Should we allow separate transactions from the same family?

[UserXRay29]

So I work in a small supermarket and we're limiting essential items to two per customer. But daily, we're getting excuses and justifications why that's not enough for people.

Some people are shopping for large families, others are shopping for neighbours - and it really causes problems for staff because we don't know whether we should be letting people rejoin the queue to do a second shop. Where do you draw the line and how do people prove they're shopping for neighbours? As far as I know, they can't, and we'll just get more abuse for asking for proof anyway.

On the CV board, people are advocating DPs paying separately so they can get twice the amount whilst a post on AIBU is threatening to report a worker for flouting the restrictions and putting things through as separate transactions.

I'm usually easygoing - I don't ID people for booze or scratchcards when they're with their children. But this isn't really about loopholes, it's about making sure there's something for everyone.

So, back to my topic question, are we unreasonable NOT to allow this?

You can’t do right for doing wrong - someone will always have something to complain about.

This is why supermarkets are stripped bare

If we go into lockdown only one person from each household will be allowed to shop how will they get away with it then

Where I work the rule is no multiple transactions.
If you're buying for neighbours or relatives buy your two items and give them one.

It's so hard isn't it.

Currently my mum is shopping for herself, my family of 4, my Nan and her neighbour. What is she to do 🤷🏻‍♀️

Maybe people should carry the other persons Id and cash if they are shopping for other people like you do if your collecting a parcel

We are in France and on total lock down, only one adult allowed in a car, so in theory people wouldn't be able to do this? Maybe if people carried the ID of the people they were shopping for you could allow a second transaction? But without it only one shop allowed? A definite difficult call, good luck!

It's really difficult. We're nearly out of blue milk. I have three children aged 3, 5 and 7. We get through four pints every couple of days and typically buy 3-4 bottles a week. I only bought two small bottles this morning to leave some for others as the shop was running low but that's realistically only going to last us until Sunday. I did the right thing for society but am worried I won't be able to find milk on Sunday (it's been hard to find milk locally for a week or so).

Lost point of my post there. Places have introduced limits for good reason but there are five of us. Four baking potatoes are no good to us, we need five. If this goes on we'll have to introduce proper rationing.

I think if things go on like this the government are going to have to step in and introduce short term rationing or something. Because as it stands it really isn't fair to ask people to help out neighbours and relatives so that they can isolate, but have limits per shopping transaction. There needs to be some way of proving having a limit per person being shopped for instead. My friend who is shopping for a large family is doing about a quarter of her usual food shop and still being lectures in Tesco by other people about stockpiling.

I an shopping for 3 separate households and still abiding by the rules. I am still working as a teacher and so can pop daily to get items that the others I am buying for need so I am not stockpiling. I am also still working until I am either not needed or I am ill or have to self isolate.

Agree shoppers just have to spilt items ... yesterday I got bits for my mum as well as friends who were in isolation. I got my own bits but milk, bread and restricted dry goods I just had to split across all three of us.

It was odd as Asda had a fair bit of chilled meat in and a little devil in my shoulder was "Ooh, get a couple of extra trays for the freezer while you can ". But I didn't as it's not right to take what I don't need. All I can hope is more people than not will have that mindset.

It's difficult. I am being told on the Waitrose site I can only buy three frozen meals in total. I'm feeding a family of six so that is basically pointless and means shopping every day. A single person would get a week's worth of food out of limits that I finish in 1-2 days.

I'm worried about this, I'm doing shopping for my own home, my nan and her sister so three different households.

As I'm the one caring for them I would like to limit the amount of shops I go to to avoid coming into contact with more people, that won't be possible if the number of items allowed per person are limited.

If I'm in the queue with three loaves of bread and three milks I know people will think I'm a CF.

My daughter has a girl in her class who is one of 8. I have NO idea how her parents are managing the shopping

It’s madness! I popped into a corner shop yesterday to get something for lunch (tin of tuna and some sweetcorn) and I was told they couldn’t sell me both tins and I had to choose one!

My friend has three teenage daughters. She got sworn at by another customer for buying what they need, not want. She was also refused at the till in the shop.

She says she is going to have to rip old towels and wash them if she can’t sort this.

I was referring to sanitary protection in my last post.

I don’t know - it’s a tough one to call. We can’t get food round here at all so I detest bulk buying. Same time, you don’t know circumstances.

Don't blame the shops or their staff; blame the greedy 'panic buyers'. I suspect that if this goes beyond 3 months, we will have rationing.

Yes. A single person or couple obviously need less than a mother with 5 kids.

However:

An active child may require more calories than a less active older person.

Pregnant or breast feeding woman will need slightly more calories than otherwise and slightly different food.

Those with allergies and intolerances will need to be able to substitute more items of one food for another they simply cannot eat.

A manual labouring man may require more calories than a small (non pregnant) woman working admin from home.

A woman will need more calcium than a man. Women are more likely to be anaemic - more need for red meat or vitamins.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

This is exactly why ration books for each person were brought in and they won't be far off now.

I went to aldi this morning and they are limiting to 4 of each item, I need milk as I am right out and the milk ailse was totally empty, no toilet rolls whatsoever virtually no eggs I had to get two sixes instead of one 12 carton but other than these the shelves were normal plenty of bread pasta etc, I was going to go in Iceland just for a few bits to top up the freezer gaps from 3 weeks ago shopping about 20 people queing up so didn't bother, luckily mcColls near us had lots of milk so I got that in there

Our local corner shop have taken a note from people in bigger families and are allowing them to buy more (but appropriate amounts).

For people shopping for others it's either people he knows (so that not 5 people can say "Oh I'm getting milk for DErek and Mildred) or he's doing a system where the people needing the stuff phone him and pay by card, then someone else can collect it for him. He said the different names on the cards is helping him be sure people are shopping for others.

it also means folks aren't swapping cash around.

Bigger families do need more stuff. Also families taking in key worker kids - SIL's 4 arrive at mine after school today so she can focus on working in ICU as the uncertainty about childcare is too much - are going to need to be able to feed them.

It's a pity that any restrictions have to be imposed because of people's selfish stupidity.
It would appear being an adult doesn't guarantee common sense.

If you don't allow people to shop for neighbours, self isolating will become impossible meaning more spread. We're on day 8 of self isolation with a 21 month old and a 5 year old. I still have a temperature and a horrendous cough plus chest pain. There are a lot of people in our community reporting the same symptoms. Friends are picking us fresh fruit, milk etc up in small amounts.

If we go into lockdown and we're still showing possible symptoms, no idea what we'll do.

We're only ok because after being starved as a kid (abusive parents, not a drama llama) I always have at 3/4 weeks of food in the house and just shop for fresh through the week.

This is probably the only time in my life the damage the did has actually benefitted my family.