Supermarkets and Covid-19

[ChrisC]

To be honest, unless we need a major shop, our local corner shop stocks the essentials that we need, like cat food and loo roll, as well as a good selection of chilled and frozen food. I can't speak for everywhere else, but certainly in my area they have been unsung heroes.

Absolutely agree. I’ve not been in a large superstore since the beginning of March.
I started to use my local smaller shops in the next village, at the beginning of the lockdown and have not gone back. Fantastic quality meat, fruit and veg, cheese, bread and cakes etc. Even very good home made ready meals and pies. All far better quality than from the large supermarkets, lots of local produce, and not as expensive as I was expecting. For more everyday items I have just used a small local Co op also in the village and they too have been well stocked and provided a friendly service. They have indeed all been unsung heroes and so friendly and helpful too. It’s great to have my bags packed and even to have the door opened for me as I leave.

 

[trainophile]

Had a flyer type booklet with the post this morning from Aldi, captioned on the front with something like "spending Christmas together" (it's now in the recycling bin and I can't remember exactly). Thought it was a bit optimistic, especially as it depicted what was obviously supposed to be a good sized family gathering all tucking into festive goodies. Probably printed a couple of months ago I expect.

 

[AM9]

My local record shop is staying open for click and collect vinyl. They are allowed to as their click and collect service is already established. The place is run by the biggest coronaphobe. If he's wanting to open it says something.

It says that his 'coronaphobia' as you call it is trumped by his wish for profit.

 

[greyman42]

Indeed. Supermarkets will remain open and (in England) will sell their full range of products. You are allowed to make a journey for 'essential shopping', this includes making the journey by public transport.

Who has said that you cannot make a journey for any reason?

 

[Hadders]

Who has said that you cannot make a journey for any reason?

There are bound to be people making their own rules up.

 

[bramling]

Possibly because they now have a significant trade in Christmas related goods, - e.g. trees (real and artificial), decorations for such, various home accessories for indoor celebrations and of course garden related gifts, including plants.

It’s a bit of a farce. Notwithstanding the fact that many garden centres stock a cursory range of items like clothes, I find it hard to make a case to say that garden centres are “essential”, or likewise that a trip to a garden centre is really an “essential journey”.

It’s either safe to go out or it’s not.

I’m not advocating that garden centres *should* be closing, on the contrary, but it seems rather inconsistent with the supposed urgency of Boris’s latest lockdown.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

It’s a bit of a farce. Notwithstanding the fact that many garden centres stock a cursory range of items like clothes, I find it hard to make a case to say that garden centres are “essential”, or likewise that a trip to a garden centre is really an “essential journey”.

It’s entire safe to go out or it’s not.

I’m not advocating that garden centres *should* be closing, on the contrary, but it seems rather inconsistent with the supposed urgency of Boris’s latest lockdown.

As with asking people not to ‘panic buy’ (which results in some people thinking ‘OMG! there must be a potential shortage, better buy loads of toilet rolls’), forcing non-essential shops to close has also had unintended consequences.

Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush (London) must have been open til 10pm tonight.
As a result, and because there is potentially only 1 more non-essential shopping day before Christmas (people clearly not trusting promises that the 2 December lifting of restrictions will occur), the London Overground train I was on just under an hour ago was absolutely rammed with people. No social distancing was possible, it was full and standing.
The same journey at the same time last week had about 1/10th of tonight’s number of passengers.

Eat Out To Help Out? Probably led to Virus transmission - even the government has acknowledged this

10pm curfew for pubs? Everyone orders a drink just before closing, then congregate outside in large numbers...

Lockdown for non-essential shops? They extend their opening hours and it’s mayhem after they close...

 

[bramling]

As with asking people not to ‘panic buy’ (which results in some people thinking ‘OMG! there must be a potential shortage, better buy loads of toilet rolls’), forcing non-essential shops to close has also had unintended consequences.

Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush (London) must have been open til 10pm tonight.
As a result, and because there is potentially only 1 more non-essential shopping day before Christmas (people clearly not trusting promises that the 2 December lifting of restrictions will occur), the London Overground train I was on just under an hour ago was absolutely rammed with people. No social distancing was possible, it was full and standing.
The same journey at the same time last week had about 1/10th of tonight’s number of passengers.

Eat Out To Help Out? Probably led to Virus transmission - even the government has acknowledged this

10pm curfew for pubs? Everyone orders a drink just before closing, then congregate outside in large numbers...

Lockdown for non-essential shops? They extend their opening hours and it’s mayhem after they close...

BJ seems utterly incapable of thinking through the unintended consequences which arise from his decisions.

That’s what happens when they tinker with normality.

 

[Mojo]

It’s a bit of a farce. Notwithstanding the fact that many garden centres stock a cursory range of items like clothes, I find it hard to make a case to say that garden centres are “essential”, or likewise that a trip to a garden centre is really an “essential journey”.

It’s either safe to go out or it’s not.

I’m not advocating that garden centres *should* be closing, on the contrary, but it seems rather inconsistent with the supposed urgency of Boris’s latest lockdown.

I'm with you on this one. I'm more than happy to see garden centres opening as after supermarkets and bargain shops they're probably my most visited type of retailer! The opening of garden centres in May, over a month before other so-called "non essential retail" was allowed to reopen was largely driven by the arguments that spring and early summer are the busiest trading times of the year for such establishments, the fact that the majority of the produce sold at that time of year is not only perishable but also home grown so would have a bigger impact on the supply chain, and also the fact that the majority of browsing and sales would be taking place outside. I'm not so sure the same argument can be made this time around.

Having also said that, I would imagine the majority of garden centres would be allowed to legally stay open in any case as they could quite reasonably be allowed to remain open under at least one of the other categories. I found one garden centre remaining open throughout the entirety of the last lockdown on the basis they had a butcher and greengrocer on site as well a few tables selling locally made soaps and bath bombs.

 

[MikeWM]

Ely Tesco have installed 'traffic lights' at the entrance

Probably won't affect me too much, as I tend to go when it is quiet anyway. Though that's assuming that they don't decide cut back their hours further, like they did during the first lockdown...

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Ely Tesco have installed 'traffic lights' at the entrance

My local Tesco just done the same. Guess what, there were now biggish queues to get in yesterday afternoon, although inside didn't seem any busier than usual. Security guy on the front door was beckoning folk through, irrespective of the red light being displayed above the door. (Presume he had a door control override).

 

[bramling]

Ely Tesco have installed 'traffic lights' at the entrance

Probably won't affect me too much, as I tend to go when it is quiet anyway. Though that's assuming that they don't decide cut back their hours further, like they did during the first lockdown...

How dystopian!

 

[Trackman]

Just a bit of a heads up, Asda have released the Christmas home delivery slots.
That's one headache out of the way for me.

 

[david1212]

I did my weekly shop at Aldi on my way home. Since mid-August I've tried to build up a few excess minutes so I can leave slightly early and be ahead of others finishing at 5pm. Last week it didn't happen but as also half-term I didn't think it would matter. However Aldi was then noticeably busier.

Overall little sign of panic buying over the last few days. Various items lower stock than typical but still available. Plenty of pasta, long life milk, toiletries, cleaning products and loo rolls except 24 packs. Down to the last few packs of baby wipes and pet food decimated. One hole in the tins area, maybe tomatoes, and cheapest tomato and brown sauce cleared. A few sections in the non-food racks were empty.

There was no queue outside the nearby B&M.


Looking at the local online newspaper the list of stores open is similar to March / April / May. Presuming correct TJ Hughes is a surprise given they predominantly sell clothing, household and electrical. Like most places in the run up to Christmas they will be stocking gift orientated food but not enough of a range to reasonably live on. Similarly toiletry gift packs but again very limited compared to Wilko, B&M, Home Bargains etc.

 

[VauxhallandI]

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to buy a greetings card at Tesco Metro today

 

[Hadders]

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to buy a greetings card at Tesco Metro today

There is no restriction on the items that supermarkets in England are allowed to sell. The whole range is available.

 

[VauxhallandI]

There is no restriction on the items that supermarkets in England are allowed to sell. The whole range is available.

Ah that was just a Welsh thing

 

[Jamesrob637]

I'm hoping to hit Sainsbury's at 08:00 tomorrow and be done for 09:00. Stay tuned for a report over the weekend.

 

[Cowley]

I did a reasonably big shop in Tesco’s today and it all seemed pretty calm and fully stocked..
One of my stepchildren works in there and luckily for me I saw him on the way around so was able to ‘borrow’ his discount card which saved me a few quid at the checkout.
Unluckily for me I was still chuckling at the practical joke I paid on him when I walked off with some poor woman’s trolley and filled it up with all kinds of things that she must have had to sift through at the checkout...

I’m now going to have to go back to Tesco’s and buy peanut butter, coffee, bread etc at some point over the weekend.
What a plonker!

 

[Pete_uk]

I heard a rumor that Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco were to start only letting one person per household in at any one time.

??

 

[bramling]

I heard a rumor that Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco were to start only letting one person per household in at any one time.

??

A sure-fire way to cause conflict and abuse for staff. People are getting increasingly tired of being treated like school children just for going about their daily business.

I’m utterly tired of these daft measures. Is there any scientific evidence that two people doing a shop together increases spread?

 

[DelayRepay]

I’m utterly tired of these daft measures. Is there any scientific evidence that two people doing a shop together increases spread?

That isn't why they do it. They have a maximum capacity, so by limiting entry to one per household, they can allow more 'households' in the store at any one time, so shorter queues.

I know that sometimes shopping together is unavoidable, but in these times people should try to avoid it if possible.

 

[Bantamzen]

I heard a rumor that Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco were to start only letting one person per household in at any one time.

??

I was in a Tesco Express yesterday and there was no sign of that being applied.

 

[bramling]

That isn't why they do it. They have a maximum capacity, so by limiting entry to one per household, they can allow more 'households' in the store at any one time, so shorter queues.

I know that sometimes shopping together is unavoidable, but in these times people should try to avoid it if possible.

But surely a household should count as one? I can understand they wouldn’t want whole families in there (I’ve never understood why on earth people do this even in normal times, but just accept it as a fact of life), but two people together really isn’t a problem at all.

Another thing to flout. My patience with all this has now well and truly run out, I am taking what measures I feel are appropriate, and ignoring anything else.

We do our shopping together at times, and I’m not prepared to change that practice. I would add that we don’t tend to be in there at what would be busy times, however that shouldn’t stop us going in together at a busier time should we wish to.

 

[221129]

they can allow more 'households' in the store at any one time

Thus defeating the whole idea of these new restrictions.

 

[AM9]

But surely a household should count as one? I can understand they wouldn’t want whole families in there (I’ve never understood why on earth people do this even in normal times, but just accept it as a fact of life), but two people together really isn’t a problem at all. ...

It doesn't always work out that way. On several occasions couples were inadvertently admitted to our local, whereupon they did one or more of the following:

both dart backwards and forwards to and from their trolley creating a randomly moving obstruction​

create a two person blockage whilst they debate the finer points of their shopping choices​

park one of them with their trolley, (usually the husband/child) in several awkward locations thereby creating another blockage.​

You and your partner may be super efficient avoiding any of the above but that certainly isn't the norm. As was said above, shops are now working against a maximum number of simultaneous occupants in the sales area so allowing a party of two (or more) reduces the number of households that can be served, - two shoppers together don't take half the time from entrance to exit however efficency they are.

 

[Bantamzen]

It doesn't always work out that way. On several occasions couples were inadvertently admitted to our local, whereupon they did one or more of the following:

both dart backwards and forwards to and from their trolley creating a randomly moving obstruction​

create a two person blockage whilst they debate the finer points of their shopping choices​

park one of them with their trolley, (usually the husband/child) in several awkward locations thereby creating another blockage.​

You and your partner may be super efficient avoiding any of the above but that certainly isn't the norm. As was said above, shops are now working against a maximum number of simultaneous occupants in the sales area so allowing a party of two (or more) reduces the number of households that can be served, - two shoppers together don't take half the time from entrance to exit however efficency they are.

Maybe the answer is to ban couples from society, that way there's no chance of any "randomly moving obstructions" for you....

Seriously, have you read what you wrote? You make it sound like everyone else is an annoyance for you. If so, online shopping is the way forward for you.

 

[VauxhallandI]

I forgot to mention yesterday that Tesco had positioned a poor young guy at the entrance trying to give you hand sanitizer.

We are also back to having to walk round the block if you arrive at the car park to get in as one end is exit and the other is entrance.

Both ends have one main door and then two internal doors. I don’t see the advantage of avoiding this minor pinch point when you walk past everyone in the store.

It’s all theatre taken by the masses as court martial offences is transgressed.

 

[DelayRepay]

Think about it this way:
The supermarket has a capacity of 50 people at any one time.
50 households need groceries
If each household sends one person, they can all go in together
If each household sends two people, then half the households can shop, and the other half (50 people) have to wait outside in the queue

I think asking people to shop alone if possible is reasonable. There will be exceptions, e.g. people who need help shopping, people without cars etc. But I think those that can comply with the request should do so.

 

[Hadders]

I heard a rumor that Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco were to start only letting one person per household in at any one time.

??

As I understand it the number of people allowed in a store at any one time has not changed, even though we are in lockdown. The numbers allowed are based on the store sales area and work to a formula which is part of the covid safe arrangements. Ordinarily you won't have to queue to get in but you might need to if you shop at a store that has a high number of customers for its size.

What is a potential problem at the moment is that with non-essential retail being closed, many more people might choose to go to a supermarket for 'leisure' and to have look round. This will increase customer numbers, potentially preventing genuine customers from being able to enter. By asking customers to shop one at a time it means more people households can be served.