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Original poster

Should NHS staff go ahead in queues?

432 replies

JustOneLastThing · 07/05/2020 23:03

I have only done it once, and got some evil looks from the others queuing. It was my only day off and was knackered and needed some essentials so thought 'just this once'-might not do it again!
It sort of felt like all the clapping in the world and rainbows doesn't mean much in the real world, but I might be a bit more careful about waving my lanyard around in the future (and yes, i'm frontline ward NHS staff working on covid wards fwiw).
Any thoughts from others very welcome.

OP posts:
Boredsheep · 07/05/2020 23:30

Frontline NHS - yes.
Any NHS - no.

spacepoppers · 07/05/2020 23:31

Supermarkets have a dedicated shopping hour. That's enough. By all means if you have the balls to queue jump outside of those hours, crack on. I for one won't be doing it.

spacepoppers · 07/05/2020 23:32

But do you work 7 days a week?!

Micah · 07/05/2020 23:32

I wouldn’t. But i only go to the shops on Days off as i’m far too knackered before or after work.

I did try and let a young lass from a nursing home jump in front of me once as she’d nipped out for some incontinence products and needed to get back. Security wouldn’t let her as she wasn’t nhs and quite a few of the queue agreed.

I thought that was pretty unbelievable.

Original poster
JustOneLastThing · 07/05/2020 23:36

@spacepoppers It was yesterday and my next day off is Tuesday. We needed food!!

OP posts:
JeanfromAccounts · 07/05/2020 23:36

No, don't queue jump.

SophieGiroux · 07/05/2020 23:36

YANBU all the people moaning about it are probably furloughed and got all the time in the world to shop. You have one day off a week so I think you deserve to not have to spend it in a supermarket queue!

Booph · 07/05/2020 23:37

They probably don't work 7 days a week but working 12 hours 5 or 6 days a week means they probably don't want to spend 2 hours on their day off queuing for shopping. My husband is a prison officer doing 60 hour weeks in direct contact with Covid patients. His shifts start at 7am so by the time one of us can get to the shop (I have a 2 and 3yo) they are often sold out of what we need. The skipping queues is a nice gesture for frontline staff to maximise their down time. I should add that we haven't actually used it but it's nice to know he could, in Aldi at least.

sarahjaneg · 07/05/2020 23:38

I dont have a problem with it as such but from my perspective it can be really infuriating, im a carer for vulnerable elderly clients, myself and my colleagues are doing more and more for our clients as family are unable to, we are stood in queues constantly, and as the clients live in different locations its not always possible to combine things.. i have 4 children at home and husband is a key worker, im out of my house for so long, yet there are admin etc etc going in front! Makes no sense!!!

Babbas · 07/05/2020 23:38

No. You have the dedicated nhs shopping hours, there's also days off. My sis in law is wfh in admin role doing very little and queue jumps all the time despite working 2 days a week and having loads of time during the week to shop. Our local hospital posted last week that it has been so inundated with food that a lot of it has started to rot, they've asked for nothing to brought in as stag are going home each day carrying huge bags of toiletries and food and it is taking staff hours to distribute it around the wards.

If you think you have the right then what about bin men and other non nhs essential workers? Finally, the absolute hero worship of the nhs needs to stop. Instead they need ppe, proper wages, better hours and more recruitment.

Tonz · 07/05/2020 23:38

It still doesn't mean you should queue jump on your day off. There are a lot of key workers pulling a lot of long shifts. I worked 46 hours last week and queued on my day off before going home and cramming in as much home schooling as I could to my 2 primary aged kids. 2 of my kids are autistic. I'm far from the only one in this or similar positions. My time off is precious and so is everybody else's not just nhs

WaxOnFeckOff · 07/05/2020 23:39

I guess if you need to you need to. DH is also front line NHS dealing mainly with covid patients but I do most of the shopping so we don't need to use any of these options. If he needed something urgently on the way to work, I'm sure he'd be grateful to be able to get in and out quickly and not stand in a queue.

Charlieandlola · 07/05/2020 23:39

Yes

YE420032c · 07/05/2020 23:40

If I was doing your job I would take every perk and concession I could get. You are probably never going to meet those people in the gueue again in your life so why care what they think?

Queueing is not necessarily the most fair way of deciding things. The people who got there first may have come by car and live nearer so that discriminates against people who live further away and have to use public transport.

Daffodil101 · 07/05/2020 23:40

I’ve seen NHS volunteers do it. They have an app on their phone.

I simultaneously heard something on R4 about how there’s nothing for nhs volunteers to do.

I think that’s taking the piss.

overtherain · 07/05/2020 23:44

My mum is front line. She tries to go on her day off and goes at a time there's less likely to be a queue but will stand in it if there is one. If she's on duty then yes she will 'queue jump' and I think this is perfectly acceptable. Fwiw we are not clapping, so many people are now doing it as an attention seeking thing whilst breaking lockdown rules in the background. We are strictly complying with the lockdown as our support for the nhs.

shiningstar2 · 07/05/2020 23:46

Nhs front line staff ...Yes
Care home front line staff ...Yes

Absolutely and thank you getting up and going in to work every day

MrsP2015 · 07/05/2020 23:46

I think nhs staff should go to the front of the queue every time.
These staff are the people who would be looking after us if we got ill.

Let's be honest, not many people working as nhs staff would choose to go shopping and most probably have someone who'll do it for them. But those that don't I say flash your badge with pride and get in the shop!

I've not read all the replies in here but I've seen on social media how people clap for nhs and wear rainbows etc but moan if an nhs worker goes to the front of the queue?!

MissTheodore · 07/05/2020 23:52

Do it. I’m so surprised that people begrudge you this.

WokeUpSmeltTheCoffee · 07/05/2020 23:52

I'd feel bad about it. Am far too British ever to queue jump. It's just not cricket is it?

I do appreciate the NHS shopping hours though and have taken advantage of those. Especially at the start when all the shelves were bare it was amazing to be able to actually get some shopping and know my family would be fed should I bring it back and we all have to self isolate for 14 days. It is hard to get time to shop around shifts and can't send DH as he has to be home with DC when I am at work.

Mumof1andacat · 08/05/2020 00:01

Tesco. They have the dedicated shopping hours plus a sign outside shop entrances that says to nhs and carers to show your Id and u can go to the front of the queue.

Maggiethehorserustler · 08/05/2020 00:03

@NoKnit not everyone has a partner or spouse, I'm surprised you don't know this

LemonadeAndDaisyChains · 08/05/2020 00:06

I'm not NHS staff and I have absolutely no problem with people who are going to the front of the queue.

ScreamingKid · 08/05/2020 00:08

Someone did this whilst I was stood in a queue today. I did think it was a bit Hmm but cant get worked up enough about it. But then I'm not a fan of the whole NHS hero worshipping going on either.

june2007 · 08/05/2020 00:11

No. My colleagues still working at nursery don,t. I have nhs workers in my family and I think 1 has once and felt guilty. Do the police, or firpoeple, or care workers?

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