Shopping

Yes Calendergirl..she meant I just shouldn't be shopping!!..she said I should have already bought everything..

As I wrote on another thread - husband went to Tesco yesterday at 7.30 am and he was almost the only one there.
Mostly for fruit and veg, and bread.
All well stocked up. Apart from a few well known items.

farview

Did she mean you just shouldn’t be shopping per se, or you shouldn’t be shopping because of your age? I am a pensioner, but not yet 70. I’ve never seen clarification of what stores mean by ‘elderly’. Do they mean if you receive the state pension, or over 70, or what?
I avoid the ‘elderly’ shopping hours, because I’m not 70, and don’t want to be accused of taking advantage. But not sure if I am eligible.

Totally out of order, farview! Glad to hear Lidl are taking it seriously - some of us have no choice but to shop for food.

I was in lidl at opening time on Tues..just four other customers in there also...at the till,as I was packing..this was the scene with the nasty cashier
You shouldn't be here!!
Me) Pardon
Her) you,you shouldn't be here
Me) I need my shopping
Her) you should have thought of that and bought everything before
Me) I get my pension on a tuesday..and I need to shop
......I was so upset..I am 67 but very fit&able..she was so out of order..her tone was awful..i was upset all day..late afternoon i emailed lidl customer services..they replied straight away. This morning they rang me..said they were taking it seriously etc but I said that I certainly didn't want her to lose her job..I just want her told that her attitude needs to change..I didn't give him my address either..I hadn't contacted them to be compensated in some way...I just think that she needs a slap on the wrist...

If I manage to secure a slot for 'vulnerable' over 70s again I won't need to go to the supermarket. I would be uneasy now to go shopping, even with the new regulations.

A similar story here, M0nica - my Waitrose was fairly quiet at 8.30. Car park was half-empty, with a short queue of customers. The shelves were quite well stocked although some lines were very sparse, and it was actually quite pleasant to walk around with so few people inside.
I always use the self-scanner, so straight to the checkout once I've selected my shopping, and I was in and out in less than half an hour.

Went to Aldi earlier this week and they had nearly everything, apart from paracetamol. Went into aTesco Extra and they weren’t nearly so well stocked - no milk, fresh meat, not much fruit and veg. But they did have Whiskas for my cat!

Doramarr, DH and I commented while waiting to pay that from the look of other trolleys, everyone was doing a normal weekly shop, with no sign of bulk buying.

In our area, there has been panic buying of specific items (domestic paper products of all kinds, tomatos, baked beans and eggs) but there has been none of the uncontrollable locust shopping shown so much on tv and online.

7.30 this morning my local Waitrose had reasonably filled shelves, although fresh meat and poultry continues to be in short supply. Entry into the store was monitored and at a certain point it became one out, one in. Only 1 shopper per trolley or basket was allowed.

Calendargirl what are essentials? One family's or person's essential is someone elses luxury. Then there are people's ethical beliefs and practices to cater for and dietary limits.

I was shopping today for someone who has problems with some dairy products, but the problem is not lactose based. I was buying goats milk, soya based products and looking for one quite specific brand of bread,which is the only one that in their case, it is safe to eat.

DH went to Happy Hour in Tesco to-day . He said it was well organised and they were really trying thier best. That should keep us going until our online order arrives.

Because only one pair of hands. Checkout staff are human too not machines. A smile and a friendly word while packing costs nothing.

I don't chat nor do I pack. I put scanned items in trolley (if not using basket) and pack outside away from everyone.
I have my card and loyalty tag ready so no hanging around.
Nothing worse than too much chat and waiting for someone to pack then fumble for their purse and find their card.
You know you have to pay so why not have it ready to tap or insert pin?

I'm just back from my usual small supermarket. It was scary. An empty car park, marshals at the front door. One out before another can enter and 30 mins max inside. It was well stocked. I got everything I'd wanted. It was a bigger shop than usual. As I'm trying to have to shop as little as humanly possible. Staff cheerful and bravely carrying on. It was nice to have a little chat as I packed away my stuff ASAP at the checkout.
Nevertheless, there was a horrible end of the world feeling.
Meanwhile, across the car park, Sainsburys was heaving...

I think we on here are taking it very seriously. I know I am.
Did some planting this morning and now reading GN with windows wide open and in for the day.

P Charles has C-19...just read.

The point is, people are supposed to be taking this seriously, and whether shops have non- essentials in stock or not they are supposed to be self- regulating and doing the decent thing, and not going out unless they need to. And they should be shopping alone.

Correction. Actually it's Southview farm in Bury, about 5 miles outside Pulborough West Sussex.

ninathenana
Sussex farm foods used to be a tiny shop made out of what was a stone built pig pen.
It stocked food made and grown very locally, meringues, fruit, preserves/jams, bread, cakes, veg, wine, eggs...and so on.
Now, it's expanded and I don't go there. Far too much like a supermarket with big queues.
I go to small ones which are part of a working farm.
A favourite was Southfork? a farm which sold veg, delicious cream, eggs, milk, meat and an honesty box alongside a price list, all made and grown on the farm.
On the Bury road going towards Amberley ⏩ Arundel from Surrey.

Gabriella we have a brilliant farm shop near me. It also sells animal feed and pet food it is always fairly busy. Last Sunday cars were queueing down the busy narrow road to get into the car park which holds 50-60 cars.
They are now limiting entry to a few people at a time on a one in one out basis. Also limiting on amounts you can buy. Our local butcher is the same. He opens at 5.30am ! and has a queue waiting.
They are obviously good at their jobs.

Where i live, more and more places are doing delivery of basic items. One is a post office who have a handwritten note of what they've got.and that would supply needs.we have a Facebook site to help the vulnerable and this links to a foodbank. I've created a WhatsApp group.for our street (small) for support and will use that to find out things. What shocked me was that some people were suspicious of facebook, or whatsapp, and email and some didn't respond at all.

What’s classed as essential and non essential? If Tesco’s sells it, I imagine you are entitled to buy it. I don’t think Frosties or crisps are essential for example, but then I bought a couple of avocados, not essential but available.
Until they just produce and sell ‘the essentials’, people will buy whatever they want if it’s there.

I think the government should be concerned about people who go shopping frequently, with partners or others, and buy non- essentials. They are putting shop staff at risk, and the rest of society too. I have seen lots of elderly couples and others going shopping together.

But if you can’t buy fresh milk, MOMB, your frozen milk does run out, and needs replacing, I always try and have some in, but stock gets depleted as I say.

I went into the small Tescos yesterday at 8.30. a.m while I waited for the chemist to open, and the shelves were devoid of fresh fruit and vegetables, yoghurt, sugar and paracetamol, the only things I was looking for. Whether their usual deliveries came in later I don't know.