Lockdown - essential shopping?

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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 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.

It is so unfair on small businesses. Why can the likes of M&S, The Range, Waterstones, etc sell everything when we are told that we can only shop for essentials? Bending the rules again.

For the owners of small independent shops it seems to me that their staying open is essential but it doesn't appear to work like that!

lovebeigecardigans

I had not thought about facemasks, so can see how sewing is classed as essential. Being a non sewer myself, had not occurred to me.

I don't actually agree with this second Lockdown. I lost my new job in the first Lockdown so have faced the brutal reality of my finances crashing and now being in debt. I work with racehorses and have now found a new job at a different stables since August but am worried about that now. I don't have the energy to get upset about whether clothes are being bought in M&S or not or the ins and outs of this Lockdown...

TBH I would welcome any shops open.
Our local WH Smith is open as they sell newspapers apparently they are allowed to stay open.

My local supermarket has the clothing area roped off. I am in France, we are in lockdown and have to complete and carry a document (attestation) to leave our home even for a walk.
We noticed that the day before our lockdown that the DIY stores were rammed even though they are considered essential here.

Was talking about this only yesterday. It does seem unfair on smaller, often independent shops. In lockdown 1, I could walk in the middle of the A49 without being hit by a vehicle. In lockdown 2 there is masses of traffic both commercial and personal. I fear little towns will be brought to their knees unless we do more buying local.

Even if people are visiting stores like M&S for food shopping, then go to the clothes etc it means they are mixing with more people and spending longer in store. Plus what's stopping people just going in for non food shopping. Sadly I dont think the current restrictions will reduce the rate of infection as much as hoped.

I still dont understand why people are not just shopping as quickly as they can as few times as they can. To go browsing around shops whether in lockdown or not seems ridiculous to me at the moment.

In the first lockdown many of us were making facemasks and headbands so sewing materials were certainly essential. It all seem so illogical - if the first lockdown didn't fully succeed why have a second? I believe the numbers were already falling anyway. Some of our small shops may never reopen.

My M&S has closed off the top floors, but moved some of the clothing down to the ground floor; which is still open because of the Food Hall.

Hotel chocolat is open. Ryman’s stationers is too. Roads are busy. It’s definitely Lockdown Lite.
(But no tennis.....grrr)

Our large Poundland is open. Not sure why. I would think a small independent shop with one or two customers at any one time would be far safer than a large supermarket or pound shop.

My local M&S is open too, and selling clothes. I don't see the harm, really. If someone is in there buying food, what harm can it do if they pick up a pack of socks or something and pay for them at the till with the foodstuffs? I take the point about small retailers having to close, but so do large shops that don't sell food.

My bedroom TV (I know, not essential) is on the blink, and I looked online for a replacement, as I am fully locked down and have been since March. There are virtually none to be had, which puzzled me at first, until the penny dropped that the factories would probably be furloughed, and the imported ones wouldn't be getting through.

If someone lived alone, and it was the only TV in the house, I would say it was fairly essential to get a new one, whether to watch the government updates, as entertainment, or just as another voice in the house. The impact of living alone, confined to the house with no TV could be quite serious - I know my mum watches far more these days than she did before lockdown. One person's essential is someone else's frivolous, which is true of a lot of items.

BlueBelle

I bought a jumper in Asda and a pack of hi legs today
We have a pawn shop in town open I thought that a bit strange

Sadly for some families a pawn shop may be very essential.