Greggs

[Traviis]

Apparently Greggs are going to trial opening 20 stores. I only know this from Twitter, where they were being accused of killing NHS staff by this action.

I'm baffled. How are Greggs any worse to the other food outlets that are still open and never closed? Secondly, how else are we going to move on from the current situation without trialling new ways of businesses operating?

A chain of bakeries local to us that has a similar shop set up to Greggs has been open throughout. They have markings on the floor for queuing and perspex shields up at the counter, they prefer contactless payments. It works because the people using it are grown ups who don't want to be infected and who don't want to infect other people but would like freshly baked bread and pastries (drooooools). There has to be an element of trust, Greggs sound like they are being sensible about it....

A drive thru Greggs????? Wtf!!! Lucky!!!! I need one!

It’s not a challenge. They did social distancing for the couple of weeks before they closed. You just stand two metres apart...

We have a greggs drive thru so I will have my vegan steak bake with no guilt.

Thought about the Greggs staff working close together in their tiny kitchen? No?
Or, are your 'vegan steak bakes' made by the fairies?

I think most shops will start to reopen employing social distancing. Surprised McDonald's haven't announced plans to re open.
Some clothes shops need to re open too. Clothes are essential to small children who haven't stopped growing.

There are plenty of people still going out to work, other than those on the front line. Delivery drivers, food factory workers, energy suppliers, windscreen repairs... who still appreciate food and a hot drink during their 12 hour shift

Aww, they're doing it for the key workers of course they are!!
So that they can have at least one 'hot meal'...

Like there is no other choice

All the other local bakeries are open where I am, and cafes and delis have now opened for takeaway only. I don't see why Greggs should be any different.

My local bakery chain allows 2 customers in the shop at a time. Greggs can do something similar.

The independent bakers on my high street have been open throughout lockdown. People wait outside if the shop has too many customers, the same as with the other shops that are open. Why would Greggs be any different?
Oh yeah, it's probably just another reason to sneer at Greggs and their customers.

Of course they should open, especially larger stores. I can think of two Greggs stores locally - one is absolutely tiny and staff are always squeezing past each other so it probably couldn't open. The other is much larger, wider serving space and room for staff, and they could just implement a one in one out system like the local chemist and takeaway.

Remember though that there are lots of people who think that we should all be locked in our homes, never leaving and certainly not buying a steak bake.

I don’t think Greggs will have its usual massive queues because many of its customers will be working from home.

Better to trial the new way of opening now On a small scale (as they’re doing) while the majority of their customers are still staying at home.

I’m more concerned about the staff tbh, the Greggs shops near me seem to have quite limited space behind the counter and there’s a lot of movement as staff get different things. But I would assume that this has also occurred to the staff and management and that they have ways to minimise this

Some clothes shops need to re open too. Clothes are essential to small children who haven't stopped growing.

They're not the only ones

I've walked past a large The Range store with people queuing around the corner at 2m intervals and only being allowed in in small numbers. If a large store can manage that a small bakery should be.

I agree that the biggest problem is the safety of the staff. This is something that isn't going to go away. We had a Chinese the other day. Only two customers in the shop, and everyone waiting outside for their order, but there were two members of staff behind a very small counter.

I never really understood why they closed, they didn't have to.

They get busy but people can que outside same as other shops. As long as there is enough room for the staff to stay away from each other.

The drive throughs would be the first to open I would think. I don't know how many there are, there's one not that far from me and my local one was supposed to be moving and converting in to one but that hasn't happened yet.

But I would assume that this has also occurred to the staff and management and that they have ways to minimise this

Yes, this is what I meant by it not going away. They are problems that need solving.

I never really understood why they closed, they didn't have to.

Unprecedented change? Wanting to keep people safe?

(I've just realised that I should have put this thread in the Covid19 board).

Only two customers in the shop, and everyone waiting outside for their order, but there were two members of staff behind a very small counter.

Our local Chinese is the same but the counter staff are all members of the same family (mum, dad, two older teenage boys).

Even the person who works in the Greggs drive through will have to be in close contact with hundreds of people a day as they hand your food out the window. Which not only puts them at risk but you, because you effectively have then been in contact with everyone they’ve been in contact with.

But no difference from a supermarket worker I guess. Though supermarkets are more essential than greggs.

I won’t be going.

@Traviis yes, I umderstand that. But there are things that they can put in place to social distance, and they provide food which is needed. If I needed bread I would rather go to greggs and be in and out than have to go to the local tescos, I would come in to contact with less people.

If they can't keep their staff safe thats a different story and I would understand that. Greggs always seems like a decent company to work for so I would thonk they would put anything they could in place.

most chippies don’t have queues out of the door every day like Greggs

Greggs isn't going to either. Towns are deserted.

My local small bakery has been open throughout. It's tiny. Just one person goes on at a time, and people queue outside just as they do at Tescos.
I welcome any shops that needn't have shut in the first place, returning. Every small thing that returns to normal gives me hope.

But there are things that they can put in place to social distance, and they provide food which is needed.

Absolutely, but I think in the first few days we were all still figuring this out. (And in many ways, we still are).

Amazed at how many people's first thought is themselves. No thought for the staff working in a tiny space for something unessential, just themselves and their 'need' for a sausage roll.
They then try to justify it by saying they want the sausage roll to save people's jobs.
I wonder where this selfishness has come from over the years.

Every small thing that returns to normal gives me hope.

I feel this too. But I also know that every small thing that returns to normal may be bringing us a second wave and more deaths.

Our local McDonalds is said to be opening on 1 May - kids are really keen to go - I am less so, would prefer a Greggs!

I think no is very much the right time for businesses like this to be looking at getting the measures in place monitoring closely if they work and adapting as needed. Looking at the local positions.

At the moment they are still going to be relatively quiet which won’t be the case as restrictions are lifted.

My partner is a hgv driver who is away all week, thankfully he is well set up but a lot of trampers are struggling with the lack of easy grab food options available. You can only store and cook so much in a lorry!

Our local bakers has never closed. It's a tiny shop and yet the customers maintain social distancing by only one in the shop and the others queue outside at 2 meters distance,

I think it is worrying because of the potential volume of customers each worker will have to serve. If each person buys a sausage roll and a cake then that could be hundreds of small transactions over a day.

My local bakery have started doing online deliveries, that sounds like a far more sensible option.