Non essential shops opening - will you rush to buy?

I need a couple of new bras! I have bought 3 on line from M&S and returned them all. I think I need to be measured by an expert which isn’t going to happen just yet . At least I may be able to try on some in store .All my underwire bras have gone home except one, so down to keeping that for “best” and wearing sports bras which are comfortable but unflattering.

I am looking forward to the shops opening but I fear it could involve yet more queuing!

I am not keen on buying clothes online as I like to feel the material and, in the case of dresses, hold them up to me. I have read though that we won’t be permitted to touch the clothes at least to start with so it will certainly be a different experience!

I have though discovered Boden during the lockdown and the two summer dresses I bought online are lovely.

I need some new lightweight summer shoes to wear on cool showery days and I would never buy shoes online so shoe shops will be my first port of call.

Our nearest John Lewis is opening next Thursday but judging by the pictures of the queues at Ikea in our paper last week I think the first day of opening is best avoided.

It will be nice to have a taste of normality won’t it?!

I certainly won't be rushing to shops. I don't like shopping at the best of times and parking is always an issue. I prefer the ease - and relative safety - of on line purchasing. The only time I have to go in a shop is to collect my prescription

Wales isn’t open yet but I have no plans to rush out although when this all started back in March I was determined I’d be one of the first making a bid for freedom.

At the moment, I do not have to make any decisions, as I live in Wales, and am in the sheltered high risk category and recently received the follow up letter saying that we (my husband chose to stay ‘in’ with me) are in lockdown (save for exercise) until mid August. I haven’t been inside a shop of any kind since early March, and apart from food shopping haven’t bought anything off the internet. That is not to say we intend living like hermits, but when we thought back on shopping trips, we realised that we did a lot more browsing than buying. Now comes the dilemma. Whereas, like most people I am sad to see the the way High Streets have declined, and liked to browse round the remaining quirky privately owned shops, how much did we actually buy? Most purchases came from out of town shopping centres. Having got used to on line food shopping, will we be reluctant to visit the High Street for greengrocers, butchers, etc. when we would still have to go to the supermarket for other things or will we continue with online shopping? We were recently allowed out for exercise and both discovered that we were enjoying walking rather more than shopping trips. We both have enough clothes to see us through many seasons, and we haven’t had the opportunity to wear them. We will enjoy meals out but I think wants and needs are very different. They talk of the new normal, but I think people may have changed as well

I do not want or need anything but will try to find something in a local shop just to show support.

In future I will be doing any shopping in the individual shops in my local Market Town. We already go once a week to the artisan butchers and bakery, no queues and strict one in one out.
Parking is in the open air, so very little contact with others, although I suspect things might change on Monday.

I think it will be very important to support the independent shops, many of them have incurred additional costs making their shop safe.
For any large household purchases, I’ll probably rely on JL, which I do anyway.

Miss browsing around the shops and craft centres with my daughter when she visits on her mini breaks with us.

No interest myself. Doing my big shop once a week again now and bought paint last Friday to keep me going with my table and 6 chair renovation project during wet weather days. Sanding all finished. Face mask back doing it's usual job

I will be needing to buy a new washing machine in the very near future but I will look online and then go to a small, local Euronics as he needs my business more than the large local Currys. His prices are the same and one cannot compete with service- his is second to none.

No I won't be going until I feel it's safer. I may consider going to Ikea did I really say that sometime next week.

No , I shan’t be rushing out to the shops. Don’t like shopping at the best of times.

Spot on Furrett We shall not be going ‘Shopping’ anytime soon. We loved wandering around antique shops with lunch afterwards. That I fear is in the distant future. We have excellent ,regular Sainsbury’s deliveries and our pharmacy delivers. Other than that if we desperately need something ,we order on line. It has all been very easy and positive so far

I won’t be rushing out either.
I’ve decided I need nothing. I’ve got enough clothes in my wardrobes and cupboards to last me for years.
We have had a big declutter over the last few weeks and I don’t intend to refill the house with stuff.
Luckily I don’t need to go shopping for company ( I have good friends and family) but if I did I would join a club or group. Alternatively I would find a small cafe where as a regular I may have some conversations with other regulars.
When my husband gave up his regular job he did a couple of years in Tesco’s. Until then it had never occurred to me that shop assistants were some peoples only contact. He used to meet some interesting people. It’s very sad.

I loved a browse round the shops with my close friend. We would probably meet up once a week in a different town or shopping centre. Coffee and lunch together and a good chatter. Still meet up for coffee in the outdoors but miss the browsing but can’t see us rushing back to old habits. ??

I've never liked going round shops - prefer to do it online - so the thought of driving to shops, looking for somewhere to park (and paying for a ticket), then queueing to go inside a shop, doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

I won’t be rushing to any shops. I have managed to get Ocado deliveries as I have a smart pass which helped. I have got presents etc delivered by Amazon and have developed a small CD addiction with them, along the way. Music soothes me in these crazy time’s. There is a very large garden centre about 20 minutes away which neighbours say is very well run safety wise so daughter and I think we might go there next week to see what it’s like.

Apart from my family I have not met anyone from outside and am in no rush to do that either. I do miss my friend from Wales a lot and we would drove regularly to see each other. Can’t imagine when that will happen again.

I've become somewhat entrenched in the imposed new way of life and don't see myself rushing off to the shops anytime soon, even though the John Lewis in my nearby town, 15 minutes on foot will be one of the stores that will be opening

On the subject of garden centres, once the first rush had died down, we visited our local one last week arriving at 9 am opening time and found it well organised and pretty quiet at that time.

I won't be going to the shops. I am 'extremely vulnerable' so managed to get a weekly delivery slot at Asda until October. They have been brilliant and also deliver my medication.

I did not go out for six weeks but was going round the bend so started to walk round the local fields. The car had not moved for ages so yesterday we drove to the coast, choosing what we thought would be a quiet spot and had a walk along the prom.

It is important that we get some exercise in the fresh air.

Really Marmight? I thought this was at the beginning with panic buying but now you should be able to get a slot with one or other of the supermarkets. Have you tried Iceland? I know it's rather limited but they do seem to have slots available.

I'll admit I quiet liked a day out at a shopping centre. Our nearest is 1 hr away. Lots of browsing, a couple of purchases and a nice lunch.
Won't be doing that for some time though.

Not everyone can get a delivery slot BlueSky They're as rare as hen’s teeth round here! Ive spent more hours than I’d like trying to get one. I won’t be rushing out to the non essential shops for some time but may try a garden centre where it’s easier to remain socially distant.

Agree Furret for lonely people it’s being out and about, seeing and speaking to shop assistants. Prior to Covid it provided daily human contact. Delivery drivers are so rushed to deliver all their parcels they don’t really have time to stop for much of a chat.

I don't even know how I would even get there! I don't want to use the multi-storey car parks, go on the bus or P & R.

Shame really as I love going into our nearest historic town.

My last online order has gone astray due to dodgy internet connection and poorly designed website, so I am pretty fed up.

Yes, that’s how I feel but some for people shopping was almost a hobby. Perhaps it’s a generational thing?

No intention of going to any large shopping centres any time soon.

I will support the little shops in my High Road other than that I shall continue with my online shopping hobby
It's like getting a little Birthday/Christmas present from me - to me