No children allowed in supermarket

[flashbac]

My sister went to Tesco with her toddler and was told no children allowed from next week. Understand this is wise for infection control but what if you're a single parent with tiny kids and can't do online shopping?

I've just seen 2 parents and child together. Why would you? Two could have waited in the car.

Is click and collect an option? I am not sure if this is fully booked like online delivery.

Click and collect fully booked too

We've got a local Facebook group which is helping get food to people who can't go themselves for whatever reason, I assume this is one of them.

Or her friends/family to doorstep food if they are able to

It’s not surprising this has come about!
Wrong idea - but totally understandable.
I work for T and am constantly *still seeing whole families out for a fun shopping experience!
Keep your kids at home if you are able / stand away from us *without eye rolling and get to grips with your back card please!
You’ll seen see even worse measures if retail staff disappear!

How can it be 'fair enough' or 'good' when there's a simple solution to it - Ask them to leave immediately.

It's completely unreasonable and unfair for those who can't "make other arrangements" or leave their child/rent at home"

It's like saying all men aren't allowed in pubs because some men get drunk and become aggressive or fight, instead of asking the idiots to leave and carrying on (which is the solution everyone takes).

Totally senseless, this!

Avoid Tesco if you have other shops eg farm shop, coop, Aldi. I did a shop today and they were simply restricting the numbers in the store at any one time. I didn’t have to wait.

So lone parents with primary or kids with SEN don't get to buy food. That's a great plan.

Or allocate a chunk of online slots for deliveries and do something about the fact it is impossible to get an one delivery.

As they have still not sorted this for the super vulnerable‘shield’ group, don’t hold your breath

If it's 2 adults who've gone shopping with their children, then it's fair enough for one to be asked to stay outside with the children. Not when it's one parent and a child.

Wow. I can't believe that is deliberate policy, I'd assumed reading the OP that it was a worker who misheard the instruction, or it hadn't been explained properly. That's awful.

We already have it here that whole families can't shop together - so if there is more than one adult shopper, one adult can go alone in and everyone else waits outside/goes back to the car. But if there is only one adult then the DC can go in with them. Its assumed that people will not take the DC unless there is no alternative. It works - much fewer DC in the supermarket now.

I can't believe Tesco actively considered situations where a parent needed to take their kids and thought no, that's their problem.

People are going to leave kids at home alone to get their shopping then.

Between now and Tuesday, this is going to cause mass panic buying by single parents who can not choose another supermarket.

Is it just Tesco? I haven’t heard anything like this about other stores?

@dingit

Honestly, and I don't mean this rudely, but I think a lot of family units have co dependency issues. It's almost as if one parent cannot be left alone for any stretch of time with their children. Obviously, if a child has SN etc, it's different, but regardless- two parents should not be bringing one child into a shop.

A lot of family units also seem to have one partner who is absolutely inept and unable to do any family related task, which also baffles me. Men who "can't" do a food shop. Men who "can't" look after their kids. The list goes on...

It's a real shame that the selfish actions of, to put it bluntly, shit parents, have caused supermarkets to put these measures in place... but it was going to happen.

Super. I am a single mum to 2 kids ages 2 and 4. Dad sees them regular but is self isolating. Both sets of grandparents are self isolating. I am trying to shop for me and drop off to parents. Already so hard because of the limits to what you can buy (which I agree with) local shops to me have a 2 person rule in the shop so I cannot take both kids in and neither is old enough to wait outside.

Wish I had stockpiled now. No deliveries available for 2 weeks and we have about a weeks worth of food in.

We were planning on avoiding taking the children to supermarket as much as possible, but DH is keyworker and expecting his hours to ramp up soon- possibly 7 days a week.

Luckily, mine are old enough and sensible enough to be left in the car. Not ideal, as they are 7&8. But needs must.

There needs to be an age limit. Under8s only perhaps.

I can see both sides to this to be honest but I do think there needs to be common sense applied and exceptions made if there is no other option.

I have a (not so) friend that went on a shopping expedition yesterday to Asda, Iceland, Aldi and Wilko with her mum and dad (all adults). So unnecessary and makes my blood boil.

Ridiculous decision but probably prompted by the fact that idiots have been taking the whole family shopping and letting their kids run around.

Like most of these measures, it's triggered by the fact that some people think their need to carry on as usual trumps the need for everyone to be safe.

@IntrovertBnReady4Lockdown4Ages Exactly right!

And the people saying it’s a good idea are probably the first people that would have their pitchforks out if a young child was left home alone or left in a car on their own!

oh and my kids are under control. They both sit in the trolly seats. I dont want to take them at all but what is the answer. Leave them at home alone?

There isn't a Tesco around here, but with DH away for several months as he is military and is assisting with Covid support, it means that me and DS who would be confined to a pushchair anyway wouldn't be able to shop, unless I left him with my at risk parents which obviously isn't allowed.

Good, leave the snotlings at home!

@ThumbWitchesAbroad I have not seen any toddlers runnign around, but children in prams/strollers sitting quietly.