a set number of people allowed on the shop floor at any one time. This will be based on the sales area of the store. If you happen to shop in a smaller supermarket that has a very high footfall then the chances are you might have to queue to enter at busy times. On the other hand a large store that doesn't take much money for its size is unlikely to experience queues.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I agree, but the reality is our supermarkets on the whole have done a very good job this year given everything that's been thrown at them.

As for the time taken to queue this is outside the control of the store. Each store is given a set number of people allowed on the shop floor at any one time. This will be based on the sales area of the store. If you happen to shop in a smaller supermarket that has a very high footfall then the chances are you might have to queue to enter at busy times. On the other hand a large store that doesn't take much money for its size is unlikely to experience queues.

I agree. Perhaps one day we will know how close the food distribution chain came (or didn't) to collapse. My local Tesco a 'superstore' still over-trades, even after a much larger 'extra' store was built just under three miles away.

My complaint would be the lack of info about likely queuing times at various times of the day / days of the week. Something similar could be said for bus and train operators but they now have systems in place to 'traffic light' their services. I hope that Tesco can introduce something similar if we return to full-on management of customer numbers. I don't fancy 45 minutes standing in line in sub-zero temperatures.

As a pedestrian I have little choice over where to shop, unlike motorists who can perhaps drive a bit further to that quieter store, or indeed to a variety of different chains for different items. Tesco or Aldi for me, or One-Stop if I live on beer, chocolate and crisps.

 

[Hadders]

Perhaps one day we will know how close the food distribution chain came (or didn't) to collapse.

The issue was panic buying rather than the supply chain, there was plenty of stock but supermarket depots are constrained the number of vehicles that can be loaded and unloaded at any one time (there are a fixed number of loading bays, for example). The uncertainty around Brexit is a far greater risk as supermarkets still don't know the regime they will be operating under come 1st January. Consider fresh food, there are many salad products with around 5 days life that are transported from southern Europe. Add in a couple of days delay to get through Dover and there'll be problems. Supermarkets need silky smooth operations at the ports not bureaucratic hold ups.

My complaint would be the lack of info about likely queuing times at various times of the day / days of the week.

A very interesting observation. In theory it ought to be possible to do something although I know from personal experience that the number of customers in a shop at any one time can vary dramatically due to promotional sales activity, the weather, time of the month (end of the month pay day is usually busier in a large store) etc.

As a pedestrian I have little choice over where to shop, unlike motorists who can perhaps drive a bit further to that quieter store, or indeed to a variety of different chains for different items. Tesco or Aldi for me, or One-Stop if I live on beer, chocolate and crisps.

I'd recommend giving online shopping a try, especially for the heavier stuff. You don't need to place an order every week, you might find ordering every 2-3 weeks works to hit the minimum order threshold but then shop locally to top up supplies.

 

[Darandio]

I'd recommend giving online shopping a try, especially for the heavier stuff. You don't need to place an order every week, you might find ordering every 2-3 weeks works to hit the minimum order threshold but then shop locally to top up supplies.

Good luck with that now. Following the rumours this afternoon, the drawn out build up and then finally the announcement to stay at home, my local Tesco now has no slots available up to 20th November. Asda has a couple on the 7th November, I expect them to be gone by the time I submit this post.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I'd avoid Sundays as things are restricted to six hours apart from small stores where you need a mortgage and they don't stock all you need anyway.

 

[Silver Cobra]

As someone who works in a supermarket on Sundays, I’m very grateful that I have tomorrow off. While some panic-buying had already begun before tonight, I can imagine that, with Boris’ announcement earlier, it’s going to be absolutely awful there tomorrow.

 

[317 forever]

I went to an Asda that is actually my 2nd nearest but handier for my work commute. Anyway, they swapped entry and exit doors since my last visit. Hard to guess why?

 

[Skimpot flyer]

Not necessarily. We just got home from Waitrose and it was as quiet as last week at a similar time (9pm)

 

[Mag_seven]

As someone who works in a supermarket on Sundays, I’m very grateful that I have tomorrow off. While some panic-buying had already begun before tonight, I can imagine that, with Boris’ announcement earlier, it’s going to be absolutely awful there tomorrow.

I don't see why that should be the case as "essential" shops such as supermarkets will be staying open throughout.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

I don't see why that should be the case as "essential" shops such as supermarkets will be staying open throughout.

and Waitrose even sell products with the word ‘essential’ on the packaging

 

[Domh245]

I don't see why that should be the case as "essential" shops such as supermarkets will be staying open throughout.

They were open throughout the first lockdown, and yet

 

[Darandio]

I don't see why that should be the case as "essential" shops such as supermarkets will be staying open throughout.

Didn't stop them last time.

 

[trainophile]

Things have been more like shopping normality for just about long enough to induce a sense of security and work their way through the overstocks from April/May. Now with empty(ish) cupboards and freezers it has been kick-started all over again. It's a basic instinct I think, like cave dwellers stashing their bison and buffalo in case of lean times ahead.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I'd recommend giving online shopping a try, especially for the heavier stuff. You don't need to place an order every week, you might find ordering every 2-3 weeks works to hit the minimum order threshold but then shop locally to top up supplies.

That is my system, in place since Maskification in mid July. I started out with weekly deliveries of everything and have now dropped to every 10/11 days with intermediate trips in person to top-up or obtain items missing from my delivery. I prefer shopping in person but the queues tissed me off, also carrying it all back home after a single weekly trip (as recommended by the government) proved too much. Once the queues (and one-way systems etc) went I was prepared to don a mask and venture to the store.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Oct 2020 ==

Good luck with that now. Following the rumours this afternoon, the drawn out build up and then finally the announcement to stay at home, my local Tesco now has no slots available up to 20th November. Asda has a couple on the 7th November, I expect them to be gone by the time I submit this post.

(smug emoji) Already booked my slots up to 23 November. With Tesco Delivery Saver you get four weeks forward booking instead of the three available to everyone else.

 

[DB]

I've been in both Marks & Spencer and Tesco this evening (often do the shooping on Saturday evening), and no real evidence of panic buying that I could see.

 

[birchesgreen]

People started panic buying weeks ago, they probably have houses overflowing with bog roll and pasta by now.

 

[bramling]

I've been in both Marks & Spencer and Tesco this evening (often do the shooping on Saturday evening), and no real evidence of panic buying that I could see.

Visited Tesco Extra this evening for a full shop (which we'd planned to do anyway). Very slightly busier than normal, however shelves were bare in certain areas - tinned foods, pasta, rice, but not toilet rolls. Lady on the checkout said they'd been very busy all day.