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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Can’t get food ANYWHERE

254 replies

GaaaaarlicBread · 20/03/2020 08:21

Husband and I don’t drive , my husband is however, currently having lessons and close to passing but that’ll be a couple of months away as his lessons have been cancelled .
Anyway besides the point, we have two supermarkets by us. An Aldi and a Tesco (Tesco is 40 min walk though and buses have been made less regular now). Neither store have any food, no exaggeration . I have been after work to aldi and husband has too (he finishes late so we thought they might have restocked but no).
We tried to order online last night- Ocado have suspended online shop as they have too many deliveries- Tesco, Asda, Morrison’s, Iceland and Co-op have zero slots until end of April. What do we do? Seriously? We have frozen bits from our last shop but nothing to last us more than a week.
I’m pregnant , so being extra cautious about going out other than work, my husband works shifts and we literally can’t get anything . We have loo roll , shampoo you know normal toiletries but food we have a bit of milk left , and a few tinned things and cous cous etc. A few people on here might say ‘why have you left it until you have nothing’ but we have been trying and trying and it’s getting worse because people are selfish and bulk buy unnecessarily. We both work for the nhs so work long days and this is just ridiculous .
We ended up buying nappies etc for baby even though I’m not quite half way through the pregnancy yet but every single shop is out of baby essentials too so we thought sod it we will get some in case it’s still like this in 4 or so months time.

Any ideas what we can do? Please be kind .

OP posts:
Oddgirlout · 20/03/2020 11:13

If you were near my church we would help you. Can you Google your nearby churches and see what they're doing. It might only take someone with a car to go further afield.

MotherofPoodles · 20/03/2020 11:14

Could you narrow down your area a bit? I'm close to Ashby are you close by?

StandUpStraight · 20/03/2020 11:14

Haven’t RTfT but if you have the freezer space and need meat or ready meals, online butcher Donald Russell are still delivering - we had an order the other day. www.donaldrussell.com/

peachypetite · 20/03/2020 11:17

Could try hello fresh etc?

user5656 · 20/03/2020 11:18

My DH heard this morning that a local hardware store had run out of fridges. People buying them so they can stock more FFS. Angry

gingersausage · 20/03/2020 11:24

This is what I just can’t get my head around @TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead. If we had to isolate my household of 4 adults for 2 weeks, we would need quite a bit of food to get us through that, yet if I dare to go and buy that food I’m a selfish bitch who is taking it from other people. If I buy four tins of tomatoes I’m suddenly “stockpiling” (according to some idiot on FB) but no, I’m actually making meals to freeze. Then on the other hand I shouldn’t even be at the supermarket in the first place because we should all stay inside.

It seems like everyone on MN and Facebook is managing to feed their family without ever buying anything that anyone else might want or going out of the door. How?

Rosebel · 20/03/2020 11:26

Asda and probably other supermarkets are letting the old/vulnerable/pregnant in before other shoppers. It's busy but not that busy. Have a look and see if Tesco are doing the same. Most supermarkets stock up at night and managed to get almost everything this morning but still no toilet roll😞

Squashpocket · 20/03/2020 11:28

It sounds like the situation varies massively by area. I was at Aldi this morning about 30mins after opening time and the shelves were well stocked and the car park still had spaces.

They didn't have pasta, tinned toms/passata or any frozen veg, but most other food items were in stock. Is it worth trying to go fairly early? I'm sorry you're in this position.

BodiesMakeForGoodFertiliser · 20/03/2020 11:37

@gingersausage there is NO WAY that there would be shortage like that if people bought just 1 week extra food.
If people stop panicking there would also be delivery slots available. So people in isolation could order. Again. Look at other countries. My sibling went shopping today in a country on proper lock down. Stores were full. Even before the lockdown stores had all the stuff...

I did giggle though about how emptying alcohol shelves coincided with announcement about closing schools....

Porcupineinwaiting · 20/03/2020 11:53

@gingersausage dont worry about it. I built up a store of tinned and dried food gradually in Sept and Oct last year in preparation for a no deal Brexit. Consequently I haven't needed to stock up at all in the last few weeks and I still branded a selfish hoarder. Hmm

Some peoples natural reaction to a crisis seems to be just to lay into other people. And the time to get a few bits in is not when you start coughing and running a temperature.

MauriceandAlec · 20/03/2020 12:02

Why not consider using reusables instead of disposable nappies? Part of the advantage of using reusable nappies, san pro (period pants, pads, mooncup) and breastfeeding is that you're not reliant on shops for supplies.

TwoleftUggs · 20/03/2020 12:20

Nothing to add, just wanted to say you’ve just given me a lovely memory of my 6th form days in Ashby by mentioning Birds. Used to race down at lunchtime to buy something nice from there and a pack of strawberry laces from woolies.

Enough4me · 20/03/2020 12:22

I have not read the whole thread, but read a report that Amazon grocery were going to try to prioritise grocery shops, if this is an option for you?

I also wonder why neighbours are not grouping together to share slots as this would be more efficient and save additional bookings for the same road. Do any of your neighbours or friends have booked slots and could help?

Noflora · 20/03/2020 12:28

Sainsbury's in my area just opened up every slot for delivery on Sun, (22nd March).

FlyFishingg · 20/03/2020 12:29

Bugger all in our co-op, but the post office corner shop has pretty much everything apart from pasta.

possumgoddess · 20/03/2020 12:31

What about Amazon pantry? I haven't checked it recently but you might be able to get food that way.

Cherryade8 · 20/03/2020 12:34

I went to a Tesco Extra this morning and most of the shelves had stock, sometimes had to buy a different from usual brand but that was all. A supervisor said they get 5 giant trucks of food delivered every night, so hopefully stock will improve as surely people wont keep adding to their stockpiles??

pizzicato · 20/03/2020 12:37

Forget about the hour for elderly and vulnerable 9-10am at Tesco. We went at 9am and the place was heaving with the world and his wife since 7am and the shelves were bare.

EmpressMcSchnozzle · 20/03/2020 12:39

@HavenDilemma I'm not at that end of the country, but new groups are appearing all the time if you keep an eye on the list. They're pretty much all run by volunteers.

wink1970 · 20/03/2020 12:43

We live in a student area. The shops here are ok.

Yes! Near us the local Asda (next to a campus) was full of food, the only thing they didn't have was loo roll. The massive Tesco a mile further away was stripped bare.

Isthistrueor · 20/03/2020 12:46

Whenever you next have a day off work (guessing you don’t work 7 day weeks) you really need to queue at the supermarket even if you get there an hour before it opens. I know it’s utterly ridiculous, I really do but this is what my DH did yesterday before work. He chose to go to a supermarket closer to his work which is in a small village but even that was absolutely rammed. The stores are stocking up overnight or early morning so by the time you have finished work everything will be gone.

NotEverythingIsBlackandwhite · 20/03/2020 12:49

Our supermarkets have had bare aisles every day for 4 days now:
2 Sainsbury's branches
Asda
Morrisons
Iceland
Aldi

I have only been going out in the evening though so this morning at 7 a.m. I went to sainsbury's (the fruit and veg were well-stocked but everything else still bare) then at 7.30 a.m. arrived at Asda and managed to buy pasta, loo rolls, soap and Long Life Milk, bread, meat etc. Hurray!

Sadly I think the only thing is to get there as early as possible. Asda and Aldi seem to be managing the best in our area.

Heartfelt thanks go out to all the workers involved in the supply, distribution and sale of food. They are working so hard. Where would we be without you?

BodiesMakeForGoodFertiliser · 20/03/2020 12:52

I am still angry about the egg situationAngry
2 weeks of it fgs

Justaboy · 20/03/2020 12:53

Its a crime that these pople like the OP are having to fight on the front line and now fight to get food!.

Like this nurse here Come on BO JO wake up and Govern and LEAD!!

It wouldnt be a big problem to get a prioriy pass for nhs staff would it?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-51966337/coronavirus-nurse-s-despair-as-panic-buyers-clear-shelves

GaaaaarlicBread · 20/03/2020 12:53

Can’t reply to everyone individually but thanks everyone so much for your Advise/tips , I really appreciate it . I’ll try each option , thank you

OP posts: