To ask how it works at tesco?

[TwoleftUggs]

I haven’t been out of the house at all since lockdown, in fact none of us has. We get milk and bread delivered and I’ve been using frozen and tinned goods.
But now we’re running low and I’m actually frightened to death to go out. An overreaction no doubt but that’s anxiety for you!
So I’ve got to go to Tesco and I don’t want to break the rules when I get there. I imagine most people will have been in at least once by now so will know what to do. Will we have a set route to follow round, like a one way thing? How do they keep everyone 2m apart? My neighbour was in aldi on Monday and said it was far too busy and people reaching over her and breathing down her neck. I can’t cope with that happening to me.
Can someone tel me tesco has their shit together and will keep me safe

Depends on the shop and size and if they are queuing outside. Aldi is small and aisles are close. Big tesco will have more space to spread out.

My DP has just been to a large Sainsburys and they only let 100 people in at once so it was better spread out. No one waiting outside either. Weirdly quiet.

In our Tesco there are markers out side for queuing and in certain parts of the store showing where people should stand but other than that it's up to you to keep a distance. It's not up to Tesco employees to police this all around the store, they already have more than enough to do. If you go this evening you'll probably find it's quieter but there's not much left on the shelves by then.

I went to a medium sized Tesco yesterday at 7pm. Small queue outside in pavement and we all stood 2m apart. Man at door letting one person (or a couple) in at a time. When I got in there - there was lots of shelf stacking going on and it tape on floor telling you to keep your distance etc but didn’t work terribly well if you had to go round a trolley etc . I self scanned and you were kept apart. Staff at self serve place we’re keeping their distance as much as possible. It’s up to you to keep your distance too but I would suggest try going when it is less busy? To keep you from being to stressed

Typos due to my annoying phine

My local Tesco is making people queue up outside (2 metres apart) and letting people in a few at a time. When inside, you follow the arrows round the store so that in theory, everyone is going the same way and you can leave 2 metre gaps between each other. I say in theory and there’s some right numpties who do stupid shit and make it impossible to leave spaces. There’s one big queue for the tills (down the booze aisle- they’re not soft) and a member of staff directs you to a free till when it’s ready.

Morrison’s have the exact same system but can’t speak for other stores as I’ve not gone into them for well over a month.

It varies by supermarket, Tesco's has one way systems in some stores and they are only letting so many in at once. Smaller stores like Lidl there's little evidence of any changes except markers for queues

Our two local tescos are apparently quiet between 6 and 7
One has instigated a one way system for the aisles, the other hasn't.
Smallish marks and Spencer queue of about 20 minutes at 9am this morning, only let each person in as previous person turned out of first aisle. I felt OK shopping there

Going to the shop scares me more then the virus tbh. Anxiety

I've only been to Aldi, which has a security guy letting people in one by one, and markers on the ground for where to queue outside. Also has markers on the ground at the till. There's a advert for Tesco on TV saying they are doing similar, but also have cleaning stations for the trolleys and perspex screens up for the cashiers.

My big tesco - no queuing but spacing markers inside. Handle spray for the trolleys available.

Personally I felt there were too many people in the store to socially distance adequately and some people seemed oblivious to it. A one way system would have helped I think. I mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't bedlam but it was near on impossible to keep 2 metre apart.

The checkout queues everyone was standing two metres apart though.

Restricted to three of each item which is fair enough. Reasonably well stocked - no rice or pasta or flour, but everything else seemed OK.

Seems to depend where you shop, the size of the building and the intelligence/entitlement of other customers.
DH went to local, smallish Aldi last week. People queued on the car park 2m apart. 10 customers allowed in at a time with staff on the door allowing one person in one person out. You had to follow the person in front and could not overtake or get too close (staff were stationed on the aisles). It also meant if you forgot something as you were going around, you couldn’t go back. Tills were marked with tape on the floor which you waited behind until your turn. Apparently it was very civilised.

Went to a different, bigger Aldi this week. It was a free for all. No limit on numbers, no staff on the door. Customers getting close to each other and leaning over each other to reach for items. Customers crossing the lines at the till, trying to put their shopping on the belt before the previous customer had finished. Nightmare.

I'd go to a Tesco Express if you can, they're only letting a few people in at a time and there's tape all over the floors to show how much distance to leave. You'll find it easy to stay safe there, just remember to wash your hands as soon as you get home.

If people are getting to choose, either
A) get ready to glare and say 'back off' or
B) suddenly come down with a cough

The latter will probably be more effective.

Good luck!

To choose? Too close.

There will be someone at the entrance that is directing the people in so they will let you know if you have to wait or you can go in. You will need to stay 2 metres apart from people and depending on the store there may be a certain route that you need to take. This will be clearly marked on the floor so dont worry. I found it really helpful to write a list that was broke down in segments so i could stop and check it easily as it is a bit overwhelming and then i knew exactly if i had got what i needed. The system at the till is clearly marked on the floor where to stand. You will have to let the person in front of you load their shopping and then when they have moved to the end of the till you can approach to put your things on. Try to keep as much distance between yourself and the cashier when it is your turn, try to use your card if possible. Just be mindful of yourself, and others and it will be ok. Take care, hope that you are ok

Big Tesco near us really civilized and organised. You of course are responsible for distance while you go round and need to keep your wits about you. If you're anxious write a list in order of the shop layout and get in and out efficiently.

Most stores have a one way system, so you park up, go to collect your trolley - some have "wash stations" for the trolley handles, some do it for you, some spray the handle with sanitiser before they push the trolley towards you.

If the store is big enough, you will go in one door (or one side of the entrance/exit) and leave by the other door/side of the exit. At busy times there is a queue with everyone 2 metres apart, they let each person in as another person comes out. To avoid this you need either to turn up at 8am (assuming this isn't a protected time at your store) or go later, say around 5pm or so. Going later everything is quiet but you face not getting everything you want as the morning rush will have depleted toilet rolls and so on.

If you are wise, you can prepare before you go. Make sure you have plenty of bags. Wear gloves, no-one is bothered about latex gloves these days or just use ordinary winter ones that you can put in the washing machine when back home. It means you can hold door handles, trollies etc without worrying about germs. Don't touch your face AT ALL. Put your bank card in a pocket beforehand at home so you are not fiddling with a handbag/purse/wallet at the till. You can wear a mask if you wish but not everyone has access to those. A scarf wrapped around the lower face is fine if it makes you feel more comfortable.

If someone comes towards you pushing their trolley, step back or out of the way and let them pass. Anyone standing too close in the queue, do not be afraid to say 'please stand further back, you're too close'.

Once you get your goods to the car and loaded, take off your gloves. Sanitise your hands if you have some in the car.

Back home unload everything and then wash hands thoroughly. Sanitise or clean down stuff you have bought, especially items which will have lots of touch, such as handles of milk cartons etc. Sanitise or wipe down your shopping bags, handles and the base particularly.

Works for me!!

Just don’t do what I did and walk straight past the life size snakes and ladders board game queuing system set up in the car park (thinking great there’s no queue) and then get told to get out of the store and get in the queue by the security guard as I’m in danger of being lynched by the mob patiently waiting outside.

In my defence the trolley park is right on the side where I would be walking from next to the store and the queue started about 30 feet away, far away from the main door, and there were no signs. The staff standing at main door didn’t stop me. The evils I got when I got in the queue!

It was ok inside. One way system, had to use customer services first which I also wasn’t aware of so the barrier had to be moved for me. Shelves still bare of tins, pasta and eggs though. Usual idiots standing in the middle of the aisle blocking it.

I deliberately do self scan so I can put the shopping straight into my bags and the checkout operator doesn’t have to handle it after handling other peoples but still the assistant went through my bags to check I hadn’t got more than three of anything. She tried to say I couldn’t have two loaves of bread and a pack of wraps, so had a slight altercation about that as I was allowed. Staff were pretty stressy and there were continued threats over the tannoy that anyone being abusive or offensive in store would be banned from entering ever again which is fair enough, but god knows what went on before I got in there.

I found it a bit of an ordeal but needs must. I tried my town centre Asda yesterday which is normally hell on earth but it was totally tranquil by comparison.

I take some antibac wipes with an extra spray of anti bac on in a sandwich bag to wipe the trolley handle before I touch it as the wipes and spray are inside the stores and you would already be pushing the trolley and have touched the handle by the time you get in there . Also wipe the scanner handle as well then place the clear sandwich bag over the pin pad when putting in number. Throw bag with wipes in bin on way out. Sanitise hands.

Always take items from underneath, back of shelf as well just in case someone’s sneezed on them!

Depends on size. I felt shoppers were too close to me but it's luck of the draw.

I've been to our large Tesco today.
Queuing outside was fine, two meters apart- no issue.
Inside the store I found the staff were congregated in groups watching us customers following the arrows around store. Other staff were not sticking to the distancing rules when walking past and I met several customers at the end of the isles face-to-face who had walked the wrong way. Woman in front of me on the concourse was coughing over the tins section. People forgetting things so doubling back through isles.Putting trolley back I was met with others grabbing the few remaining large trolleys.

I struggled to get past tesco employees doing home shopping chatting to each other with trolleys almost side by side, on several occasions. I almost stopped to speak to them about social distancing. While asda has directional arrows (that people ignore), Tesco didn't and it became a bit of a free for all.

This has made me even more reluctant to go to the supermarket than I was before!

I was in a decent sized one this morning and they have markers outside for queuing. They've also set up a system for getting to the checkouts so people all go to the end aisle when they've fibished and then are filtered down to the checkouts via a series of markers on the floor to enable correct distancing, staff were there keeping everyone right.

Tesco here has taped boxes to queue in outside and they're handing you an antibacted trolley as you go in.

The lady I spoke to on the checkout said it was much quieter in the mornings, before 10am.