AIBU to ask if we’re really all in this together

[Hotair1234]

Ok, I fully accept I’m about to be totally berated and hated BUT just listen before you furiously type your reply.
Work in a power station and just finished 12 hour shift. Stopped at supermarket on way home as haven’t done shopping for couple of weeks and really want to get home to bed rather than go back out. Short queue, 15/20 mins, not a big deal in current climate, however as I got to the front of the queue someone walked right up to the front and said the to security guard that they were nhs and shouldn’t queue (yes I know dedicated opening hours - this was not within that) so the security guard just let them in.
Now I’m the first one to say nhs workers are great but by definition I am also a key worker and if me and my colleagues don’t go to work the lights don’t come on but I can still queue like everyone else so my AIBU is to ask that if we’re all In This together then In this unusual global incident is it not extremely dangerous to decide that one group of people are more important than another, that one group can queue for food but another doesn’t need to? Is that not the thin end of a very ugly wedge????!

@Imstillskanking

Exactly. As a nurse I feel like I'm being martyred as some kind of superhero against my will. I am a human and can get sick too, I am scared tbh. And things like queue jumping privileges and free food etc (neither of which I want!!) are a nice well meant gesture, but not actually helpful with the current working conditions: the only thing I want is better PPE so I can do the job I am trained and paid to do safely.

Also seems that the majority of people are getting pissed off with NHS and care workers getting such "privileges" and turning the blame on the workers themselves, like in this OP. We didn't ask for any of this.

I think the definition of NHS worker could be looked at now as there have been complaints about this in our local area recently as it seems the majority of NHS staff taking advantage in our shops are admin staff, no contact with NHS patients and working from home (there's a large NHS admin organisation based locally so there might be a higher percentage in this area) so no apparent reason to be going straight to the front of the queue.

As a poster pointed out, NHS staff didn't ask for any of this.
They just want PPE and being able to work safely

There are greedy idiots who take advantage in every single profession. I know people who work in clothing stores who use their staff discount and then resell clothes at the original price.

I'm an ITU nurse, I wouldn't use the NHS hours at the supermarket as it isnt convenient to me. I queued like everyone else at my local Tesco yesterday morning. I'm not sure who is offering a 20% discount but I've not had anything discounted. We are being given some free food at work but we haven't asked anyone to do it, if people dont want to then dont send food in.

Honestly we arent all in this together no, I have colleagues working on wards where they are being given holiday almost every shift as the wards are so quiet and me and my colleagues are going into covid+ rooms every single day to look after the sickest patients, these also seem to be the nurses who have been on their local Facebook groups begging for free things.

I understand where you are coming from but the reason the NHS workers are being treated differently is because they are being exposed to the virus every day at work.

This is only true of NHS front line workers. My sister works for the NHS but is a manager in the admin side of things and works in a separate office, therefore not being on the front line.

Thank you op, for your work I applaud you and you are the reason I don't do the Thursday clap!
It seems to me that the NHS staff are getting all the adulation when people like you, bin men, postmen, sewer workers, supermarket staff etc are dismissed.
There are lots of hard working people being forgotten about because they don’t work for the NHS.
Carry on holding us all together @Hotair1234, I appreciate you and all those like you. YANBU

I’d totally get it if it was for nhs related things like a carer on shift having to go and buy wipes or tea bags or milk for a client. My mum is a nurse and she’d never need to do this but for arguments sake, on shift she popped out for sandwiches and stuff for tea and coffee to make for the staff and drivers etc for morale. Fair enough. But now stock is back to normal and almost everything can be obtained no problem (I even got flour, fancy organic peppers and Beer and naice wine yesterday) I don’t see why someone on their day off needs to queue jump every time.

IME NHS staff who aren’t front line are not using their badges to jump the queue.

I'm not a key worker and I'd be happy for all key workers to get priority to be honest. So I don't think the solution is to stop benefits for NHS employees but expand them to others.

IME NHS staff who aren’t front line are not using their badges to jump the queue.

Obviously it's your experience, but how would you know? Those who are taking the piss, (for want of a better phrase) are hardly going to brag about queue jumping. Whilst those who are letting in the NHS staff have no idea of their roles or if they have been on the front line.

I know a couple of NHS admin staff that always go to the front of the queue, they’re no more on the front line than a lot of other key workers.

Well me and everyone I work with, presuming they are telling the truth. No reason to think they would lie, they tend to be a nice bunch.

Tesco and Aldi have both recently announced that emergency service staff can skip the queue, so if it’s one of these shops it’s not just an individual chancing their arm.

It’s a marketing strategy by the supermarkets, a way of persuading many thousands of people employed in the emergency services to choose their supermarket over others. It’s the same with companies that offer discounts to certain industries. It’s not about being deserving, it’s a way of reaching a wider customer base.

I agree with you and I’m NHS staff. I think it should be only ITU staff who get this privilege

Of my colleagues, it’s only the greedy ones taking advantage of this as well as gobbling down the free food, believe me they don’t need it!

No way would I flash my badge. The clapping is a fucking embarrassment too.

To be honest I totally understand what you are saying but give they are exposed to the virus all day they theoretically have a higher chance of having it and being asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) than the general public so probably best if they are re given a quick in and out so they are not exposing others. I am NHS I am covid testing I wouldn't and I am sure most wouldn't in my position because I have time to get my stuff, sure you will get a few cheeky fuckers but in the main most people are sensible. On the special shopping times I think most are for all key workers not just NHS even though some have confusingly called it that. I will be honest I don't know 100% because I have not needed to used those slots.

The email from the CEO of Asda says about a store colleague paying for someone's shopping because oops, they left their purse somewhere else having just come off a night shift. In likliehood the person probably just mentioned it like oh silly me, I left me blimmin purse, it's being tired from working nights that does that (hope they at least showered if they went in straight from nights); but it's gross to let someone pay for your shopping who is on less money. Yes it was the store colleagues choice but FFS.

But yes the shops seem to love it for marketing purposes. To be fair to Asda that have donated a lot to food banks so at least they are acknowledging that other people are also affected.

I haven't used my NHS badge to queue jump, get discounts or get free stuff while this has been going on and I don't intend to. I'm admin and although it's a 'frontline' category, I don't think we need it. I'm pretty unimpressed with some of my colleagues tbh. At first, when greggs were giving us free drinks, some of them were there 3 times a day...

It’s just a gimmick now that the shops are well stocked. Docs, paramedics, nurses etc neither request nor want it on the whole. Everyone is capable of queuing.

And I agree that discounts, if given at all, should go to Universal Credits claimants (for example). Ideally thought - just reduce the price of staples by a few pence for everyone!

On the special shopping times I think most are for all key workers not just NHS even though some have confusingly called it that.

Unfortunately this is not the case. In the majority of store it's just for NHS / care workers, not all key workers.

Asda - To support the vital work of the NHS and care workers, we are prioritising them in our larger stores every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 9am. As well as Sundays 9am to 10am for browsing.

Tesco - An hour to prioritise NHS workers every Tuesday and Thursday. This is along with browsing hour before checkouts open on Sundays, all of which gives them dedicated time to shop for their essentials

Morrisons - To make sure NHS staff can get hold of the groceries they need, Morrisons have also introduced an NHS hour at the beginning of every day from 6-7am, and 9-9.30am on Sundays.

Sainsburys - 7:30-8am Monday to Saturday will be reserved for NHS and social care workers following customer feedback

All taken from their respective websites, and no mention of other key workers.

@Ghostlyglow

Apparently NHS staff get 10% off at Morrison's; I'm planning on doing a big shop and buying roughly 10% extra for the food bank donation box.