Garden centres are more essential than off-licences during lockdown

[Fev11]

Supermarkets already sell alcohol so why on earth are off licences listed as ‘essential’ during lockdown?

Plants and flowers, whether growing in a garden or on a windowsill or balcony have long been recognised as beneficial to mental health. Unlike off-licences, Garden centres could easily be adapted to be fully outdoor spaces.

My heart goes out to the growers who are having to throw out all their stock, who unlike many businesses who will still have their stock to sell when this is all over.

I think garden centres/nurseries are more essential during lockdown than off licences.

AIBU?

No alcohol is not a necessity. People should have to learn to live without it.

Drugs are a necessity for many people, doesn’t mean we should make them available because of what will happen to those people if we don’t.

And without alcohol you wouldn’t get the alcohol related crimes that are still going on.

But hey, all the alcoholics or functional alcoholics or problem drinkers on here will tell you what a necessity it is.

Hmm, in my limited experience of them, garden centres are full of children and the elderly, socialising, eating etc.

That's true, but if they close the cafes, ban children then it will be just people buying plants, in and out.

Now is the time to plant so many things.

I feel the same about DIY stores

Just a note. These are essential and open. Some moved online only for safety

Agree but don't we pay a lot of tax on cigarettes and alcohol ? That's probably the reason .

For many people who are alcohol dependent 'learning to live without it' means seizures, hallucinations, increase in blood pressure, increase in heart rate, crippling anxiety, suicidal thoughts and on and on.

So they'll need NHS care. At a time that cancer operations have been cancelled to prepare for COVID cases.

I agree in theory. Though I know my elderly parents would then start going to the garden centre, when I prefer them to be self isolating at home.

I’ve heard some HCW express concerns that if a massive number of alcoholics suddenly stop drinking, due to difficulty purchasing alcohol, this could lead to large numbers presenting to A&E with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, seizures etc. Not what the NHS needs right now. Obviously it’s good for people to cut down on alcohol, but not all at the same time.

I agree but it is also very tricky as we all know how busy they would be if they were open! Hate to think of all those lovely plants being wasted. And now more than ever people have time to tend their gardens and this is good for mental health at such a difficult time.
With the grow your own benefit so useful at the moment I agree they should stay open but with some restrictions so that social contact is reduced. Eg limit number of people in shop. Limit of 10 items per person? I would just hate to see people with massive trollies queuing like its a bank holiday weekend!

I agree in some ways OP. But to be fair I usually use my off license down the road to pick up little bits of food (bread/milk) I've ran out of rather than go to the supermarket which is a drive away. I rarely buy alcohol there to be honest.

It's really hard to get hold of veg seeds or compost at the minute.

Which is a shame when you think the harvests of UK veg probably aren't going to get picked this year and all the salad veg/fruit we get from abroad, Spain, etc probably isn't going to get picked either.

We'll have shortages and vast inflated prices this year and next. If people could get planting seeds now some of the demand may be alleviated.

No alcohol is not a necessity. People should have to learn to live without it.

But sudden enforced detox kills people. For some people it is a necessity. You don't have to care about them (you should, but you don't have to)- but you don't want health and social care services to have to deal with people becoming seriously ill and even dying from something so totally avoidable, do you?

Off licenses are the only place a can top up my electric and gas so YABU.

I see where you are coming from but when Mike Ashley argued his sports equipment was vital for physical and mental health (he was quite possibly right, though I doubt his altruism) he got roundly slagged off. There's got to be a line drawn somewhere.

@NewYearNewJob123, but alcohol is still available in supermarkets, small retailers and the express stores. So there is no need to have off licenses open, but not garden centres.

My gardeners are due today. Two local retired fellas who house share. I don't need to see them, but I'll practice social distancing. I'm disabled, my garden was getting unusable. Even when things go back to normalish, I'll stay in as much as possible. As will many others. I can see alcohol abuse increasing if common sense and not tax revenue, isn't applied.

If we make garden centres as difficult to shop in as supermarkets, people won't treat it as a day out.

@EyeSoLated
"Off licenses are the only place a can top up my electric and gas so YABU."

That's a good point, but not all of them do paypoint. I suppose they could start selling food so they could stay open. Which would make the legislation a lot of hassle to enforce.

Tax and licence fees I assume. The government is going to need a shut ton of money. People aren’t driving so petrol tax revenues are down....

Agree.

Must admit when everyone else was panic buying loo roll I was panic buying plants.

You aren’t allowed to go out to use sports equipment though. Few people have gardens big enough for cycling, tennis, scooters, etc. Whereas garden centre products are always used at home.

'Garden centres' of the type which have cafes, massive Xmas displays etc may be debatable but smaller local nurseries could be operated with distancing - pay by phone and collect etc. I believe there are some managing to do this, I wish my local one would.

Whilst I totally agree with the OP, I think garden centres would be seen as a leisure activity. The main problem is that old people don’t wonder off to off licenses for a few hours a day, garden centres they do. The attraction of let’s go do our daily exercise and shop for some pansies could make social distancing an impossibility.

Meanwhile Dave and Pat the local pissheads would only be in the corner shop for max 5 mins getting their Stella and Pack of 20 B&H. Add in the fact that off-licences are a quick convenient way to shop and you have your answer,

I haven't even seen an off licence for years! Do they still exist? I remember the good old days of Augustus Barnett and Peter Dominic! Seriously though, you cannot cut people off from alcohol suddenly when they are used to drinking regularly - there would be all sorts of problems. I have just ordered from wine merchants online and have a nice little stash, thank you!

I do think garden centres should be finding some way to stay open or do deliveries. I'd think the best way would be for them to take orders by phone and let people collect perhaps. Because if nothing else, the sudden surge in food planting is probably not a bad thing in terms of a small relief and for overall health.

Ponoka7 - many people don't live within walking distance to a supermarket and lots of supermarkets have reduced their hours and the number of the same items you can buy.

Plus, many people who are alcohol dependent kid themselves about their intake so may well drive back to the supermarket once they've run out if the local offie is closed. Which is obviously a major problem.

Don't know if any of you are near Faversham but a centre called Amethyst are either selling off or giving away their plants at the moment They will deliver if local enough.

I don’t think garden centres are essential, but I do think gardening is hugely beneficial for mental health and am saddened by the prospective waste and devastation of the sector by the lockdown.

Some of you may be interested in this thread with links to providers who are trying to keep the horticulture sector going in one way or another:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3868029-Where-can-I-buy-plants-during-lockdown