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?

Totally agree. Shops are limiting the numbers of people allowed inside, so why can’t garden centres be allowed to do the ssme.

Pre-booked slots of, say, 20 minutes would be easy to organise. You’d just have to ring and book.

If you can go and buy screws and diy stuff I think you should be able to buy plants.
Nurseries should be able to switch to a delivery service via online buying. Delivery to outside only.
Keeps us healthy and happy.

A lot of people seem to be stretching the definition of 'essential' to 'something I like' @Pukkatea is spot on with this.
The same case could be made for loads of places:
With schools and libraries closed, book shops should be open as it’s essential people can learn and reading is a good quiet stay at home activity and good for mental health.
Art shops should be open because people need something to do to stop them leaving the house. Art is great for the mental health of children stuck at home.
See what I mean? I could do this all day. We would have every shop open, because in normal times we need these shops - so you can always make a case they are needed. They aren’t essential though.

Agree with PP. Where do you draw the line? Everyone has hobbies, everyone has things they like to do and that are good for their mental health.

Agree with PPs.

If garden centres open so should uni libraries for the upcoming "exams". 🤷🏻
I know quite a number of students who are super stressed because they were now told they will be doing some form of exam, but don't have materials to revise from properly.

Plants and things, although lovely and calming aren't a necessity for survival

Umm.... Where do you think the majority of food comes from?

Our local garden centre is taking orders over the phone and delivering. Obviously won't sell as much as normal but better than nothing, I'm not sure why others aren't following suit.

I agree. I’ve been desperate to do my garden for a while and was looking forward to spring to do it but working 6.5 days a week meant it was going to be unlikely. I now have an abundance of time and can’t. My local Asda has a small range it but not much so I’ll pick up a few bits there.

Small nursery garden centres locally are offering delivery which makes a lot more sense.

It isn't one it the other.

Someone could set up a system where households can phone in, pay £ over the phone and once enough people on that street or in the case area has ordered, the garden shop then deliver plants and flowers to that amount to each door step.

Garden shop gets money.
People get a surprise and a pick me up.
No one has to find space for all these plants that will be lost otherwise.

It could be buy subscription too to support long term.

I was sad to hear about all the plant stock that could be destroyed. Would love to be able to get access (growers)

Or the other

Plants are more important. They provide food to pollinators. They take carbon dioxide out of the air and convert it to oxygen.

Plants are one of the most important things that can be sold in shops. Without them, there are no pollinators and then there'll be no food.

Garden centres can turn to home deliveries. And yes they are non-essential the same as clothes shops.

DIY shops yes we do need them to sell essential stuff, things break electrics, plumbing and roof leaks are things that can't wait.

Off-liences - very small percentage only sell alcohol. Many double as papershop, corner shops with a range of essential food.

The other question will be the amount of duty paid on alcohol. The government won't want to upset the distillers who are turning their facilities into making alcohol for hand sanitizer.

Nurseries should be able to switch to a delivery service via online buying. Delivery to outside only.

They can do that. All our local garden centres are offering home delivery.

YABVU

Because it's not about what you want to make yourself feel better.

The staff at garden centers should not have to put themselves and their families at risk for non essential items. And them being open would encourage you and others to go there - When we have been told a million times to stay home except for essential journeys!

Our hospitals can not deal with people putting themselves at risk unnecessarily, YABMassivelyU.

Garden centres are trading via collection and delivery.

Or maybe they are glad to keep their business afloat which is why many of them are doing deliveries now which seems to me to be a sensible compromise.

I had a look and ours says it is inundated with emails which is good.

If they manage to shift a lot it’s more the growers stock that gets destroyed that I find very sad.

I can't think of a single offy near me that is only an offy. They all sell groceries too.

YABU.

1. Not everyone has a garden.
2. If you’d been watching the news up until lockdown and saw what was going on in mainland Europe you could have made a guess that we may be heading that way and bought what you needed in advance. I went to the garden centre before lockdown and there were many people there clearly thinking the same as me buying seeds and soil etc. I even bought paint and sanding paper to ensure I could do my DIY. It wouldn’t have been a waste of money as these jobs would’ve needed to be done anyway. I just bought it all early and put them aside.

There were rumours of lockdown or some level of restrictions way before it happened so you could have prepared. I’ve walked past many houses during my outdoor allowance time and many have bags of soil in the front gardens so many people already have what they need as lockdown wasn’t a surprise.

With the garden centre you only need to really go once or twice for the season but off licenses sell more than alcohol and most alcohol drinkers would go more than once for the entire time we’re on lockdown unless they have their own wine cellar and dedicated beer fridge which most people don’t.

We do not need lots of middle aged and elderly people casually wandering around garden centres at this time. In any case I’m sure there are online deliveries for what you require.

Much as I would appreciate being able to get gardening supplies, it strikes me as opening up the potential for some serious cheeky fuckery.

A trip to the garden centre for supplies is already a nightmare on an average weekend as our local one has a cafe, play area, random departments such as gifting tat, cards, random items of clothing, conservatory furniture, eclectic mix of toys so it seems to be a day trip destination for pensioners and families. I can imagine they make more money from those visits than people like me who go in for compost, seeds and some new gloves but if garden centres were open in lockdown then it would just be another excuse for a day trip.

They could just close for everything except plants and soil. There wouldn’t be any day trips then.

Garden centres may not be 'essential' but on the other hand, they currently have ££££Millions of perishable stock. They can't just leave it on the shelf and go home, expecting it to all be alive when they come back in 3 months' time.

The entire horticulture industry is on its knees and unless they can reopen soon, then the huge majority of businesses will go under.