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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:
Universalcreditwoes · 02/02/2020 16:52

This is why I shop online. I don't want to take the kids to the supermarket

81Byerley · 02/02/2020 16:52

I bet I annoy you too, because I would have annoyed me when I was younger. I'm an OAP and I could shop at quiet times, but I don't always....

DesLynamsMoustache · 02/02/2020 16:53

I'll teach my DD to shop online when she's old enough Grin

GogoGobo · 02/02/2020 16:53

So many assumptions on this thread about retired people, people wit kids, people shopping alone, people using online. Just get on with your own life and STFU about how people choose to do their shopping.

WorraLiberty · 02/02/2020 16:53

Entire family outing to Tesco seems so strange to me - and isn’t it likely to end up with the children wanting more stuff and arguing about it (junk food / toys etc?!)

Probably, yes. What's your point though?

Don't kids need to learn they can't get everything they ask for?

Minesril · 02/02/2020 16:55

We order online but go to the supermarket for top ups. Usually need both adults to carry stuff home and we don't drive. Ok?

Boredbumhead · 02/02/2020 16:55

Sounds like you're socially engineering things. Just live and let live i say.

Passthebubbly · 02/02/2020 16:55

Never bothered me until today when I had to use a wheelchair adapted trolley for the first time, absolute torture with toddlers running round when trolley is full you just don’t see them. As a able bodied person I can’t say it has every bothered me before but I found taking my mum round in the adapted trolley today so so difficult for this very reason

rededucator · 02/02/2020 16:56

MuchBetterNow Write a kist for him?

thunderthighsohwoe · 02/02/2020 16:56

DH always comes back with the wrong cleaning products and apparently I don’t inspect the meat closely enough before selecting it. 80% of the time he goes and I keep the toddler at home, but sometimes if I want something very specific for the house we bring her. Luckily she loves a trolley ride and isn’t too much of a bother for others.

rededucator · 02/02/2020 16:56

List!

ddl1 · 02/02/2020 16:56

I think it's up to the parents. Sometimes both parents may want an input into the shopping; or both need to be there to carry all the items home (not everyone can drive), and there isn't anyone with whom they can leave the kids. If the children hate shopping and show it, make a fuss when they aren't allowed to have all the sweets and random items they want, or run around in a way that disturbs others, then it would be better if they weren't there, but it's not always avoidable. Otherwise, if the whole family wants to come, I have no problem with it!

PinkiOcelot · 02/02/2020 16:57

*Fr0g

I don’t drive so dh always had to come to drive home with all the groceries
Yes, of course, having a penis makes someone totally incapable of supermarket shopping

Don’t you just hate it when people can me out with this shite?!

PinkiOcelot · 02/02/2020 16:57

When people come out with this shite!!

ddl1 · 02/02/2020 16:57

Not really up to me how anyone else does their shopping anyway!

ShesGotBetteDavisEyes · 02/02/2020 16:58

Is it maybe poorer folk who don’t have the money to go and do things so see the supermarket weekend shop as an “outing”?

I know I used to go with my dm every Saturday (we were pretty poor) but I never take my own dcs.

gallgal · 02/02/2020 16:58

Sometimes my lot (me, DH, 18mth old and 5yo) go for a Morrison's breakfast (5yo is autistic and loves the cafe there) and then get a few bits in for the weekend while we are there. Sorry if that ruins your weekend shopping experience, but it works well for my family.

GogoGobo · 02/02/2020 16:59

Rededucator - why should people write a list if THEY ARE HAPPY TO GO TOGETHER. It is not illegal to shop as a family!

WorraLiberty · 02/02/2020 16:59

Passthebubbly but that's more about the toddlers being allowed to run around, than families shopping together in supermarkets.

DelphiniumBlue · 02/02/2020 17:00

WorraLiberty and MuchBetterNow make good points. I don't think children should be absolved from doing the boring chores, and they do need to know how to shop and how to behave in one.
In my own case, I had 3 dc and a bad back. When they were small I couldn't push them all in the trolley together with a full weeks shop, and load thev whole lot in and out of the car without help. As the main cook, I didn't want to entrust the shopping to DH, who could follow a list, but not spot a bargain and swap items in out of the meal plan to take advantage of said bargain. And we'd often go shopping on our way back from the outing of the day, so it worked for us all to go. As they got bigger and more useful, the children would help more, and once they could be left at home alone, sometimes I'd just take one to do the pushing and unloading.
But it's perfectly reasonable to take children shopping, not so much to allow them to upset other shoppers by bad behaviour.

WorraLiberty · 02/02/2020 17:01

Is it maybe poorer folk who don’t have the money to go and do things so see the supermarket weekend shop as an “outing”?

Grin Grin Grin I'm only laughing because there's no 'head slamming on desk' emoji....

ddl1 · 02/02/2020 17:02

'The retired people doing their shop on Friday lunchtime really irritates me aswell. YOU HAVE ALL DAY TO DO IT'

How do you know? Just because someone's retired doesn't mean they just sit at home watching television all day. They may be doing lots of work in the community, or for example spending lots of time looking after grandchildren.

katy1213 · 02/02/2020 17:02

As for the kids on bloody scooters in the supermarket! And their ineffectual sodding mothers ...

AlexaAmbidextra · 02/02/2020 17:02

I know alot of families that go when both parents are available because the mother, who tends to do most of the shopping, wants to make sure that what she needs for the week is bought but the father is the one paying and so they all go.

Yoo hoo! The 1950s are that way. 🔙

newmumx2 · 02/02/2020 17:02

I don't even like doing the food shopping on my own so I defiantly would hate it with kids!😂 I suppose some families could just be out anyway on their way back from somewhere etc .. I personally wouldn't do it with 3 kids if I could help it