To think that only urgent parcel delivers should be made right now?

[Loooobyloo]

I've started delivering parcels for a well known parcel company. There is often six of us helping sort the parcels in a small depot, we then load into our own cars and deliver.

This morning one of the courier stang in sick saying he had symptoms of coronavirus. Most of us have been around this guy, he's handed hundreds of parcels to customers.
It just made me think, shouldn't only urgent deliveries be happening right now? It seems a bit mad to be putting ourselves and all our customers at risk for the sake of a new toy or item of clothing you won't be wearing for a while.

My initial feeling was to keep ordering online stuff on the grounds that it would help keep the economy going, keep people in jobs etc, in circumstances where in person shopping is not allowed. But you’re right the health and safety of delivery people (and pickers/packers/etc) is important too.

Hard to know what is ultimately best.

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but genuine question - if orders stop, won’t the pickers/packers/drivers be out of work?

Yes and I will too, but surely it's about keeping us all safe right now. Other countries completely shut down so why cant we? It just scared me a little when this guy rang in sick and made me think, why am I still doing this right now.

I haven’t ordered anything for a couple of weeks for this reason - feel guilty at putting people like you at risk for the sake of us having nice things.

If your employer can’t keep you safe they should shut down.

Do you mean urgent or essential?

And if you mean essential, what is essential?

A new pair of shoes for children because they've grown out of their current ones?
A new screen for a homeworker spending hours at a kitchen table for their desk?
Food?
A birthday present delivered directly to an isolating relative?
Replacement spectacles?

Who draws the line and why?

What if the items can be transited though royal mail rather than couriers?

It's not a simple question with a simple answer.

No, I work for a global logistics company and we're delivering medical supplies amongst other things. Our workforce are working in very stringent conditions and everything that can be done to protect them is being done.

As mentioned above, it's keeping the economy going.

Important to keep the economy going imo but I do get where you're coming from.

Lots of YABU?! I guess it's ultimately my choice whether or not I continue delivering.

I also think that a lot of items probably deemed non essential are a bit of a lifeline to those who are self isolating right now.

I work for an e-commerce company, and we still have people in work as if the orders don’t go out, the whole company will be furloughed.

Everyone seems to think in our offices that we should shut up shop - not realising that if we did a lot of people would be out of jobs. I’ve just been furloughed along with 100-odd other people and it’s the worst feeling ever. Next, River Island and Schuh have all closed their online operation to its probably going to happen to all non essential businesses regardless of what I think.

So my opinion is as long as a business can remain operation and respect all H&S and social distancing guidelines they should stay open to keep the economy going.

All of the courier services are doing contactless delivery now so they just leave it outside and post a card through. Minimal to no contact with others, doesn’t really seem risky to me.

Online shopping has really saved my sanity this week. I bought my DD’s birthday presents even though it’s not till early June because I had an awful feeling shops wouldn’t deliver by that point.

I said YABU because I'm using amazon for things I'd usually buy in a shop, ergo not clogging up the shops. I have no contact with the amazon person, they place it on my doorstep.

Hmm, it's tricky but I do think YABU.

We can't just shut everything down for months on end. The economy has to keep going somehow.

I think it's a question of assessing the risk. Bored, unhappy people at home not allowed to have certain items delivered may be more inclined to insist restrictions are lifted too early or break them anyway.

Well River Island and next have shut down their online site today. I dare say it won't be long until others follow suit.

It's a balancing act. We've ordered online, because they are open and like others, we want to support our economy.. But not at the risk to people's lives! We won't be ordering after seeing them shut down today.

It's hard isn't it, I keep worrying about people out of work but I probably should stop ordering kallax inserts now.

@BuzzShitbagBobbly Good point. I delivered a Moonpig package today and thought, how lovely! Essential? I very much doubt it.

No, it needs to be balanced between peoples health and managing rhe nhs and managing the economy, if everyone stays home it’s going to cost us more than the billions it already is, and our taxes will be even higher for even longer to pay it back.

The modelling is done on people still working, and that’s how it should be. We don’t have a bottomless pit of money, and it’s our money, so balancing between health and economy needs to be done.

I think if it was presented bluntly...no non essentual deliveries and all our taxes goes up ten percent for five years, or non essential deliveries permitted and it goes up five percent for five years , folks would think twice.

YABU.

I am probably going against the grain but I think it should continue. I think if people can get thinks delivered, they will be more inclined to stay home and not venture out. Vulnerable people might want to consider whether ordering is right for them. Also packages left on steps and could be sprayed with disinfectant before people take them in.

I've been ordering some things for my daughter who will be 12 at the end of May. I'm hoping it supports a few small businesses but I have ordered now rather than nearer to her birthday as I can see potentially deliveries could be restricted to essential items only, like food and medicine.

She seems to have very easily accepted that her birthday party won't happen until life is more normal again. (She has ADHD and ASD so I was not sure how the delayed party news would go down). I just really want to be able to give her some presents though and hopefully buy a cake for the actual day.

I'm not doing any other general shopping though other than food.

My postie said it's really quiet. I was on the drive sweeping up and he told me there's hardly any post 🤷‍♀️

Depends what you mean by non essential

You mentioned moonpig not being essential but what if its for a person already in poor mental health and its their birthday what if they think people have forgotten and want to kill themselves over it?

What about the cat food and cat litter I've bought should I not feed them as they are "non essential" too? I see shops closing off there stationary aisles etc as they arnt food but when we are all expected to home educate they are essential if we cant get it from the shops we are going to try online

A new pair of shoes for children because they've grown out of their current ones?
A new screen for a homeworker spending hours at a kitchen table for their desk?
Food?
A birthday present delivered directly to an isolating relative?
Replacement spectacles?

Yes, this.

Who is to draw the line? And how would such a line be drawn anyway - should someone check what you’ve ordered and your reason and make a decision?