Is it okay to order non essential goods for home delivery.

[Shootingstar2918]

I’m aware places like Argos, toy shops etc are still operating online.

DS’s birthday soon. I went out and bought him a few bits before lockdown came about but I didn’t have enough money in the back to buy a lot. Want to spoil him at this terrible time as there will be no party, day out etc.

Is it ok to order toys etc?

Sounds like a silly question but obviously it’s non essential. Will take precautions. In all day at the minute so will get the delivery person to leave on my front step!

Aibu? I’ll try and order it all one hit rather than multiple deliveries!

Just to add. DS has sen. He really doesn’t understand all this and will be completely heartbroken if he doesn’t get much on his birthday as he won’t understand why.

You could try ringing them to find out
Argos is part of sainsburys and they are open
Hope he has a lovely birthday

Yes of course

Im waiting for a slide and a pool to be delivered as we speak

Yes, it’s fine

I meant of course YANBU 🤦‍♀️

Deliveries are still going ahead. I hope your son has a wonderful day.

Hope so as I've ordered some weights as I cant get to the gym

What, you mean morally ok?

I think if you are able to order the stuff, only you can decide whether it's morally right and where your own barometer for this kind of thing is.

I also think that asking for Mumsnet's opinion on this at the moment is a bad idea and will only serve to make you feel more guilty whichever way you decide to go.

Amazon have de prioritised non-essential deliveries already so that even with next day Prime delivery, they won't arrive until May now. I shouldn't think it will be long until other stores that sell a mix of essentials and non-essentials will do the same. Obviously, stores that sell only non-essentials will just do their own thing unless/until the post is restricted by the government.

I think it's a matter of priority. Clothes for yourself because they are in the sale but you won't wear them until September (or whenever) - morally dubious. Toys for a child who will be having a pretty shit birthday which will make them happy and keep them entertained - go for it. In fact, order them now while you still can.

I know some people of here have been saying no and that it is selfish but I actually asked my amazon driver if he minded people ordering non essential things earlier this week when he delivered something. He asked me not to stop as if everyone does, he will lose his job.

Yes, just be aware that deliveries are taking longer. I placed a Boots order yesterday and have to wait 10 days for it. I had to wait a week for an Amazon order as I couldn't get Prime delivery on it.

I am still ordering non essentials, such as garden toys, craft supplies, etc.

I am finding it harder to locate stuff now though, a lot of stuff on Amazon won't be delivered until end of April so I am trying to find smaller online shops who probably want the business to keep them going.

A lot of deliveries drivers won't get paid or will lose their jobs if deliveries stop - most are doing contactless deliveries now anyway, just leaving it at the doorstep

Thanks all. I’ve been using amazon for odd things (essential items). It’s taking a little longer than usual but no major problems!

I will have around! Order it all one hit. Thankfully bought cards, balloons, banners a while ago!

Go for it. We've got a couple of games on order to keep DC entertained, if it stops them arguing and stropping around indoors then I don't feel at all guilty!

Thanks all. I want to order a swing set for his birthday but seem to be in short supply. Maybe everyone is buying garden toys? 🤣

It's worth messaging the small businesses you usually use as many are trying to convert to deliveries and need the orders to stay afloat. It's not selfish, if they have the stock they need to sell it to survive, of course essentials will be prioritised but we need to help our local businesses too

Yes I think so. I’m ordering a basket ball net for the garden and that’s hardly essential but might make staying in a bit more bearable for the kids.

I asked the fedex driver this morning and he said please keep ordering but i have no idea if they all feel the same

Absolutely.
Getting a bit sunny so ordered a massive dinosaur slide paddling pool last night.

I think it’s ok but get in now. The delivery wait times on non-essentials on Amazon are getting longer and longer. I wanted to order a chair a couple of days ago for working from home and they were almost all earliest delivery 22nd April.

I got an email from River Island to say they were closing their distribution centres so I imagine it's only a matter of time before anywhere that doesn't deliver essentials shops delivering.

Yes - but try and use small local places rather than amazon if you can.

For your SEN son, yes OP i think that is appropriate. The rest of us are deluding yourself for our own convenience though. They won't lose their job if we stop ordering nonsense to make ourselves feel better because we have been home a week.

I live with a key worker in retail ops. They are all so overwrought with excess ordering of non essentials that they are taking on huge numbers of staff, warehouse staff for whom it is not really possibly to either maintain 2m, there is no large scale sterilising of the work area going on. No masks etc. They cannornfind new couriers or food retail staff quick enough and are hiring just about anyone, bringing more and more people desperate for an income pur of the house. Obviously they are not being checked for covid 19 as none of us are so do the maths.

The luxury goods business is booming ( Sales figures at least double like for like sales from last year) every day and there are people making an awful lot of money who are passing none of it down to staff who are exposing themselves. We are contributing to the issue if we order non essentials, whether we like that or not.

I can't even go on the S&B board without feeling a bit ill that people feel they deserve constant deliveries of nonsense to make themselves feel better and closely have no financial concerns. Shame they would rather buy a £50 face cream or £50 eyeshadow than unburden the workforce or indeed donate essentials to those in need at this time.

Worth remembering also that for the chronically ill this is how their lives are every day, for years and little to nobody cares about their mental health full stop, let alone things it criminal that they must go a week or two without hundreds of pounds of designer toiletries etc.

I think dontgo makes a very good point. I think that ordering gifts for a child’s birthday is a justifiable reason and different to ordering frivolously. I’m potentially going to be sat at a computer at home for 8-10 hours a day for the next 12 weeks. There was no way my back could take that amount of sitting on a dining chair at the wrong height for that amount of time. I felt ordering a desk chair was a good enough reason to get a delivery. I’m not buying clothes though.

Beware of Amazon deliveries, mine just arrived and the driver rang the doorbell then handed me the parcel (which I flung over the fence into the garden). No 2m rule was observed by the delivery man. Apparently if you want them to leave the parcel unattended you have to state this in your delivery options.

Amazon have de prioritised non-essential deliveries already so that even with next day Prime delivery, they won't arrive until May now.

Just wondering about this. My mother ordered gin from Amazon on Wednesday morning, and she's just text me to say it arrived this morning.
She's elderly and housebound, and doesn't have anyone to shop for her, so couldn't have arranged it otherwise.