A local shop is refusing entry to single parents

[Throwaway667]

I feel completely enraged by this. With delivery and collection slots now going to the vulnerable (as they should) it’s becoming more difficult to buy essential shopping as it is.
To remove access to essential goods based on the person having a dependant they can’t leave at home is upsetting imo.
Surely this is discrimination?

" not every locality has volunteers available."

Have you checked for every locality? There are groups everywhere and networks being set up all the time. OP could even set up her own.
How do you think the elderly are getting food now? They have to ask someone else.

I was in Aldi today and plenty of children

Is our area unusual in having lots of volunteer groups who will do shopping and drop it off? They're all over Facebook. They'd be my first port of call if I couldn't get to the shops.

Okay so the shop has effectively banned many single parents.

As for leaving children in the car - gonna be even more dangerous in hot weather.

Huggles - answer my question about small children above. Are they going to abide by the 2m rule? Are they going to always remember to cough and sneeze into their elbow. I don't think it's safe to have them in shops.
Re. the neighbours, as I've said, there are volunteer groups everywhere now.

@OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow Read my post properly... droplets get onto hands, hands get onto surfaces. Note - I’m not dismissing the OP - I think there’s a compromise where shops are concerned, but did you not think the whole “wash your hands” thing was for fun?

Old people aren't asked to stay at home. They get the first hour in any shop I know of. Something I'm not complaining about, just pointing out. And there is hardships about that - my mum misses seeing younger folks and kids especially. Everyone is facing challenges but everyone should have access to food.

Children should not be in supermarkets where there is a huge risk of catching covid.
Single parents need to be asking for support from family and friends, either yo deliver shopping or supervise children, surely it's better to leave a child with 1 adult than risk taking them to a germ riddled supermarket.

"Is our area unusual in having lots of volunteer groups who will do shopping and drop it off? "

No, they're everywhere now.
I shopped for someone last night. I saw her post on FB and answered within 1 minute. After another 1 minute, another volunteer had replied.
I've been in the group for a while and not been able to help before because there are so many people who answer quickly.

@Youwonjane i read it. How many for example 2 year olds are coughing and sneezing while covering their mouth properly. That was my point. So a child can be in the trolly and not touching anything yet infecting people around. It spreads by various ways

"Old people aren't asked to stay at home. They get the first hour in any shop I know of."

This isn't true any more. Over 70s ARE supposed to stay at home. People shopping FOR them get the first hour.

It's nothing to do with being a single parent, rather one person with a child/children. It seems many parents cannot or will not take responsibility for their kids in shops, so the stores cannot have them running around as usual, as it's not fair on all the others in there. Don't know what the solution is though OP, it does need to be addressed.

The tesco near me are doing it from Monday.

But a girl who works there said in our local Facebook group that they're using common sense. So if you have no other option they'll still let you in.

Apologies if this has already been suggested but why can’t the parents arrive at the store & give their mobile number to a member of staff who then does their shopping for them & brings it out. I mean only in the case of a parent who can’t leave their children at home. Would this not be a compromise? One of my local hardware stores is doing this.

Many single parents will have a non resident parent the child still sees so that can shop when alone?
Many SP will have a child over the age of 4 so they can leave child in the car while they do a quick shop

Yes but what if... there isn’t a NRP who sees the children? (My 2 are meant to go every other weekend and that’s off now due to the pandemic).
Yes, I can leave my 12 year old home obviously but not my 8 year old who has SEN. He can’t wait outside by himself and I don’t drive so can’t leave him in the car either. I would never leave a child as young as 4 in the car while I was in the supermarket anyway

This is a really badly thought out policy. Yes to banning children who are by themselves but no to banning kids altogether. Be sensible. 2 parents showing up with all the their kids in tow then yeah ask one only to come in and shop but stopping an adult with one or more younger children is stupid.

YABU to misrepresent the situation.

Having been in a queue the other day where a young child was messing around and getting closer and closer to me, and his father did absolutely bugger all, I think there is some sense in banning children from shops.

"Everyone is facing challenges but everyone should have access to food."

Yes, but that doesn't have to mean taking children into supermarkets.

Over 70s are supposed to adhere to social distancing, they aren't shielding.

EverdeRose - the funny thing is about being a single parent - you instantly have a lot less friends and family because the media has done a great job of persuading the majority of people that single parents are awful. I know a few single parents and they all report that most people dropped them like a hot potato as soon as they became single.

The OP isn’t elderly or on 12 week isolation. She shouldn’t have to rely on volunteer groups that need to focus on those cohorts. The OP should be able to go to her local shop and buy the basics without other people looking on aghast if she has her child with her. I’ve seen plenty of adults breaching distancing measures and coughing and spluttering in shops.

@Alsonification what kind of supermarket has the capacity for that at the moment?

most stay children close to their parents.

Not around here they don't! Children are always running off and getting in the way, touching everything on the shelves and playing.

Plus, let's be fair, children (especially babies and toddlers) are pretty gross. They sneeze and cough, don't cover their mouth or nose, stick their fingers everywhere and like to grab everything within arms' reach.

" I can leave my 12 year old home obviously but not my 8 year old who has SEN. He can’t wait outside by himself and I don’t drive so can’t leave him in the car either. "

Why can't the 12 year old go to the local shop for you? Unless you're extremely rural, there should be some kind of food shop within 2 miles.

@OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow sorry! I need the reading comprehension 🤦‍♀️. We are on the same page.. I thought you were suggesting tat touching things doesn’t spread it - not that, it’s not the only way to spread! My apologies.

*"Everyone is facing challenges but everyone should have access to food."

Yes, but that doesn't have to mean taking children into supermarkets.*

Errm, it kind of does.