How are your supermarkets looking at the moment?

[BearSoFair]

Things had been a bit more normal here for the last couple of weeks but DH has just been to Asda and came back commenting that it looked like people had been in clearing the shelves again!

He couldn't get:
Hand soap (not that much of a surprise, that's always been scarce)
Washing up liquid
Bananas
Bell peppers
Courgettes
Broccolli or cauliflower
Chicken thighs
Lamb mince, fresh or frozen
Pizza, fresh or frozen
Semi skimmed milk (any brand or size)
Flour (again not too surprising)

and got the last box of Felix cat food!

I've forgotten what a supermarket looks like! I honestly can't remember the last time I went into one.

I can get most things from online deliveries.

If I go to Lidl (my nearest) before about 3, I’ve managed to get everything, except anti bak wipes and hand sanitizer.

After 3 ish , when I nipped you for milk and bin bags in an “emergency” trip, there was no milk at all - however everything else was in stock. Back to normal almost to be honest in there

I haven't dared go to Lidl since the beginning of the CV. I believe it would be too much of a bunfight.. It is a pain at the best of times - too few cash machines/mostly card ones. I might venture there today after work if I have enough strength!

I seem to get all I normally want now from my little Sainsbury's and Tesco. Managed to get hand wash (not medicated) from the 24 hour shop and wet wipes (including for wiping down surfaces). I also got a small packet of washing gel caps to tide me over (hoping to get some more in Lidl). Am amazed I was able to get both pasta and loo rolls. There is also a convenience store near the station - Co-op prices (rather eye watering at the moment) but they have been a help too.

Yeah my local.Lidl was a nightmare when I went ,everyone was queuing up.outside sensibly but then in the shop.it was free for all I'm not going again not worth the risk

I went to a Tesco's in Surrey. It had everything (including a limited choice of eggs, gradually going down) except flour & yeast. And I do have enough flour at home, so just twitchy about it for when I eventually run out. They also didn't have condensed milk which I need to make a Key Lime pie for DH's birthday, but they were expecting a same day delivery, so I was just unlucky with that one.

I went to Aldi , this morning. Very well stocked. Flour, pasta and most importantly wine

Brocolli, yeast, pasta and flour is hard to get here.

Morrisons was good yesterday apart from only having granulated sugar, and one type of handwash.

BearSoFair

Those muffins sound nice! My feta was left over from making Delia's scones from the 'Winter Collection' - also feta, sundried tom's & olives.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/meals-and-courses/lunch-and-snacks/feta-olive-and-sun-blush-tomato-scones

They always work well, even if I vary the flour & seasonings according to what I have in the house.

Left over feta? Don’t think I’ve ever some across that...

Markses pretty much fully stocked though there was only one size of eggs and no flour. They seem to only be producing one flavour of sausages at a time so one week they're mostly plain, the next they're caramelised onion, the next batch is Cumberland, and so on, so there's rarely any choice.

Went today - not as much organic chicken as usual and still no flour but apart from that, all ok.

Sainsburys click and collect haven't had any milk for the last two orders. Also, no baked beans, no chocolate chips (can't get these anywhere!), no frozen peas, no cleaning supplies and very limited vegetables.

I was at Tesco on Monday. They had everything except flour but I did get flour in my visit there last week. There was flour in the World food aisle (I think it was Polish) but I didn't investigate as I didn't need it.

I went to Tesco about 2 hours ago and got most things on my list including loo roll, milk and bread.

I couldn't get frozen peppers or onions, frozen Mediterranean veg (I think they're discontinued it though because they have the other stuff with diced potatoes in), paracetamol or cetirizine.

I've been to Lidl today. No queue, walked straight in. It was reasonably well stocked. Couldn't get any plain flour but they did have self raising, no paracetamol or ibuprofen either.
It was a little sparce in the alcohol aisle as well.

They did have fruit, vegetables, pasta, rice, meat, bread so not bad at all.

I did witness one episode of coronorage between two shoppers about social distancing.

Once the panic buying passed the shops by me are back to normal. There are daily food banks over the area and they have plenty of donations. There are volunteers delivering boxes of ordered food and some shopping for others. The local shops offer boxes of fruit and veg, delivering hot meals and Sunday lunch. The chippy is delivering in certain hours, the ice cream man is offering ice cream deliveries. People are picking up prescriptions for others, swapped my rhubarb crop for blackberries with neighbour. plenty of eggs but shortage of egg boxes so being reused at grocers. Queues not to bad, everyone observing 2 metres but polite and chatty.

My ds (adult, in case you think it weird ) went to Sainsburys today and came back very annoyed.
Queued for 40 mins to get in. Then couldn't get several things - including eggs or kitchen roll. He said people were being awful - he saw several arguments and people being quite rude to one another, let alone no social distancing taking place.

He said he's returning to our local Aldi next week - much better class of people

We needed milk today. DH couldn’t get into SuperValu today (it was 2 minutes until the 2 hour elderly slot opened). So he went to Dunnes Stores instead - expected a 1 hour wait give the length of the queue but tea/coffee offered while he waited. Apparently (and knowing he probably skipped non essential aisles...), q moved quickly and no problems with stock once in. Came home with milk, eggs, fruit and veg and cooked meat. And happy that it was well organised and had what was needed. (Because my long term preps have worked and we only want fresh stuff at the moment😳....)

I went to Tesco this morning and it was noticeably better stocked, there’s been an improvement week on week. There’s been hand soap, eggs and pasta there for last few weeks. Not loads of pasta, but you definitely get a packet. Milk seems normal stocks. Loo roll a-plenty!

I tend to go to M&S or Waitrose as I afford it and there are no big queues most of the time. I go early in the week which seems to be less busy. Still can't find dry yeast but I get fresh yeast and bread from the bakery van which stops at our local pub on Saturday mornings. Pretty much everything else is well stocked now.

Too many people in my Sainsburys.

Went to Tesco today but people were not social distancing in store. They were managing the queues outside and plenty of signs but inside no one was keeping away from others. I can’t see how they could have enforced it.

Tesco here has stick of most things except flour but they let way too many people in - apparently their limit is 300 but I think they've calculated that including the square footage of the upstairs part, which is all clothes, homewares, and electronics, so not many people up there, they are all crammed in to the lower level. Waitrose was much calmer - more sensible customer limits so much easier to keep away from people. Good stocks of most things, only a couple of bits I couldn't get like wholemeal pitta breads, but they did have loads of flour 🥳

In my Tesco there was pasta, pasta sauce and tinned tomatoes however no plain or self raising flour, just a few packets of bread flour but no yeast. Plenty of bread to purchase though. Lots of toilet and kitchen roll. Plenty of everything else as far as I could see.