To think non essential business shouldn’t be open at all

[fourpeasinapod]

My title is a bit vague, but I’ll explain below.

In my town, and I’m sure a lot of places are doing this now, most restaurants and coffee shops are open for deliveries which is fine as long as social distancing is maintained when they deliver to the customer but they all seem to be allowing customers to come down to the store and collect their food if they want to instead of delivery.

AIBU to think this is contradicting the lockdown rules? How is this essential travel going down to the chippy to collect your dinner? You have to stand outside in a line and I can imagine social distancing isn’t being adhered to whilst this is happening.

Some might say I’m wrong because eating is essential but surely I’m not wrong to think such establishments should remain completely closed or at least only make it delivery only?

Every business able to trade within social distancing rules should do exactly that. If they are not respecting the rules that's another issue. But yes of course they should stay open so that we don't kill the economy and therefore more people that way.

Supermarkets are different. That is essential. Takeaways aren’t entirely essential

YABVVU

Food is essential and I don’t see how collecting it is any different to paying for it at the supermarket till. Both involve having stand near someone else.
I guess some people won’t be happy until we are all unemployed and homeless though.....

My local chippy is family run by three siblings, they’d have to sign up and pay for just eat/Uber eats which would take a cut of the takings which may be too much for them. For them to deliver food they’d need to insure their cars to do so, which is extortionate.
It’s not as simple as just doing delivery.

To order from the chippy you have to call ahead, when you get there make a contactless card payment and then they place your food on the counter and step back so you can go and get it. One person is allowed in at any one time and you can’t do your own salt/vinegar etc there is nothing you can touch except your bag of chips. This is so much safer than a supermarket surely?

I'll pass on destroying what's left of the economy for no reason, thanks. Quite frankly we are going to be living in an economic depression after this, and we need as many businesses surviving as possible. The economy isnt just the bloke off the monopoly board hoarding cash, it is people's lives, and we should be seriously concerned about whether the economic catastrophe we have decorating upon has been necessary.

Really? I'll tell that to the long list of vulnerable people we arrange hot food for.

All of the cafes, pubs and restaurants round here offer plates meals and we arrange volunteers to do the pick ups.

Take aways are doing a lot more than you realise... you and your limited imagination!

YABU

takeaways were allowed to stay open as people don’t gather there like in cafes or restaurants

How is allowing people to come and collect and then stand outside in a street so close to people obeying the social distancing rules?

Because that is not what is happening, I have seen queues outside takeaways near me and they are actually further apart than the queues for the supermarket. Other posters have said the same is true in their areas.

I can imagine social distancing isn’t being adhered to whilst this is happening. As you are using the word 'imagine' does that mean you have not actually seen for yourself? Therefore you are not posting about a real situation you have witnessed but one you have made up in your head?

All the takeaways i've see people are staying 2m apart outside while they wait.

Your imagination is completely irrelevant.

YABU

As long as they are open, I will keep going.

Well I’ve picked up lots of food from cafes and bakeries and the butchers etc and all people in queues were obeying social distancing.

The lockdown will end at some point and people will need to go back to a version of normality.

It’s not for you to judge what is and isn’t essential!

I’ve managed to keep trips out to an absolute minimum and have managed to keep my kids out of all shops since end March despite being a widow.

I’m working hard from home and looking after two squabbling siblings alone 24/7 - my pizza was bloody essential!!

Why? If the Government has not closed the borders so until very recently their have been flights coming in from China, Italy and the USA, how can they expect anyone to take lockdown seriously?

And yes, see multiple posts above re the social distancing rules being followed anyway...

YABU. Not every business will be able to offer delivery. Better to keep businesses going than have them having to close down and end up with even more people on benefits and jobless.

Fair enough, there is much more to it than
I realised.

It should only be a couple of people at a time when collecting. So that there aren’t too many people queuing

I am sick to death of threads on here where posters are trying to impose their own interpretation of the restrictions and adding to them. It's bad enough without giving people some options and variety. We have had a couple of takeaways - one delivered and where they couldn't deliver you had to ring when you got there to pick up and wait in your car. Imagine away, but stop trying to make things even more draconian by taking away more livelihoods.

Why? What does it matter how many people are queuing if they're two metres apart?

@wowfudge I really wasn’t - see my PP and you’ll see I said that I encourage businesses to stay open where possible.

I’m just saying I didn’t particularly like the collection side to food purchases but I now see that there is so much more to it that might make it impossible to deliver

Yeah! That'll be why many set specific times for pick up.

They really aren't stupid... and many have spent a fortune refitting kitchens, buying in food boxes, hiring staff etc. Pubs have become food hubs, cafes work with local food banks, youth projects, school meals etc.

There is a lot more happening than you have imagined

It's buying food that is classed essential, not what that food is or where you buy it from!

Depends how much room they've got for queueing. Our favourite take away is the only shop in a huge car park, usually used for the health centre and the pub which are both closed. There's far more room to queue 2 m apart than there is at our local Co-op, Tesco or chemist.

why do you care?

We ordered a takeaway for delivery once - 2 hours it was going to take to arrive!! We collected instead

@cherrybunx0 eh because this is a very serious pandemic and I’d rather the spread was reduced rather than increased!