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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed by shopping as a family outing?

520 replies

Sweetbabycheezits · 02/02/2020 16:21

I normally do the food shop on Saturday or Sunday morning. It's not rammed, but it's fairly busy, and one of the things that makes it so busy is entire families grocery shopping together. Yesterday, it was mum, dad and 3 kids maybe 5/6 and under...why?? The kids were bored and whingy, in the way, touching everything on the shelves. Surely one parent can stay home with kids, and one can do the shopping? I totally understand lone parents who work in the week having to take the kids along, but can't for the life of me understand why on earth the whole family needs to go? I'm probably just grumpy lol, so it could be that IABU...

OP posts:
GreenTulips · 02/02/2020 16:22

Totally agree.

It’s not fun. It’s not quality family time. It’s not necessary.

Leighhalfpennysthigh · 02/02/2020 16:22

No you're not. But I'm sure that someone will be along soon to argue that you must hate children and families or some other crap.

NameChangeNugget · 02/02/2020 16:24

Totally agree with you OP. Bored shitless DC’s running wild and screaming isn’t on

MuchBetterNow · 02/02/2020 16:24

I don’t drive so dh always had to come to drive home with all the groceries and therefore so did the dc because we couldn’t leave them with anyone.

None of us enjoyed it but it had to be done.

Some people have different circumstances shockarooni 🙄

LolaSkoda · 02/02/2020 16:24

Maybe they just want to? YABVU.

AnnieOH1 · 02/02/2020 16:25

Personally I prefer my kids have an opportunity to offer input into the grocery shop. We try to avoid very busy times but go at our convenience. If you can't cope with busy stores may I suggest delivery?

PotteringAlong · 02/02/2020 16:25

I don’t drive so dh always had to come to drive home with all the groceries and therefore so did the dc because we couldn’t leave them with anyone

And your DH wasn’t capable of doing the shopping alone because...?

JKScot4 · 02/02/2020 16:26

I agree with you, dragging toddlers round whining or blockading aisles, stay at home, order online. I’m sure you’ll be in the wrong from the MN gang ‘weekend is family time, we must be together’

Abouttoblow · 02/02/2020 16:26

MuchBetterNow

Why couldn't your husband drive and do the shopping alone?

Needmorecaffine · 02/02/2020 16:27

Absolutely agree. But someone will come in here and say ' they have the same right as you to be in the shop' !

JKScot4 · 02/02/2020 16:27

@AnnieOH1
You prefer your kids to have input??
Christ I’ve heard it all now 🙄

I8toys · 02/02/2020 16:28

Totally agree. Pointless waste of everyone's time.

RandomMess · 02/02/2020 16:29

It would be law that in 2 parent families one has to stay home with under 8s and the other does the food shop Grin

I used to go 8/9pm at night and regularly see 2 adults out with young children that were clearly not enjoying the experience...

Needmorecaffine · 02/02/2020 16:29

Personally I prefer my kids have an opportunity to offer input into the grocery shop

Get them to write a bloody list then leave them at home !

What a pretentious statement. Only on MN Wink

Abouttoblow · 02/02/2020 16:29

AnnieOH1
If you need your children to have input why can't you ask them what they want before you go?

itsgettingweird · 02/02/2020 16:29

No it's not fun.

For lone shoppers, families or the kids.

Doesn't mean it can't be fun and enjoyable though.

Also doesn't harm kids to learn that everything in life isn't fun. Some things are necessary.

I online shop now and do an Aldi top up if needed. But that's because I work FT, am a LP and ds swims 6 times a week and can be racing weekends. It's more convenient to do it this way for me time wise.

However ds is great at being in supermarket if needs be or anywhere else "non fun" because he was raised to realise behaviour expectations applied - bored or not.

Nonnymum · 02/02/2020 16:30

Sometimes people have no choice. I can't drive. You need a car to get to the big supermarkets and sometimes I want to see what I am buying and choose particular things so when my children were young a shopping trip sometimes had to be a family trip. Also My DD works at weekends so if my SiL needs to go to the supermarket he has to take the kids. Also I think it's important for children to see that things have to be bought..

DCITennison · 02/02/2020 16:30

Completely agree.
Much of it probably a result of children = woman’s responsibility + shopping = woman’s responsibility.
Bit depressing really.

Looneytune253 · 02/02/2020 16:30

Muchbetternow why not just send him then? My dh does the shopping mostly and avoid taking the kids as much as we can

Louiselouie0890 · 02/02/2020 16:31

I really cant get worked up about a family doing there shopping. I really dont see why anybody would need a reason. Fresh air change of scenery suits them?

Qwerty543 · 02/02/2020 16:31

YANBU. Hate this. Plus parents seem utterly incapable of telling their children to keep to the side/ stop getting in the way/ it's not a playground etc.

Delivery all the way now with the odd trip to Aldi, preferrably not at the weekend!

WorraLiberty · 02/02/2020 16:31

Meh! I can't get fussed about it.

Kids are a work in progress. They eventually learn to behave themselves when shopping or doing anything else that doesn't evolve around them.

melissasummerfield · 02/02/2020 16:31

Drives me nuts too OP.

@AnnieOH1 actual lol

Nonnymum · 02/02/2020 16:32

they have the same right as you to be in the shop'
Well actually they do!

ghostyslovesheets · 02/02/2020 16:32

shop on line - solves the issue for you and families!

I never go to the supermarket to do a weekly shop - I sit on my laptop and do it