To think Sainsbury’s haven’t really thought this through?

[ArgumentativeAardvaark]

Email from Sainsbury’s this morning about their efforts to keep stock on shelves and help the community during this crisis. All great. They have a dedicated hour three times a week for the elderly and vulnerable.

However they have now decided to extend access to that hour to frontline NHS staff. Staff who are going to be directly exposed to the virus every day, and who the media have told us will almost certainly get sick. Deliberately mixing with the elderly and vulnerable in an environment where people have to touch things.

Am I missing something here? Would they not be better to do a separate hour for NHS workers with a good clean afterwards?

And yes, I know that both if those groups are also free to shop at any other time they like, but it just seems strange to deliberately bring them together.

I agree. Ours did this, fully stocked it overnight ready. All the elderly/vulnerable/"emergency services" (no carers alowed though) were allowed to bulk buy! There was nothing left again. The limits should apply to everyone.

These companies should make up boxes of fresh fruit/veg bread/milk etc and donate them straight to hospital staff and other key workers.

@LizzieSiddal good idea

I don't think they can afford to donate them - didn't I read that 1 million people in the UK work in the NHS? And they are all still getting paid some quite handsomely. However, the idea of delivering essential boxes to work for staff to buy would be a good one (although of course in this day and age a 'one size' fits all probably wouldn't apply).

Sainsbury's are making a mess of this in every way. Each statement that comes out leaves more questions than answers. They are pissing off a lot of people.

I said exactly the same thing this morning.

Over 70’s should be SI. Not going to the supermarket. Why isn’t this message getting through.

Separate days is a great idea, same day is just stupid.

I really don't know why the government hasn't introduced proper rationing. At the end of the day no-one should have to worry about getting the food and other essentials that they need. Appealing to people's better natures doesn't always work (it probably would in Waitrose but not so much in other supermarkets). The supermarkets need to be doing joined up thinking and working together.

There is currently a free-for-all and really it needs sorting out sooner rather than later!

I’m NHS staff and my hours are 8-4 so that doesn’t help me. What we really need is proper restrictions on how much people can buy, and more controls on how many people are in the shop (maybe a 1 in 1 out policy).

Yesterday in Tesco they had a taped line at the start of the checkout to keep some distance between shoppers and staff, but the till next to me was also open so the two queues were side by side and I got barged into several times by a lady getting served on the other till. Utterly pointless putting in social distancing measures if adjacent tills are open and there are no restrictions on the number of customers in the store at any one time. Reducing customer numbers in stores (as other countries have done) will also allow staff to restock during the day, rather than just restocking at night which just means people start queueing round the block first thing to ensure they get what they want, which created the problem of shops running out of stuff by lunchtime in the first place.

@ipswichwitch I totally agree with you.

I went shopping with DS yesterday morning. Our hypermarket sized Sainsbury's was heavingly busy. People much more 'up close and personal' than during normal times. People queueing for at least 15 minutes at checkouts - no social distancing to be seen.

Even the large supermarkets need to have no more than a certain number of people in them at any one time to minimise risk.

DobbyTheHouseElk i thought the same. Dedicating mornings/days for the over 70s to go somewhere is not supporting the STAY AT HOME advice is it? It was quite the social event in the 'over 70s' queue at Tesco yesterday.

The BBC's piece yesterday about those 70+ women moving in together for the duration was very sweet, but they banged on and on about how important friends are and my elderly mother has seen it as encouragement to press on with having (also elderly) friends over as usual on a Thursday morning.

We all live together in a multi-generational house (age range 6 to 84) and honestly - it's her choice, because she's the only 'at risk' member of the household - but if she gets CV we'll all go blaming ourselves!!

Why can’t the nhs staff have their food orders delivered to the hospitals?
Yeah, so all the food is exposed to a very high risk environment like a hospital. Really?
Surely better to do a home delivery to coincide with when the worker will be off shift and at home?

Oh my, yes, someone need to point this out to Sainsbury’s.

Surely the supermarkets could find a way of identifying NHS workers etc, the elderly, and the vulnrable and ensure that they get a priority home delivery slot.

A couple of our local supermarkets have opened for the elderly and vulnerable and many people who were neither turned up.

In the large supermarket the manager said that he is not actually allowed to refuse entry to the store and also how does he know who is over 70, disabled or vulnerable?

Age-issued bus passes not valid before 9.30

They are now.

Utterly, utterly irresponsible. But then I don't think supermarkets are really thinking properly about this situation at all. Are they really this dumb?

This cackhanded approach also explains why we've been unable to get any toilet roll, long-life milk or cans of anything on our online orders for 2 weeks. We are self-isolated and getting desperate.

Over 70’s should be SI. Not going to the supermarket. Why isn’t this message getting through.

It is. But until they can get an online order - they have no choice. And there is so much unavailable stock on online orders, that even these are insufficient.

1. how do you know who is vulnerable?

2, Marks and Spencers are now doing 2 days for the elderly and 2 for NHS which seems sensible.

1. I think a delivery for end of shift might possibly work, if well organised. It could be to one of the pubs/restaurants/cafes that are now closed and would need a system and some voluntary help. And it would save HCPs energy for work.

Stupidity.

My DM went to the over 70s hour on Thursday. She said there were queues of cars getting into the car park. Gathering all the over 70s together in a crowded location is the very opposite of social distancing.

I agree more click and collect and rationing items would be better ways forward. There needs to be some way of enforcing the rationing as well (something like your store points card if you have one?) to ensure people don't buy their maximum 3 of everything, put them in the car and go back inside.

All these businesses jumping on the bandwagon giving Elderly Hours for the shops, when they shouldnt even be in the shops

the checkout guy at the co op said I dont mean to be rude but are you self isolating on saturday? I think he meant Was I elderly. I am 54. But he is a youngster and had no idea, as I had no idea how old he was, I laughed!