To think they didn't think this through?

[MyNameHasBeenTaken]

Lighthearted!
Dd gets free school meals.
Because of this, we are entitled to a voucher.
All good so far. Extra money. Choose which supermarket you prefer.
Voucher comes as a text .
Decent amount of money too!
But you are not allowed to use it on line!
You have to take it in to a store.
Now, I am definitely pleased to have it. And it has a long expiration date, so I can use it when (if?) Lockdown ends. But others might need that money now?

I think they sorted it out so quickly, you can't shop online now anyway theres no slots. The vouchers will really help me and my kids im really grateful, I'm using them next week and using them at tesco. Got a mask and gloves ready to wear for the trip, not taking any chances being a single parent. Teens babysitting the others

We have to collect their sandwiches- queue up outside the school every single day between 12-1. I have to take the dc with me to queue, and stop them talking to their friends, keep them 6ft away etc (not that the parents are observing that!). It's not safe, it's fucking embarrassing and frankly after two days, I have given up and am just eating less to compensate. A voucher sounds great to me.

That's awful waiting keep safe, there needs to be proper measures to keep everyone at a distance.

Cuddle and waiting
It's exactly people like you I was wondering about! Key workers who are working during store opening times, non drivers, single parents who cant leave a young child alone

Not me! I will just be patient and grateful.
But not everybody can??

Op there are literally no delivery slots anyway so online would be pointless. And as a pp said if it’s online it is easier to be used for fraud or sold in exchange for something else etc

It's probably because people will use it to buy alcohol etc

When I worked in Tesco, the amount of people who used to try and use milk tokens to buy cigarettes was astounding.

That is if it's used online or given as cash*

No alcohol allowed. No baby milk, cigarettes, petrol, lottery tickets.
I assumed that was standard?
I guess it wont stop people trying?

I think they are trying hard to ensure those children who qualify for pupil premium have funds to buy lunches.

Parental responsibility to feed a child should always be first and foremost, not schools/state.

In NI the money will be paid straight into your bank account every 2 weeks at a rate of £2.70 a day.

Why would anyone do that, that's shocking to deprive your child of things to buy crap like that. The vouchers are for the childrens food, are there really people like this :(

Tbf though vouchers have always excluded alchol sales, baby milk, petrol etc

The entitlement is rife!! You've been given free money. FREE MONEY! To help you shop. Go to the shop and spend it and feed your children and stop whinging.

The limitations regarding online use and what you can spend it on age there for betty obvious reasons. That free money is there so your children (and you) are fed. So the vouchers aren't sold off, so the money is spent on food. Now stop whining and get out there, queue up and buy some food. It's not rocket science. If the money was hand delivered to your door in an envelope it still wouldn't be enough.

OP did say she was in vulnerable group though.
We're very, very fortunate to both be keyworkers so no money worries there. It must be horrible to have to rely on food vouchers and packages but although I don't have much time for BJ (as a Labour voter) I do think he's doing his best in an unprecedented, horrendously difficult situation and the government is offering all the help they can to people.

Ours comes as a packed lunch you have to collect daily from the school. Go figure 🤷‍♀️

Our local primary has let parents know they can collect from school or have their child's lunch delivered to their home.
It would have been easier probably if the voucher was flexible so you could use it in any store the store owners could reclaim from government)school.
I suppose because they had to get things changed and running pretty sharpish they didn't get a chance to iron out the creases so to say

I cannot get an online shopping slot anywhere, so I have had to go to the store. OP I do understand your frustration but you will still be able to use the voucher somehow, eventually

We were discussing the same about bins. Normally bins get collected fortnightly. One week general rubbish, one week recycling. In Bolton they've stopped collecting the recycling and even missed some general rubbish collections this week, but the tips have also been closed so soon enough rubbish is going to start collecting in back streets.

We are getting vouchers too (haven’t received them yet), we shop online, I have slots for the next 2 weeks, I don’t go to the supermarket as I can’t leave the DD’s, they both have ASD and I’m a single parent. Closest tesco is 10 miles away. To use a voucher I will have to drive ten miles and possibly leave the DD’s in the car whilst I shop, they are old enough to be left for 20 minutes.

Lots of people will have problems if they live in a rural area, many can only get to a small village shop.

I get you are grateful OP from your posts, but please remember they will be people reading this who have lost jobs very recently and as yet are in a queue to receive the most basic benefit money to try and see them through.... yet these same people on paper are still seen to be able to fully support their children and so will be receiving nothing right now. It’s not a race to the bottom but perhaps count your blessings that you have them in the first place at the moment.

It's good to hear you are pleased to receive it and I am pleased for you.
May I ask, are you able and allowed to go to a shop at the moment? If you can't, maybe sell the vouchers to someone who does go shopping, not for a profit of course (I'm not in any way suggesting you would do that), maybe even give a small reduction, for convenience.

Take care of yourselves.

We didn't get a choice . Younger dcs are fortnightly at b&m and I've just had enough Tesco ones from ds2s school to take us up to 8th of may

It's difficult for the government/schools/ organisations to know best way to oimplement all these measures. It's an unprecedented situation that we've found ourselves in. The government etc have prepped for terrorism, natural disasters to a certain extent & other situations. I doubt a viral pandemic crossed anyone's minds so some things work and other plans need changing and adapting.

I'm in an at risk group but I can't get a delivery from any supermarket in a 10 mile radius to me. So I've placed an order with our local restaurant suppliers as they're now serving ordinary people.

Gosh lockdown is getting to some people

Read the OP posts.

She's not complaining. She's even said it's very generous.

What she has pointed out is that the scheme may not be helpful to some people who cannot get to the shops because they ant be used online and also that they are encouraging online shopping and then this doesn't allow it.

People are still allowed to question systems and procedures during this you know

Questions and critical analysis is how things move forward. We risk becoming an extremely different country and not just economically if we blindly obey - no questions asked.

It's store front only so it cannot be spend on tobacco and alcohol - that was my understanding of it anyway. The store staff will check it, whereas there is not system for it to be checked online.