Lockdown - essential shopping?

I haven't been to town to see what's open or not, but yes it is wrong to ban small shops from opening if the larger ones are able to sell what the specialist shops should sell.

I live in Wales where the government tried to stop supermarkets selling non essential items in our lock down because it was unfair on local small businesses. They received ridicule and criticism in the UK media for this policy.

I think it is so unfair that 'non essential' shops are closed and supermarkets are having to close certain areas. It gives large online shops the scope to pick up all the xmas shopping that people need and causes there to be an increase in van deliveries. One LARGE online service in particular who i might add i have been guilty of using myself.

In big shops open for food or somewhere like boots they can sell things that are on the same sales floor as the food. So in some supermarkets where clothes are upstairs they can't sell them. Im guessing our marks which has multiple floors can only sell some clothes but not all.

I did have a nail file emergency so was naughty and bought a new pack when I went for a prescription!!

The only physical shopping I do is in a largish M&S Food Hall but only on rare occasions. Otherwise its Tesco home delivery. However I prefer to see shops open rather than even more money being added to Jeff Bezos's billions.

Our M&S has a food hall, but you are filtered in through a small range of clothing-crafty? The upper floors are closed and for click and collect you have to wait at the foot of the stairs.
One worry with this new lockdown is that only those who followed it last time will do it this time- the spreaders will carry on doing what they want and what they have decided will be safe.

It is rather confusing. I wondered why Poundland and Wilkinsons were open but I was told it was because they sell food, however small the quantity. It seems that this is the reason pubs have had to close unless they are selling food.Our Waterstones closed their coffee shop years ago so I cannot see why they are allowed to open. They said that any book which had been handled would not go back on the shelf until it had been sanitised.

The bigger the shop, the higher the ceiling so the greater the volume of air in the shop - surely that makes it safer. Obviously the bigger shops can also afford the luxury of having someone on the door, so the maximum numbers are strictly adhered to.

My gripe is people having Christmas wrapping sticking out their bag - in early November, that's not essential.

Btw Poundland sells food, meds, cleaning products and toiletries - all essential.

Got to agree with Hilz - surely the whole idea is to shop for essentials only and as quickly as possible? It does seem unfair that some businesses and some shoppers are bending the rules though - anyone predicting another spike in the New Year, as a result?

Our nearest large M&S only had the foodhall open. The clothes section had all the lights off, and was clearly closed.

I may be wrong but perhaps small shop owners can claim furlough for their staff and/or other benefits for themselves, whereas large supermarkets can't even if half of the store has to be roped off.
Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.

We have a huge ‘garden centre’ not far away. Apart from plants
it has huge Christmas displays of trees, decorations and gifts. There is also a large food hall. In addition they have a lot of separate independent outlets selling kitchenware, childrens’ clothes, craft materials, activity wear and ladies’ clothes. Everything is open, apart from the cafe! I’ve been told that the queues to get in extend for at least 100 metres.
Meanwhile all our little local shops are forced to close, and the big online business named after a river is laughing all the way to the (tax-free) bank!

My local Tesco has the first floor closed off. A lady was asking why as she needed a kettle and she felt that was an essential item. The reply was that if the store was all on one level she could buy a kettle but Tesco could only open up the ground floor to shoppers. Barmy!

All the banks and post offices ect are still open and people are still taking money out which I would suspect is more unsanitary than any book given the amount of hands it has passed through ?

Myself and dh went to the local shops and was dumfounded to see only charity shops/card shops shut.
So much for lockdown2 and social distancing.

There have been adverts on the TV since the current lockdown (I tend to record so I seldom see them) from the Government, banks and the internet providers. Encouraging small business people to sign up for Click and Collect.
I looked it up and it seems they have banded together to help people set up online shopping and banking facilites.
DGS and I went along our shopping street today and nearly all the shops are advertising it.
There are set times for collection and you need an appointment.
The shops all had lights on and staff on duty.
I am really pleased as DGS main pressies are coming from 2 of the shops.
A good initiative I think; our lock down is until mid December and St Nicolas arrives on the 6th.
Back to school on Monday so I can get organised.

Greenfinch Waterstones - sorry I do not agree with you regarding books. They are certainly essential to my life and always have been. Furthermore, people living alone will probably enjoy having something interesting to read. I am shielding, and together with friends in the same position, find reading and the radio an uplifting pleasure.

Shoe shops need to be open for children’s shoes only. During the last lockdown both my DGCs grew out of their shoes. Fortunately someone kind gave my daughter two pairs of trainers but these were their only wearable shoes.

In my book alcohol, sweets and cakes are not an essential items, nor are clothes for adults. Anything needed for work such as tools are essential for some.

The whole essential/non-essential argument reminds me of when VAT was introduced in 1973. At the time we owned a small deli selling as well as delivering hot and cold food and drinks. Any food item containing chocolate carried VAT because it was classed as non-essential, so coffee and tea were exempt, but hot chocolate wasn't. Likewise we could compare a slice of fruit cake with a chocolate eclair - one essential, the other a luxury. Absolute nonsense - like the situation now. The arbiter of essentiality/non-essentiality is some No 10 minion and we now all know that decisions that come out of No 10 are largely based on whims, and extremely questionable. One person's essential item is another person's non-essential item, and the only person to lose out apart from the consumer seems to be the small business owner.

“Books are important but hardly essential.”

For me they are.

I agree that this is unfair to any clothes shops. In the first lockdown you could only buy food from M & S locally but that restriction was eased.before lockdown finished. The upper floor of my !ocal M & S is closed now but all the lower floor is open, for food and clothes. Primark and Debenhams are both shut - where's the logic?

Books are food for the mind.

Sarnia + my friend had to get a new iron as his had just blown up and went to his Tesco where the electrical items were on the first floor - he was asked what he was looking for and was allowed to go.up and get an iron. They were stopping people simply browsing upstairs . There shouldn't be different rules in Tesco, each store should be working to the same rules, otherwise it's just ridiculous .

I had to return a badly damaged item delivered on behalf of Go outdoors and expected to have to queue outside. I was amazed it was open and people inside shopping as normal. I asked the girl handling my refund if it was because they sold fizzy drinks and sweets that they were deemed essential? Her answer was it’s because they sell bikes for exercise - how tenuous is that??

BoBo53, bike shops were open in the first lockdown for essential exercise. Apart from food, our local shops are only open for click and collect. Some of the smaller ones have not opened since March as they can't comply with social distancing requirements. That really is unfair on them and unfortunately it's likely they won't open again. The comments about the roads being full of traffic though is because people have been asked to go to work if they can't work at home. So it's okay for people to work but not to have any safe outlet to improve their mental health like swimming, sports groups or chats in the back garden? So much of this doesn't make the slightest bit of sense!