Shopping ‘ infrequently’ during lockdown

In my experience supermarkets are doing the best they can to ensure that shoppers stay as safe as possible, so I go whenever I need more supplies.

Obviously all risk can’t be eliminated, but that’s life isn’t it?

I am guarding against becoming paranoid about C19. I have heard about people coming back from a food shop then proceeding to wash all their clothes including the coat before getting in the shower! Is that really necessary?

Maybe it’s me though. Perhaps I should be doing that too.

There has to be a balance though between taking sensible precautions, hand washing, keeping the designated distance from others etc , and allowing ourselves to become completely overwhelmed by this virus.

Once a week to a supermarket. I am shopping for others as well.

We are also shopping for vulnerable residents

We don't have a car (it broke down just before this all happened so its still in the workshop) I haven't been in a big supermarket for well over a month, but we have a small Co-op about 200m from our house , so we walk there most days, but don't go in if there is a queue.
DH likes to cycle for exercise - so every week or so he pops into a city centre M&S food department (it is about 10 miles away) - there is never more than a couple of customers in there mid afternoon and it is always well stocked

I last went to the shop over the road on the 17th March. I won't be able to go again until this is over. I haven't seen anyone since 20th March. I have had a loaf dropped off 2 weeks ago now. I have been unable to get any online supermarket delivery slots and besides I couldn't afford to have them come regularly anyway. Milkmen/women in my area don't deliver to flats. Which means that so far shopping infrequently has meant not at all.

It annoys me that anyone who doesn't need on line deliveries is having them during this lock down, whether they were already having them or not.

They should be available to those who are having to self isolate because they're vulnerable, and any availability after those people have been prioritised should then be given to others.

We haven't been 'out' to shop since the middle of February, or anywhere else for that matter. We had a Tesco delivery this morning (ordered 3 weeks ago) but we order 4 weeks supplies at a time. Fresh bread, milk, eggs, fruit and veggies which we can't store in bulk are ordered online from local shops who deliver same day or next day. Prescriptions also ordered online and delivered to us. So far the plan is working. We have discovered some great local shops and suppliers and will probably continue to use them after the CV crisis is over. The additional delivery charges are probably no more than we would spend on car fuel and we don't really miss trudging round the supermarkets, DH says it's stopped me impulse buying clothes, magazines and nibbles!

BlackSheep I would love to shop other than in supermarkets but we live in a rural area. Our nearest butcher is two miles away and the green grocer is a mile in the other direction. Neither are doing home delivery. Local newsagents sells bread and milk but that's all.

I wonder if all the people who are complaining that they can't get delivery slots have actually been using this service already?I do sympathise with anyone in difficulty because of the present situation particularly if they have been identified as vulnerable but I would be annoyed if my supermarket gave them priority over those of us who have been loyal customers for years. I took the decision to have groceries delivered when I gave up my car and realised the days of carrying shopping could end. I don't think it was being selfish, just planning to stay independent as long as possible.

Its hopeless getting a delivery slot even if you have very limited mobility and are shielded. I get annoyed with all those who do online shopping when they are perfectly capable of walking to the supermarket or shop. Wear gloves, wear a mask and stay a distance, you can do it.
I am shopping about 3 times a week, at Waitrose. They have such a good system and I feel safe with my mask and gloves. I wipe everything down when I get home, including the car.
One of my shops is for my son.

Been really lucky, have had two click and collects at Tesco, one delivery and one visit to the store. I’ve also been one to our local petrol station which is also M &S and quiet. I’m not keen on going to the shop as I have asthma but not considered bad enough to be on a vulnerable list.

Anybody know how I can get a food shop delivery? I got a letter from my Dr yesterday saying I have to shield but cannot get a delivery or click and collect for my brother to collect it for me.

'Shopping infrequently' is, for me, entirely dictated by all those who bag the slots before me. On all four of the supermarkets I have held accounts with for years.

I'm in the shielded group, thus I should be able to get delivery slots more easily. Certainly not the case.

I simply don't have the energy to stay up past midnight in some sort of dystopian digital Hunger Games marathon. I've tried it so many times. It just makes me ill the next day.

The stress this is causing me is off the charts. Clearly not good for my already parlous health.

There's at least another 12 weeks of this for me (and likely longer if we have to go on to a 'rolling lockdowns' system). I might not catch Covid, but my mental and physical health will be seriously dented by this hellish shopping mess.

No home deliveries here so my husband shops once a week. He went today and said the shortages were now quite noticeable especially with cleaning materials.

We have not been able to get any online slots, so other half goes alone (lots of things missed, needless to say) once a week, in theory. He went to garage to collect a new battery when his car wouldn't start (ignoring mine) and he visited a local bakery when he decided the 'jag needed a run' and a local Aldi when he ran out of lemonade, despite saying that he is 'frightened to go out of the door'. He will forget his fear the next time the 'jag needs a run' or he runs out of sweet drinks!

I have not been into a shop since 17 March. The last shop I went into was a local store just down the road, for milk and bread, but they closed down the next day. I worry that they may be ill, but enough time has now elapsed for me to decide I have not caught anything from them.
We have set up deliveries for milk, the newspaper, occasional meat, and a vegi box. However they have increased their delivery charge to £6.95, making the cost of the rather unexciting box ridiculously expensive, so I may have to discontinue it.
My daughter, who was self isolating for 14 days when her son had a cough, is now able to go out and about, and she gets a delivery slot, so takes orders for me and for her Mother-in-law. So we are well supplied for most things.
The only issue I have is that DH expects to have his usual menu so gets a bit worked up if we have less than two spares of key items!

I'm out pretty much every day as my grandson is still at nursery, and I do shopping as and when needed for us, but also for my elderly inlaws, who can't go out.

I have been out to the supermarket approximately once a week(no more) to pick up my own shopping & that for two of my neighbours who are self isolating due to their age plus health conditions.

Bit worried about those who say they, or family, visit shops almost daily. The point of the 'social minimising' is just that - minimise. EVERY occasion on which you meet a human with whom you do not live is an occasion when the virus may find another host. And as for a long drive to click and collect - words fail me.

Difficult not to have to pop out for the odd thing. We are lucky to have a small shop in walking distance. DH went to Asda to pick up our click and collect order. But no bread, which I had ordered. Not a bit in house so DH had to go to shop.

I chose to self-isolate before officially being declared as in the shielded group so I haven't been into a shop for over five weeks. Twice we have driven to Sainsbury's in the early morning slot and twice we have returned home without even parking the car because of the queues. Luckily my daughter provides all our shopping having added us to her usual deliveries. So, I will not be returning to the supermarkets which I feel have let us all down by not providing delivery slots. The over 70s but not extremely-vulnerable according to the Government criteria have been let down dramatically with no safeguarded delivery slots. I will be using local delivery services and giving my custom to those businesses. Yes, they are more expensive but I'm learning to buy what I need and not what appeals as I pass the supermarket shelves.

We have been really lucky to get a Sainsburys delivery slot quite regularly. I have underlying health issues and very restricted mobility. We have a delivery pass and have done shopping in this way for a number of years

I try to keep it to a strict once a week now. Thursday 8 am, "Over 70 hour" although I'm still only 66, husband stands in the queue with me so he can verify to the assistant that I'm shopping for our household whilst he then goes to wait in the car, he'd happily do it, but shopping for food is my field of expertise in our house At the outset we were doing top ups of bread and milk at small local shops, but we've eliminated that now. I go to a local Marks since the lock down, not how I shopped under normal circumstances when I split my shop between Sainsburys and Waitrose, only getting the odd few things in Marks and shopping almost every other day. However, the Marks I use is fairly close and larger than their average local store so am able to get pretty much everything I need, I freeze some of the bread I buy to take us through until the next week's big shop and I was certainly able to get enough milk yesterday not to top up again before next Thursday.

I wonder if this pattern will change me after the lock down, insomuch as always shopped in dribs and drabs before and certainly didn't plan our meals for the next week the way I have been doing of late.

We have shopped 3 times since the lockdown as it is just too dangerous out there. It has been my DH who has gone out each time. There are 3 of us in here and we have managed really well doing that. Stay safe. X

A major shop less than once a week, last one maybe 10 days ago. We are getting fruit and veg box deliveries and apart from that using up what’s in the (small) freezer, still plenty there.
But today I will combine a good walk with a trip to the post office (face mask on) , to return something, and buy some cooking oil (same shop) which is running out - I forgot to put it on the list last time.