Should NHS staff go ahead in queues?

[JustOneLastThing]

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.

I can't really see why people get very worked up about this either way. It's a pretty token perk and it's hard to imagine that one person skipping the queue makes much difference. I'm not sure I think it's always necessary to give all NHS workers priority in the supermarket, but nor can I see what harm it's doing?

Of course they should.

I'm nhs, I haven't que jumped yet, stood in the que for an hour today, I just felt awkward saying I was tbh! Wouldn't begrudge anyone else doing so though

I’m NHS but I keep that to myself and let my husband do all the shopping. He’s at home redecorating the entire house.

When there were shortages then yes. Now things are getting back to normal then no.

I’ve done it once. Single parent, nhs frontline. I have no time to shop without dd (3). Usually a mad rush from work to nursery as the times are so tight before nursery closes. I had very little food in the house and work let me leave 20 mins early in lieu of a lunch break. Queues were all round the car park so I knew I had no chance until I saw the nhs queue sign. I asked what it was and the man asked to see my badge and I went straight in. A lady met me at the door and helped me to get everything quickly and I got to nursery in time for pick up. I was so grateful but I haven’t done it since. I just shop with dd very early before it gets busy.

No

I'm split on this. Part of me thinks it's not much to ask when they're dealing on the frontline.
The other part of me thinks no way. I work in a nursing home and some staff and a couple residents have had covid (thankfully all recovered), so I'm pretty close to it. Yet I can't jump the queue because I'm not NHS.

I don't really think too much about it though

I have no issue with it in supermarkets and similar.

I have little sympathy for the sob stories I have seen of people complaining that as key workers they have had to queue at B and Q or the bank or whatever.

As with most things some people have took what was meant as a nice gesture too far and turned it into something of an entitlement

Depends what role you have within the NHS. There are many people doing jobs where we don't work with or for people who have it or our working conditions compromised because of it. Our roles are as risky as anyone else working.
I have never used the discount or jumped queues for this reason. I just feel like I'm taking advantage if I did.
But for those that are yes they should go to the front of the queue.

Frontline on a COVID Ward? Absolutely. I'm vulnerable and working from home so rarely going to the supermarket but it's not like I'm in a hurry when I do go. Other NHS? Meh, can't bring myself to care tbh. I'm sure some do take advantage but it doesn't really bother me.

No. And i'm a nurse.

This is why the clapping grates on my nerves.
I bet everyone saying no you shouldn't skip is out on a Thursday night with their pots and pans virtue signalling the neighbours

Of course they should, they're working on the frontline of this pandemic!

I'm sure we'd all like to get shopping over and done with quickly, but those on the frontline don't have as much time as those of us working from home to spend on household tasks.

No.
Plenty of others are working on the front line and don't get special treatment.
Not all NHS staff are front line either.

Absolutely and don't be ashamed to do it. We get zero other perks!

I'm sure we'd all like to get shopping over and done with quickly, but those on the frontline don't have as much time as those of us working from home to spend on household tasks.

NHS Staff aren't the only people who aren't working from home.

I’m nhs frontline, working on a covid positive icu step down ward.
I have never flashed my badge and done to the front of the queue. I don’t see the need for it.
I do my shopping every week and plan my meals for all my shifts at work to ensure I’ve got what I need. If I need to nip for bits In between I use my local corner shop.
I have used the dedicated shopping hour a couple of times but wouldn’t ever go to the front of the queue

Jojo19834 I think the difference is that there were shortages and reduced opening hours when this was all implemented which meant working 60 hours 6 days a week meant there was no time to go and no food left when you did.

In normal times my husband and I do our food shop at 10pm on whatever night one of us isn't working as we're both shift workers. The first few weeks of this situation every time one of us shopped at night after his shifts finished there was no fresh food left.

This is why the clapping grates on my nerves.
I bet everyone saying no you shouldn't skip is out on a Thursday night with their pots and pans virtue signalling the neighbours

I haven't clapped once and as another poster mentioned, I don't vote Tory either.

No I completely disagree with it. My veterinary colleagues are working 10 times harder than friends I know who work for the NHS and getting shit tons of abuse from clients, certainly no recognition. Most NHS workers I know are quieter than ever and the majority are not working with covid patients either.

Not now. When shop shelves were bare, and that nurse had a very public cry about not being able to get proper food it was different.

No. The % dealing with covid patients is tiny the vast majority are not "frontline".

I’m just going to add, to the poster who said we don’t get many other perks, we get plenty of other “perks”
Since the pandemic started my ward has received food daily from local restaurants.
Nando’s, curry’s, cakes, cheese etc.
I get 8 weeks annual leave a year because of my years of service - I consider that a perk.
We get a good maternity leave package, decent sick leave and a decent pension too.
-We get various discounts on things and even more now there’s a pandemic, even my dog walker gives nhs discount.

Yes we do a hard job and at the moment it’s even harder but it’s our job and although it’s nice to be appreciated I’d like to be appreciated all the time not just during a pandemic 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yeah I’ve used mine, it does feel a bit awkward tho! For the poster who asked, you can queue jump at Tesco, Asda and Aldi. I work frontline and not had any of perks the previous poster described, so it’s not freebies galore at all.