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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Help your local businesses and people

29 replies

SudokuQueen · 18/03/2020 18:18

Dunno if anyone else's area is the same, but my area is starting to have a lot of businesses feeling the pressure, especially food businesses like restaurants, bakeries etc. I imagine everywhere is the same.

A lot of these places are now doing deliveries to try and save their business. Some are doing deals etc.

Please use these rather than supermarkets. Also if you can, offer to pay forward for an elderly or vulnerable person who is desperately needing food and unable to find any thanks to the bastards that keep buying everything.

There's a lot of people out there trying to help those that cannot find anything and are struggling. They won't die from corona, they will die from starvation. Thanks to the bastards panic buying.

Support the local businesses or they won't remain. Help those that are struggling if you can. You don't even need to go out to do it, pay for it via bacs. I get why you can't if you're also struggling, but there's apparently a ton of people on here earning a lot of money. Start helping others.

We have just placed an order with a local restaurant to help them stay afloat and I'm going to also pay for someone else to get 5 meals. Whether I have to search on FB to find someone organising this stuff or just give the money to the restaurant.

OP posts:

daffodilsandblossom · 18/03/2020 18:38

I agree, it is all about helping where you can. Also if you can afford to continue paying partly towards nursery and childminder fees that would also help the early years sector be able to reopen after this is over

adaline · 18/03/2020 18:40

It's a great idea but a lot of people can't afford to pay the inflated prices. A local cafe is offering bread and milk but they're charging over double what the supermarkets charge.

But yes, they should absolutely be supported where possible.

Original poster

SudokuQueen · 18/03/2020 19:01

It's a great idea but a lot of people can't afford to pay the inflated prices. A local cafe is offering bread and milk but they're charging over double what the supermarkets charge.

A couple of local restaurants are doing 5 meals for £20. That's a pretty good deal to me.

Plus considering how many here are on 100k salaries or their husbands are, they can afford to help others out. Many families are going to struggle soon, a lot of kids get their main meals at school. That will soon be gone for however long. Helping in whatever way we can will help a bit.

OP posts:

Reginabambina · 18/03/2020 19:04

£100k really doesn’t stretch as far as you imagine. Especially in times like these. Who knows who is going to have an income at the end of this?

flirtygirl · 18/03/2020 19:10

£100k does stretch far. The crap that it doesn't stretch far is utter bullshit, compared to the average wages of under £27k and under, which a vast majority of the UK live on.

WitchQueenofDarkness · 18/03/2020 19:12

We've always had the policy of buying local and supporting small businesses so that will continue here and I'll cut my supermarket shopping down even more.

Although I've suspended my cleaner we'll continue to pay her for as long as necessary.

As I can no longer volunteer at the local carehome as a visitor I am considering offering to help out at our local foodbank as they've had to close as all volunteers are over 70.

Pamalal · 18/03/2020 19:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AquaFaba · 18/03/2020 19:21

I gave two support staff at my son’s nursery £300 each today in cash in an envelope. I found out yesterday that they are on zero hours contracts. Today was my son’s last day at nursery...usual class of 21 had dwindled to 8.

staringatonewall · 18/03/2020 19:22

100k doesn’t stretch far!!! That’s a mumsnet classic that is

Original poster

SudokuQueen · 18/03/2020 19:25

@Reginabambina

I'm going to assume that you're joking? If not, your boss needs to seriously question why they are giving such an idiot so much money...

OP posts:

adaline · 18/03/2020 19:31

£100k really doesn’t stretch as far as you imagine. Especially in times like these. Who knows who is going to have an income at the end of this?

Some people have no awareness!

Reginabambina · 18/03/2020 19:39

People with large incomes tend to have large outgoings. For example we’re already tied into paying nursery and school thousands of pounds. If we don’t people will loose their jobs. The business has staff, rent and insurance to pay. We’ve got rent, utilities etc. If we start spending twice as much on groceries and here’s a risk we won’t be able to hold out long enough to ride out the fall out. We, and people/businesses that depend on us for the income, will go bust. Obviously there will be some people who could afford to spend like you suggest but I doubt many families with single earners on £100k could sensibly take that risk.

adaline · 18/03/2020 19:40

People with large incomes tend to have large outgoings. For example we’re already tied into paying nursery and school thousands of pounds

My heart bleeds for you

CakeOnMe · 18/03/2020 19:43

Went to a local shop to buy some rice, seeing as there was none in the local tesco or co-op. Shopkeeper took great joy in telling me about how he has pushed the prices up. He actually had the audacity to laugh at charging extra for a bag of rice🤔

YakkityYakYakYak · 18/03/2020 19:47

£100k really doesn’t stretch as far as you imagine

FFS. I earn a fraction of this and know that I’m in a massively privileged position and need to be helping out others financially at this time. You clearly have no idea how much some people are going to struggle.

staringatonewall · 18/03/2020 19:52

@Reginabambina
You don’t make sense. You have a salary of 100k or you have a business earnings of 100k And you’re running a business including using that 100k

Because Obviously it’s a big difference...

Reginabambina · 18/03/2020 20:01

@staringtowall we have a business. DHs income in an average year after tax would be slightly above what someone on a salary of 100k would get net. Obviously he’s going to have to reduce his income from the business to a minimum so that no one looses their job. I’m taking a break from work (training) so I’m not bringing in anything but at least I’d be able to look after the children. I should be going back to work towards the end of this bit fuck only knows if that will happen now. I appreciate that it’s not the same as being on £27k. But it’s not so different that you can point your fingers at people like us and put the responsibility for supporting local artisanal bakeries on our shoulders. We simply don’t have enough to spend like that even under normal circumstances. In times like these we need to reduce our outgoings just as much as anybody else.

Original poster

SudokuQueen · 18/03/2020 21:11

Ah makes more sense then. It's not Regina that is the one earning the money, it's her husband. Hence why she says stupid things.

@Reginabambina while you may think your situation is so very tragic, it's just not. There are going to be kids starving soon once school ends, because their parents can't afford food. That or their parents will starve instead. There will be elderly starving soon due to lack of food in the shops. Or the vulnerable who can't leave their homes.

I'm not going to feel sorry for a family earning over 100k a year. You are way more privileged than many other people, and trying to say you couldn't afford £20 to pay for 5 meals is either a lie or your ability to manage your finances is shit.

OP posts:

MissGuernsey · 18/03/2020 21:29

I would have told him to shove it. I hope he goes bankrupt.

JKScot4 · 18/03/2020 21:33

Only on MN🙄🙄
Back in the real world, people are losing jobs, struggling to feed their kids; not have meals delivered and slip folk £300!!!
£100k isn’t much?? Fuck off, somewhere very far away

Counciltennantontheedge · 18/03/2020 21:39

@cakeonme
I heard that people pushing prices up due to cv will be prosecuted. I dont know who you report it to though. Maybe spread the word on local social media pages so everyone knows and avoids them?
Seems harsh but not as harsh as profiting from this

JKScot4 · 18/03/2020 21:47

Trading Standards and photograph any evidence of price increases, also shame on local FB groups

CakeOnMe · 18/03/2020 21:52

Yeah, he was definitely pushing it up because of CV. He says it’s because “suppliers are increasing prices” which is blatant bs; if that was the case he wouldn’t find the situation humorous. I just can’t push out the effort to contact trading standards etc. We’ve got a lot more issues ahead of us atm

Reginabambina · 18/03/2020 22:31

I’m not saying that our situation is tragic. I’m saying that we can’t be held responsible for everyone. We just don’t have that kind of money. We might not have any money soon. We’re focusing on supporting the people that already depend on us for as long as possible. If we start buying expensive food the chances of us being unable to pay the school/nursery or having to put the business into administration (and fire everyone) increase. We are not responsible for everyone. I’m sick of having people point at people like us and saying we’re selfish etc etc. We’re not. We’re doing the best we can. If we did the things people expected of us we’d be bankrupt within months. We just don’t have the financial capacity that you seem to think we have. We can’t conjure up money to throw around in the midst of a crisis. Sorry if you find that difficult to fathom.

Reginabambina · 18/03/2020 22:33

@JKScot4 the people of that kind of salary will also be loosing jobs soon if things continue as they are.

It’s like everyone has forgotten 2008. A big salary doesn’t ensure financial security (especially when stock markets are crashing).

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