The ethics of unnecessary deliveries

[nomdefuckit]

AIBU to wonder about this?

We're doing a 12 week lock down as DH in the shielding group. Nobody gets in or out, including toddler

I would love to order more stuff to keep him entertained, garden stuff, DIY stuff etc

I haven't because I thought it was wrong for a number of reasons

1: infection risk - every delivery has that potential
2: employees of delivery companies should not be pressured to work more than necessary for their own health
3: more drivers going out and about is more opportunities for the virus to spread
4: there is limited capacity in the system for deliveries. It should be left for essentials

Yet I have seen on here and elsewhere (fb mainly) people talking openly about the nice candles, home furnishings, make up etc that they have ordered

Anybody else a bit shocked by this?

It’s keeping the economy going and, to a certain extent, helping people feel good buying themselves nice things. We all need cheering up at the moment. If we stop spending money the economy will rank even further, we’ll come out of this and be plunged into another bout of austerity and its highly likely more people will suffer and die from that than CV.

No, I'm not shocked by it at all. I’m more shocked that other people are shocked about it.

While I have no doubt it very difficult for you to stay in complete isolation for 12 weeks, not everyone has a husband or a child at home to help keep them busy, some people are genuinely on their own. If ordering a nice candle or new cushion helps them to get through the day, then I’m all for it.

Deliveries can be made safely anyway.

Is any of that more important than keeping the death toll down?

I have ordered make up
Maybe I shouldn't have,but I have

I have a severe and enduring mental health condition - I normally see someone face-to-face two hours of the week and have constant support. I can normally socialise with friends, have family around, get out on my bike, run, swim, climb, row... walk by dog.

All of those things keep me sane. I am now on 12 week lock down due to a health condition.

Those "unnecessary" deliveries are keeping me from unnecessarily doing something fucking stupid. I suspect many others are in the same boat.

I don't think it's as black and white as you seem to be suggesting.

Oh my partner is having to stay away (Frontline worker, not seen him in over three weeks), his kids have not been able to visit, and my dog had to go elsewhere and my goats are being looked after by someone else. I cannot even get to the allotment to check on the bees.

The drivers are leaving parcels on doorsteps. The hermes driver took a picture of me without my head to prove he'd delivered it. At no point did he come into contact with me or I with him. He delivered paint and music books, its fine. Risk is minimal!

@EmAndes keep doing those things. They've emptied the mental health units near me pretty much and they are now Covid-19 wards.

Delivery drivers are, in most cases, putting the goods down and stepping away from the door to minimise contact.

If you're really worried, sanitise your deliveries afterwards and wash your hands.

As for the economy, a lot of these people are paid per delivery and are on contracts that won't be covered by the government's current compensation plans. So if we don't order, they might not get paid;

Also, if like me you're going to be stuck inside for possibly months with a child, you really need to invest in some entertainment for your mental health!

I've ordered false nails,hair dye and foundation. Assume parcels will be left on the step.

I don't think it's as black and white as you seem to be suggesting

This ^^

Online deliveries are keeping people in jobs and keeping businesses afloat.

We cannot make the risks zero but we can minimise them by taking basic precautions such as zero contact delivery etc

Yes the government are making money available to help business and individuals but our economy needs to keep functioning for that to happen. Restricted movement and social distancing isn't going to be a short, sharp shock. It's going to be happening on and off for the foreseeable so anything we can do to keep businesses ticking over is a good thing.

That's before we start thinking about those who need these 'non-essential' items for their own mental health.

Fully aware that for some the risk of contamination and infection will be too great but that isn't true for many people.

It’s not so much the delivery that’s the issue though is it? It’s the workers packing the goods in warehouses that would be the bigger risk.

I’ve been ordering but am a bit conflicted. Not sure whether I will keep doing so.

I'll be doing a Beauty Pie order this coming week.

A) I need some skincare bits

B) I'll not be taking stuff from Boots or other places

C) I like skincare and it'll help to keep me sane

D) it's important that people are kept in employment

All deliveries round here are being done safely and if every single company stops doing online shopping, which for some stores will be the only thing keeping them afloat, then they'll be a lot more unemployed from the summer onwards. It's about minimising risk.

Why are you all shielding for 12 weeks? The advice is specifically only for the actual family member in the very high risk category. Seems like you may be creating extra stress for yourself.

And I do not think anything is wrong with non essential deliveries. It keeps the economy going and keeps people happy. Saying its going to increase the death toll is a bit extreme

I had a delivery arrive today, and it was fully contactless. I got a phone call informing me he was on his way, and then he knocked and left everything on the doorstep, then went back to his van to watch. We then opened the door to collect and to tell him everything was fine, and he was on his way. Perfectly safe and I don't think he was in any harm from coming to our home. He didn't come anywhere near us at all.

The more people who can keep their jobs and continue to work through this crisis, the better. We're still going to need all these shops to exist when this is all over - the more people choose not to use them, the less likely it is they'll survive.

I don't feel guilty for ordering things online.

Just order what you need/want. There may be some delay in getting things as other orders are prioritised but I don’t think you need to be a martyr about it.
It’s up to the government and the companies to decide when and if ‘ordinary’ deliveries should stop.

@BraveLittleDragon I can't go to my allotment either thankfully someones moved the chickens to take care of them. Don't look like any vegs coming from our allotment this year :(

@GreytExpectations if your comment is aimed at me I have two conditions on the shielding list. Trust me, if I could right now, I would be on my bike in the sunshine on a very long bike ride as my daily dose of exercise.

@stickerqueen That is good that someone has moved the chickens for you. I do not know what to do if the bees swarm as it gets warmer because I am the only beekeeper on the site. I just hope if they go they go somewhere wild and not in someone's garden!

Keeping the death toll down is important, of course. But what many seem not to have realised is that the economy being f*cked will also cause more deaths, long term.

All that money Boris has promised to people who can’t work? Where’s it coming from? Increased taxes and austerity in the future, that’s where. The worse the economy is hit, the more these things will be necessary. I don’t have the figures to hand but before the election there were figures floating around about how many had been killed by Tory austerity over the past 10 years, with people on benefits and disabled people hit particularly hard. In the tens if not hundreds of thousands if I remember rightly. That will happen again.

I will keep buying things to keep the economy going!

@GreytExpectations

Because, the shielding guidance is impossible to follow with a toddler in the house. Try telling him he can't hug his Dad for three months.

The virus can live on packaging. That's not in dispute.