If Old and Vulnerable are prioritised...

[NotVulnerableStillHungry]

...what the fuck is everyone else supposed to do?

Ocado - prioritising elderly and vulnerable
Waitrose - prioritising elderly and vulnerable
Sainsburys - prioritising elderly and vulnerable
Iceland - prioritising elderly and vulnerable
Morrisons - can't tell as 19014 in the queue trying to get in.

Prioritising the elderly and vulnerable is great, obviously, but it doesn't actually work if you don't have capacity to serve anyone else. Because then it's not prioritising! It's saying "We will not serve you if you are not elderly or vulnerable".

And surprise, surprise, people who aren't vulnerable still need to eat.

So I cannot get anything from any supermarket either delivered or to collect (and I've expanded my search area to 8 miles from my house, nothing). And my local co-op is stripped bare of literally everything except milk, chocolate biscuits and aunt Bessie's frozen yorkshire puds. What good is that, to anyone?

I'll add your point to the list of shitty complaints about those of us who are immunosuppressed then OP.

so the list now reads:
"Why should I have to stay in because some people ate crap food, didn't exercise and didn't prioritise their health?"
"All this fuss for people who will probably die soon anyway"
"Why shouldn't I get to use supermarket delivery slots, I can't be arsed to go to the shops"

@Hazelnutlatteplease Please do not say things like old and vulnerable people do not have a shot at the ventilators. There's really horrible for many of us to read.

I'm with you OP. I'm going to get flamed for this but we've been told by Boris and his gang repeatedly if we go out and catch it, we will die. Soooo I want deliveries obviously. But can't get em. Have the next 2 weeks booked and then I don't know what we will do. We aren't 'vulnerable' but I do have a baby and I don't want her to come to any harm.

Ocado just has open slots? Mine just arrived, one booked for next week. Not my usual times, but i could get slots (one per week limit, but that’s really all that’s needed)

Great, yet another thread where someone thinks having a CHILD 🎉🎊makes them more important than any other sector of society 🙄.

@nowaitaminute in London?? Are you serious? Check out the P12 in south east London. No way, Jose.

I had a thread about this a few weeks back - before lockdown / shielding etc.

Even then people pointed out that despite me being an online food shopper due to mobility issues, if I / someone in the house could get to the shops then that is what we needed to do! This was before the situation escalated and this is what we did.

As it turns out we are on the vulnerable list and we do actually have access to delivery (managed to get one for this week and not sure what happens after that, I assume another slot will open?) but if we hadn't we would have continued to go to the shops.

Put gloves on the toddlers, op. And try to wear them out before you go. The buses are much emptier than normal.

Take hand gel/a soapy facecloth/wipes or whatever with you to mop them down. Take tissues and a bag for them.

Do you have a double buggy with a good size basket you can use to get the shopping?

I don't understand how you can be in zone 2 and so limited in shops. I'm zone 3 and I can walk to 7 supermarkets, and within 5 minutes walk of my house I can think of another 8 or 9 corner shops, ethnic shops or garages.

@NotVulnerableStillHungry so what do you want us to suggest?? Do you know anyone with a car?? Do you have ANY friends who will do some shopping for you? If the answer to those questions is NO then you may not have any choice. I live most of my life without my dh at home, there are many situations that I wish I could have more help with but I can't. Honestly you need to just get out and go shopping. Bring hand sanitizer, put on gloves and/or a mask and go.

Thank you, @Mascotte, I have investigated such things - all the things! - in their area, but there is nothing available. Still trying alternative leads though...

the truth is that they are only delivering to those people.

I wonder where all these slots are for the vulnerable then? Or how people are accessing them? Because I sure as shit didn't get anything to help me get a slot above anyone else.

I have been to the Co-op, the ASDA and M&S, all of which I can walk to as they are within 2 miles
Clearly you have options then if you have these stores so close. Just go to these shops and, if you can't get items, then try going at different times each week ( the same as most of us have to).

Elderly and vulnerable are politically decreed to isolate. Therefore there should be a nationwide mobilisation of army catering/delivery trucks to deliver an essential food parcel per week to the vulnerable households and take the pressure off the normal food retailers. Every elderly/vulnerable household registers and they are allocated an army truck delivery date. It gets dropped at their door. A standardised box of essentials.

It's good that there is already a box delivery for some of the most vulnerable. But on a wider scale, better surely to let the elderly and vulnerable have first access to a choice of items they would find best for keeping up physical and mental health. Save the standardised army box for those who can't access shops or delivery but are otherwise less vulnerable.

My Mum is 90, housebound, lives alone and 200 hundred miles away. She doesn't fit the shielding criteria (although she has multiple health issues). There doesn't seem any way to register her as vulnerable and getting her a food delivery is proving impossible.

I live in Se london and several bus routes go past my window, they have all been empty or nearly empty for days. It's quite bizarre to see. I agree though it could be hard to avoid germs on a bus, but certainly on the ones I have seen you wouldn't be that near anyone. You could change clothes on return. Probably best bet is to go to local stores closer to you and try different times as pp suggested.

We're not elderly or vulnerable and have no problem (now not in self-quarantine) with going to the shops. But as someone who used online shopping to an insane degree beforehand (one regular Ocado topped up by at least one Ocado Zoom/ Prime Now and an Amazon Fresh delivery from local shops every week) and where every member of the family ate lunch out every day, I can't believe how often we have to go! Trying to minimise it as much as possible but given the long walk from local shop to car (no car park) and my limited capacity to carry the shopping, it's looking like every other day. If I didn't have the car it would be daily.

When I think back to the ease and privilege of my life before coronavirus, the thought of the smiley Ocado delivery driver carrying the bags into the house makes me want to cry. And the Amazon delivery person who used to ask me to sign (naive times!) straight into his phone.

I know it's stupid, and obviously understand the reason, but a primitive part of me finds it hurtful to have people dancing the two metres dance around me in the street, and I miss all my old random chats with people.

FourTea I'd love to know who is getting delivery from Sainsbury's.

It shouldn't be up to a private company to sort it though.

They will want to prioritise their biggest spending customers.

Which may not be the extremely vulnerable as long term or severe illness does tend to mess with earning power.

I never normally shop on line. I normally shop while DS is at school. But he is in the high risk group due to his multiple disabilities thankfully I managed to get an Iceland delivery slot last weekend and an ASDA one next week. If I can minimise my contact with the outside world to protect him I will.

If your lucky enough to be able to go shopping for yourself then great, and if you can perhaps send a message to your vulnerable neighbours to see if they need anything?

Desperately i hope you can get something sorted for your mum. It is even worse when she's so far away and you're not able to help.

Personally I'd put the toddler in the buggy and walk, and put the shopping in the basket or over the handles. 3-4 miles is easy to walk, it'll keep you fit.
I used to do this anyway when my kids were little, it's not a problem. Wore out a few buggies though.

@swishthecat where does it say you can go to the shops if you are self isolating due to a member of your household having symptoms? That’s seems ridiculous.

I sympathise but not really sure what the other options are. I do wish at least one supermarket would have longer opening hours.

We are juggling two full time jobs and a toddler so working across the weekend and from early in the morning into the evening. I managed to go shopping one morning last week as Tesco was opening at 6am so I could shop before we needed to start work. They've just announced they're moving to 8am-8pm like all the other supermarkets so they can restock overnight.

I tried last night when he went to do bedtime and there was so little stock it's pointless. I think I am going to have to take annual leave to go shopping in the morning each week as I will only be able to go when my husband has our toddler, and that is when I should be working!

Even our local greengrocer is opening 8-4 but general public 10-3 only as all other times reserved for vulnerable/NHS etc. I love that they're supporting the people who really need it but I'm struggling to work out when I can go shopping when there will actually be stock on the shelves.