The ‘essential’ police - please stop

[TheDogIsKeepingMeSane]

Until we are issued what is deemed an essential shopping item ANY food/drink item is ok to buy.
I’ve been working today outside. It’s hot.
On my way home I stopped at my local independent shop & bought myself 2 bottles of cold beer.
I live alone & work alone & it felt great to chat with the shop owner (2m apart) .
When I left the shop a cyclist said me ‘ hardly an essential item is it’

Just stop it .
I’m ashamed of what my fellow human beings have become.

The beer is cold & I shouldn’t be made to feel ashamed for buying it

[PurpleDaisies]

I don’t have a problem with people buying beer, or whatever really as part of a big shop. It’s a shame you couldn’t have bought yours when you did your last shop.

The fewer trips people make to shops, the less the chance of router infecting someone or becoming infected.

[PurpleDaisies]

Router should say “either”.

[teainthetardis]

I am so sick of people preaching about this - like anyone has any right to say what’s essential to someone else.

[MARMITEcheese2020]

I agree I'd never tell someone that. I got what I hope people class as essential yesterday, bread milk veg meat etc. But in that I also had the kids easter treats. Crisps cakes and generally crap stuff. Got to have some Pleasures eh?
My sil announced she was going solely for Easter eggs. OK so imo to make a special trip isn't essential, but to her. It's her daily walk, without the kids as my dB is off and good for her MH to get out. But that's not for me to say.

My DM pops to 3 or so shops daily. Ie sainsburys for certain bits, coop for something else as she don't like sainsburys version etc.

[Shitsgettingcrazy]

Someone on another thread has just said bread and milk are not essential.

If they arent essential. Not sure what is.

[Clymene]

And the very first post is doing exactly what you're complaining about! Enjoy your beer OP

[PurpleDaisies]

Of course bread and milk are essential. I expect people are suggesting that only going out for bread and milk means you’re probably not going out as infrequently as possible.

[teainthetardis]

I just saw that @Shitsgettingcrazy and it gave me the rage.

[teainthetardis]

@PurpleDaisies it’s amazing how you essentials police can’t wind your necks in for one damn second

[TheDogIsKeepingMeSane]

@PurpleDaisies - I bought it today because I got paid today. When I did my shop in the week I bought the food I needed.

[PurpleDaisies]

I’m not an essentials police. Read my post. I bought gin as part of my last shop.

People should be shopping as infrequently as possible.

[BeetrootRocks]

Agree. People have gone bonkers.

[Biancadelrioisback]

The thing is, there is going to be a major mental health crisis after all this (imo). People should be encouraged to enjoy themselves safely, blow of some steam safely etc. We had a zoom party last night with some friends, eating our pizzas and drinking wine. It was lovely! It might not be essential to buy wine and pizza but let's not strip all the remaining joy and fun from people's lives.

[StrangerDays]

The fewer trips people make to shops, the less the chance of router infecting someone or becoming infected.

Exactly this. And some really are using the 'well, it's essential to me' to justify what's really a non-essential trip.

[Wolfiefan]

Stranger is right.
Extra shopping trips to get something you fancy isn’t a good idea right now.
Shop weekly if at all possible. (Wish we could manage a monthly shop but we can’t TBH!)
If you won’t actually die without it then how is it actually essential? No bread? Crackers or pasta or cereal or something else entirely. You won’t die without toast or a sandwich.

[YappityYapYap]

Nicola Stugeon said shopping once a day was fine. So if one day you get a lot of stuff then the next just 1 or 2 items, so what? It's more aimed at people that go several times a day for say one or two items each time and venture out just for lottery tickets and the like.




There's bigger fish to fry here than one woman going to the shop one extra time!

[Clymene]

I have an autistic child who only eats a very limited diet. If I can't get the food he eats when I do my 'big shop', am I entitled to go and see if I can get it elsewhere?

Is that 'essential' or should I just give him cereal to eat?

[PurpleDaisies]

There's bigger fish to fry here than one woman going to the shop one extra time!

It isn’t just the issue of one person doing it.

[Christmastreedown]

TheDogIsKeepingMeSane

We love our snacks, I have to make sure some 'essentials' have to go in with my shopping

[GemmaTellerMorrow]

People can't win. If you bought excess food last month you were branded a selfish panic buyer. Now, if you haven't bought enough to last you're chided for going out.

On our local Facebook page there's a group of people who are policing others who are daring to go out for allowed exercise.
I'm going for a walk every day, making sure I'm keeping 2m apart, and getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine. But to these Facebook police it's healthier to stay indoors, argue with people online, probably raising their blood pressure and risking DVT from sitting on their arses all day.

[PurpleDaisies]

clymene you’re not seriously comparing that to someone going to buy a beer?

Nobody should have an issue with that.

[BeetrootRocks]

Lol that other thread multiple people are arguing that bread and milk are not essential.

I imagine they are thinking why not eat the artisan crackers from your pantry instead

Bread has been a staple food here for centuries. And. No tea? How will that go down.

People have lost the plot totally.

[Topseyt]

I am fed up with this too. Nobody should be judging anyone else's shopping. No judgement from me.

Thankfully, I haven't encountered it in real life, or not that anyone has said anyway and I never bother to look at the local social media pages.

I went to Tesco today for the first time in over a week. Plenty of measures in place to help with social distancing in store. I bought fruit, veg, meat, milk etc. I also added wine and Easter eggs, plus soy pringles and some peanuts. Looking at what many others were buying, I certainly wasn't alone with that.

It does seem that there are some out there who would want to shoot me for that.

It will probably be about a week before I need to go to the supermarket again.

[Clymene]

I honestly don't think there's much difference.

In any event, off licences are still open which obviously means the government doesn't agree that shopping merely to obtain alcohol is a Bad Idea either

[coachman]

People need to mind their own business. I've given up my online delivery because I felt it wasn't fair to use it when others needed it more. So I'll have to go shopping 2/3 times a week, just at the local shop. A woman tutted at me this morning because I had a bottle of wine and a bunch of tulips in my basket (along with bread, milk etc). When did people become so nasty and judgemental? It's disgusting.