What has happened to the UK??

I have weekly deliveries from Tesco and very rarely is something unavailable despite recent problems with shops being stocked. I only occasionally get meat or fish from them as my local butcher and fishmonger both deliver, but when I have wanted those things they have arrived. OP doesn’t say what time of day she went shopping. We can’t blame lack of availability of everything we want on Brexit. So you have to fill in extra paperwork to send something to Ireland now we have left the EU - it’s always been like that to send something to Canada, the US or Oz for instance where many of us have families. The cost of a stamp to send a card within the UK is bad enough - converting it to old money isn’t good for the blood pressure!

GrandmaKT

Bodach

GrandmaKT

OK, so I'm just a grumpy old bugger!
It just brought it home to me doing things that I only do once a year, like posting xmas presents and parcels, that things have got worse over the last couple of years. I know I can use Amazon etc,. but I do like to buy little, personal gifts.

Just to climb aboard the bandwaggon of those piling in on you, GrandmaKT, I have to point out that you cannot (physically) be both a grandma and a bugger; no matter how old and grumpy…..

I think you'll find that nowadays I am perfectly able to self-define as both!

Hmmm..... yes. I think we'd better just leave that thought hanging there.
As the saying goes: How unlike, how very unlike, the home life of our own dear Queen.

Well you really made me laugh Forsythia, you’ve certainly got a sense of humour!

Forsythia

JaneJudge

You go to 4 different supermarkets to meet all your needs?

I certainly do. Some days I go to all four twice in one day. Saturdays I may go to all four three times in one day. What do you do?

Am I being dense? Why would you go shopping twelve times in one day ….ah sorry you were making a joke.

Forsythia

JaneJudge

You go to 4 different supermarkets to meet all your needs?

I certainly do. Some days I go to all four twice in one day. Saturdays I may go to all four three times in one day. What do you do?

?!?!?!?!?!?!

what a life!

Bodach

GrandmaKT

OK, so I'm just a grumpy old bugger!
It just brought it home to me doing things that I only do once a year, like posting xmas presents and parcels, that things have got worse over the last couple of years. I know I can use Amazon etc,. but I do like to buy little, personal gifts.

Just to climb aboard the bandwaggon of those piling in on you, GrandmaKT, I have to point out that you cannot (physically) be both a grandma and a bugger; no matter how old and grumpy…..

I think you'll find that nowadays I am perfectly able to self-define as both!

GrandmaKT

I do apologise for the thoughtless "third world" comment. As others have realised, it was a throw-away, silly thing to say. I'm usually very much a glass half-full (or overflowing even!) person. It just suddenly struck me that in lots of small ways, life is getting a bit worse. I'll go and give myself a good talking to!

We all have bad days when very small problems seem important - well, I do anyway! It’s cold, stormy and pretty unpleasant outside today so easy to feel low. Hopefully on another day when the sun is shining and you are in good company or doing something you enjoy, life will seem more cheerful again.

Now, now Maw that’s far too reassuring for this thread.

This year there were almost no soft fruits in the supermarkets. Local butchers and street markets don't have organic or ethically produced meat and produce either and to some of us, that is important
Well clearly, experiences, like recollections, can vary!

My butcher stocks locally farmed meat and knowing some of the farmers concerned from DD’s Young Farmer days, I’m pretty certain it is ethically produced. Even the Walthamstow Farmers Market in deepest E17 has organic fruit, veg, poultry etc.

Yes that's why I'm annoyed about Covid. It makes it difficult to complain about Brexit.

It is possible, but many are too blind to see it.

Regards,
A sensible person.

Covid has very much blurred the Brexit lines. Annoying for those who voted Remain I expect! They’d like a tail to pin on the donkey but it’s not possible.

It’s hard to extrapolate information as many European countries are experiencing some difficulties too.

We can all only illustrate anecdotal evidence.

But as we have Aldi and Sainsbury’s downstairs in the square, an independent butcher up the road and an independent fish shop round the corner I can only assure you all that there are NO shortages of ANYTHING ever in my local area! I’ve never made a shopping list yet that hasn’t been fulfilled.

Regards.
A Brexiteer.

We have a weekly order from our fairly small local Waitrose. They seem to have everything we need - meat, fruit, veg, cat food etc. There were difficulties during the first lockdown with things like flour and pasta. We have a Co-op just down the road where we can top up our weekly shop with milk, meat etc. At the moment all seems to be well. Actually, the only empty shelves I’ve seen over the past year or so, had been loo paper! It didn’t matter though as we buy our loo paper in bulk from Who Gives A Crap.

Well I have to say for months now any supermarket I have visited (mostly Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and Co-op) have consistently had some empty shelves. Today in Lidl there was no granola, and porridge has only just come in stock after 3 weeks of being missing. Shortage of toilet rolls in the past has just been rectified but now no tissues. My favourite liquid laundry soap has been missing for weeks and dog biscuits too. In Morrisons on Sunday there was no spinach and hardly any green veg at all. So although some areas of the UK may have recovered from shortages, not all have.

We haven't had a butcher for several years now (We used to have a very good, but expensive, one) and none of the surrounding towns seem to have one.

Catfood is still problematic in all the supermarkets. Sainsbury had a spell with very few cleaning products. Waitrose has had several weeks with almost empty freezers. BTW Waitrose doesn't have to be expensive. I used to do my mother in law's shopping there and she only had her state pension to live on. You just have to stick to own brands and not get lured into trading up.

GrandmaKT

OK, so I'm just a grumpy old bugger!
It just brought it home to me doing things that I only do once a year, like posting xmas presents and parcels, that things have got worse over the last couple of years. I know I can use Amazon etc,. but I do like to buy little, personal gifts.

Just to climb aboard the bandwaggon of those piling in on you, GrandmaKT, I have to point out that you cannot (physically) be both a grandma and a bugger; no matter how old and grumpy…..

GillT57

I too am retired but I have better things to do than visit numerous supermarkets. Blimey.

You have to have a sense of humour Gill. Sadly very few on Gransnet do.

I too am retired but I have better things to do than visit numerous supermarkets. Blimey.

I online shop, with delivery, from various supermarkets, not Waitrose, too expensive. Use the local butcher (who have fish too) and the farm shop for veg; sprout tops today, not had any real issues, maybe it’s regional?

JaneJudge

I go to work

I’m happily retired.

I go to work

JaneJudge

You go to 4 different supermarkets to meet all your needs?

I certainly do. Some days I go to all four twice in one day. Saturdays I may go to all four three times in one day. What do you do?

I have noticed here in France that there is not the normal variety of types of apples etc and the same with some green veg but it has been caused by our strange weather earlier this year which decimated crops of fruit etc.
As for parcels from U.K. - I have told all my family not to think of sending anything because I have seen people saying that they have needed to pay duty etc which is way higher than the value of the gift so some people now are refusing to accept things from the U.K.

Hetty58

Shopping in Tesco must be depressing at the best of times. Right now, the idiots around here are buying twice their usual trolley load - just because it's December and they're in Christmas panic mode. They fling it out next week in their rubbish (when they haven't been able to eat it all) and do it all over again.

Why send parcels and cards abroad? Do it the easy way and order online, gift wrapped, for delivery there to cut out the middle man (you).

How do you know how many they’ll be catering for? You’d probably have thought the same if you’d seen me shopping for 9 adults who were all staying for at least 4 nights over Christmas. When I was also determined not to have to go shopping for anything for a week after Christmas.

I've been to Aldi today to do my"big shop" and there were a few gaps in the meat aisle but an assistant told me that they'd had a daily delivery and simply sold out quickly; there'll be another delivery late tonight. The rest of the shelves were heaving with fresh fruit and veg, bread products and dairy. As for the fish and cooked meats counters being closed in Tesco and Sainsbury's; that's nothing to do with Brexit; they were closed down in all branches at the beginning of the COVID pandemic so that customers queuing up, waiting to be served, could be avoided. It was then decided not to reopen them because they weren't cost effective. Third world country this ain't.

I suppose it varies. I live near the coast, could go to the local fish market where they have a retail shop and get fish straight off the boat or go to the local fish shop where they will have bought fish at the market early that morning. On the other hand our water is vile and I have a water filter which makes it OK for tea/coffee/cooking/washing but I still can't drink a glass of it.

I've found it hard to get soft drinks, I'm teetotal so it's annoying to walk down rows and rows of wine/spirits/beer but not be able to buy a bottle of my favourite fizzy drink.

I shop in Lidl as it is my local supermarket but it isn't great for fruit and veg, they never seem to last long. On the other hand I love the bakery. Probably too much!

So I'm pretty sure it will vary.