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?

My DS & I were stopped this morning, and only I was allowed in.

She stated that NO 2 people were allowed in together. Whether that be husband & wife, disabled person & carer. She said "the police are checking that we do this"

Didn't want to make her life any more difficult by disputing this.

Boris did say only to take children if it's absolutely essential. So, yes, a single parent should be able to do so.

Other situations, you can work you're way around, DH used to do one/two days shifts away from home - I went shopping on my own when he was around, even if I had to be there for 6am . No disrespect but children aren't so good at not touching anything, totally covering their mouths when coughing etc. The more we limit our footfall the better.

Perhaps we'll start seeing young kids left home alone or left to hang around alone outside the supermarket. That sounds safe.

As a single mum, I guess it's time to call my neighbours and ask them to collect me a few items.

After all this is over I'm going to know my neighbours much better

Why on earth would some people letting their kids run riot cause a supermarket to ban all children?? Are Tesco managers not capable of going up to the people causing trouble and telling them to stop??
Honestly, this is just the latest thing that makes me realise how appalling people's interpersonal skills have become.
Just speak to individuals Tesco. Ban them if nessecary. Banning all children is insane. A single mother (because this mainly affects mothers let's be honest) can't leave kids with the elderly, can't get a delivery slot and can't leave toddlers at home alone!
I plan to pretty much avoid supermarkets anyway (I'm really really lucky to have a veg place and a butcher that deliver) but I would boycott Tesco over this, it's an attack on single mothers, which is the last thing they need.

As another poster said, there are slots available but you have to check at the right time. I was trying to get an Asda slot, and all day everything was fully booked, until I checked last night and there were slots pretty much every day from the weekend onwards. I checked for my area and my mum's as well, and both were more or less the same. It's not ideal, but not as bad as it seemed.

I wonder if those families who treat a supermarket shop as a fun day out will still feel the same way when they read the news today that supermarkets are being viewed as centres of super-spreading.
How many people will still want to take their kids anywhere near such a place if they can possibly avoid it?
No need for a ban - it should become self-limiting, and those people who have no alternative but to take their kids, have a better chance of zooming in and out as quickly as possible.

I suspect that @WhenDoISleep's email is applying across the board, and this is one overzealous Tesco manager in the Isle of Man...

Before people panic massively, the general email does not mention children no longer being allowed.

There are loads of community support networks setting up, I live in a very small, nothing special town but there is a shopping service for the isolated, elderly, key workers, single parents etc. Please look at your local village/town/neighbourhood/Parish/council website/FB page to see what’s available. People are falling over themselves to help each other, I can’t believe that there are many areas where there is seriously no local support unless you live in the middle of nowhere. Actually I did used to live very rurally and even there I have seen that there is a support network to help with getting shopping, medication etc.

Anyone who is able to use Mumsnet should be able to find out what help there is locally.

I've just seen on our local fb page that Asda are enforcing this too.

Are Tesco managers not capable of going up to the people causing trouble and telling them to stop??
It's quite a difficult thing to police. One person's "trouble" is another person's "just kids being kids" or "they're just full-of-beans."
I can see the outraged threads on here already.

Jesus.

I think they are probably wanting to maximise profits by making their stores child free, a lot of people don't like children anyway, and at the moment see them as disease carriers.

@ShellsAndSunrises I'm very, very far from IoM, and our local Tesco are only allowing 1 person "groups" so no parent & child, no disabled person & carer etc.

They have said that "the police have told us we have to do it"

It’s a very good move. You only have to read the responses here to see that people simply cannot countenance the idea of being restricted. Their own situations are always more important than anyone else’s. It’s a brave and sensible decision.

'Are Tesco managers not capable of going up to the people causing trouble and telling them to stop??'

I don't see how they can say they are capable of turning all families away but not those where there are more than one adult.

Local shops are expensive this really penalises single parents who are disproportionately likely to be in poverty, have a high chance of struggling with all this etc. And of course local shops prob won't have formula as an example

I really get it, IF there were enough slots or everyone but there isn't so what are people to do? I expect it will be easier in the coming weeks but right know, it's a nightmare for some stuck in alone.

As a lone parent with no one to leave my child with, I will never ever shop at Tesco again. I hope to god all other supermarkets don't follow suit.
Thanks Tesco for making an awful scary time even harder . I don't appreciate being punished for being a lp.

return I wouldn't ask a Facebook group for help I'm afraid. It would promote how vulnerable I am.

It's quite a difficult thing to police. One person's "trouble" is another person's "just kids being kids" or "they're just full-of-beans."I can see the outraged threads on here already.
Oh sure, sad face in the Daily mail and all, but that's the job sometimes. I used to.run a bar. I have had to talk to trouble makers, evict people, call the police sometimes. I was a skinny girl in my early 20s!

@cissyandflora there's a difference between not wanting to be restricted and actually needing to feed your kids. Kids don't just suddenly not need feeding because they aren't allowed in a supermarket.

I will continue to take mine and i will take both my court order and my oldest's DLA/blue badge if necessary.

It is likely a decision taken by this store's management team only, not Tesco as a wider company.

Well this is because people were using a trip go the shop as a family outing and made it dangerous for everyone.

Pair up, both drive to the shop in your separate cars. One parent goes in while the other watches the kids in the other car then switch? Takes longer but keeps everyone safer.

'It’s a brave and sensible decision'

The division into the deserving and the undeserving is terrible.

Single mums are looked down on by many and lots think they deserve a difficult time. I think this is really exposing a lot of really awful attitudes.

Try to shop with no more than one other person, which will help to reduce the number of people in-store at any one time

This is ominous..

Pair up, both drive to the shop in your separate cars. One parent goes in while the other watches the kids in the other car then switch?
Seriously?? What if....oh, I don't know...you don't have 2 parents or two cars? 😂