Should NHS staff go ahead in queues?

[Supermummy4]

I have only done a few times, and got some evil looks from the others queuing. I was knackered and needed some essentials and needed to pick my children up from school as I have hardly seen them so thought 'just this once, again'-might not do it again!
It sort of felt like all the clapping in the world and rainbows doesn't mean much in the real world, but I might be a bit more careful about waving my lanyard around in the future (and yes, i'm core ward NHS staff working on covid wards fwiw).
Any thoughts from others very welcome.

No I wouldnt. But I would let a paramedic in front of me if on duty. Same for police to.

Totally unreasonable.

How many days off do you have per week, OP? My friend is a doctor and works 3-4 days on, 3-4 days off. Go shopping on your day off.

I would happily encourage pregnant women or anyone who was unable to stand for long, to queue jump.

Months ago when there was a shortage of food and loo rolls, I have no issues but I don't feel there's a need now. The shelves are fully stocked. Although if I saw someone queue jump I wouldn't get worked up about it. I think the majority of the population would be classed as either a key worker or vulnerable. We all have a good reason not to queue.

No

Wow I am shocked by the responses on here, how quickly people forget. A few weeks ago we were standing on our doorsteps clapping the NHS, we were ‘so proud’ and we were grateful to them for risking their lives on the front line helping save lives from this pandemic. I say WERE, as it seems not anymore. Comments about they have days off, we all work long hours, there is no shortage anymore prove how entitled people are and how little respect and empathy they have for others is really sad to read. And who exactly has been risking their lives as much as the NHS? This pandemic is not over yet and these NHS workers who have been through so much have not yet had a chance to recover, and some will never recover from what they have seen and been through. I say this as someone who allows anyone who needs or deserves to go ahead of me in a queue, because I’m one of the fortunate ones in comparison. ‘How quickly we forget’ seems to be the phrase of the moment now

This exact post again?

I don't have a problem with it. Even if you were sat on your arses all day long (!) I wouldn't, because you are risking your health for me and that's enough for me to want to give you a break.

I only queued twice right at the beginning- to get shopping- I was in agony as I have arthritis in both knees- was clinging onto the trolley for dear life- and after my shopping couldn’t do anything once home as both knees had swollen 😂 and I wouldn’t mind you going in front! Now I go without or book click and collect-

I haven't seen any evil looks op. In fact one lady was NHS in our Tesco queue recently but she had forgotten her card. I thought there was going to be a riot when the staff wouldn't let her in. People were outraged.

Frankly I think it's ridiculous! The NHS is one of the biggest employers in the World. Do you have any idea how few NHS employees actually work on the front line of managing Covid? I'm NHS, I started my maternity leave just before all this kicked off and technically I'm entitled to queue jump. I don't work front line anyway and would have been safely tucked up working from home had I been working still. My sister works for in a residential home for looked after children. Their team of 10 has disappeared into a team of 4; 2 of them need to be at work at any given moment and if someone else calls in sick again, they don't get to leave because you can't just leave the children. She has worked every hour under the sun in an extremely challenging job and unlike the Covid wards, things are not gradually easing up for them. She is entitled to no perks at all. And there are millions like her. Working extremely hard in various roles to keep the country going, putting themselves at risk to be at work. Yet it was the NHS that was offered this perk as though they have all done something extraordinary. And many have, I'm not saying they haven't. But it's not as widespread as it seems and many NHS workers are in no way working harder than they otherwise would be and are certainly not at anymore risk that many others.

Made sense when everything was up in the air. Doesn't make much sense now however, while its there I wouldn't begrudge people using it at all. If its offered, tae it if you want. Many in the NHS have been heros.

Yeah a lot have took the piss though but..that happens with anything. Our tesco was ridiculous and for some odd reason started allowing peole who 'forgot' their badges. You ca imagine how that one went I guess they did it on the offchance a genuine NHS worker forgot their badge..but word soon spread around the pisstakers. 2 days it was like that for. I used morrisons instead.

I actually know a NHS receptionist who was letting friends use her badge and charging them a couple of quid. I was both disgusted and kind of in a weird bad way in awe of her!

But yeah, evryone will know pisstakers. But pisstakers are often necessary in order to let the genuine take advantage too.

My mam used hers once, and apparently was deathstared and tutted at a lot. So even though she probably should have with how busy she was at the time (also with a temp disability which made things worse) she didn't use it again.

That was a very long way to say I don't really see the need in it now, but have no issue with it continuing as such (extra perks might make training more attractive..of corse burasrys and such would be better though!) and certainly don't begrudge anyone from using it while its offered.

Might feel temporarily differently if I was in a mad rush or feeling shitty after queueing ages and Mary the hospital porter who works part time and is currently on leave jumped infront of me though

Apologies for typos and missing letters all over. Keyboard is knackered and not replaced yet but still not used to proofreading before posting as typing is generally quite accurate without this!

Didn't bother me at the start but I don't think it's necessary any more. The NHS isn't overwhelmed now, most people are back at work, some are working long hours. Plus the queues are dying down anyway.

Never clapped the NHS after their shit “care” of a relative that resulted in death.
Would eye roll at any queue jumpers.

I'm sick of hearing this "How soon we forget, last month we were clapping them as heroes" shite.

I give a shit about the NHS and its staff. I demonstrate that by not voting for the party that consistently underfunds and undermines it. I demonstrate it by campaigning for nursing bursaries to be reinstated. I demonstrate it by protesting when cuts are proposed, and by opposing austerity which has meant pay freezes for so many.

Clapping on doorsteps and discounts for staff does absolutely fuck all to improve the working conditions of NHS staff and even less for other key workers and emergency service workers. How many of those clapping voted for this shitshow of a Tory party, or react with horror when there is a prospect that they might have to pay higher taxes?

The government plugged the "NHS heroes" message in order to turn the incompetence of not providing adequate PPE into a virtue and deflect the inevitable public criticism. NHS staff would, imo, rather the NHS was properly funded and resourced than be described as heroes.

It is entirely possible to give a shit about the NHS and oppose the virtue signalling shite that is going on right now.

I dont, because I avoid supermarkets but I have done in Waitrose.

And i have not noticed any eye rollers or tutters

I will admit I have used it once to queue jump. My dad was waiting in a queue for me as I drove home from work as the shop closed a lot earlier than usual. He managed to get in to the shop as I pulled into car park. He has seen other NHS staff just walk in, so I asked the question and was told to go in. I hated doing it to be honest.
Previously I have stayed in line like everyone else, and been annoyed by the amount of NHS staff walking right in. I have no problem if it was someone before a shift / during a shift grabbing an essential item, but most of the one’s I have witnessed have been on their day off etc.

we did have a similar question here which was a pbp,
i dont know why i am taking the bait.

how do people notice so much?

@Lifeispassingby nobody is forgetting anything. Queue priority should be for nhs staff busy working shifts, who don’t have time to queue and need food for their shift. Not just anyone who doesn’t fancy waiting.

I don’t, and I don’t agree with it anymore.
If you’re police or paramedic or community nurse and you’re working and just popping in for a butty, then fair enough.

It has always been the case that the majority of the workforce were still working and not furloughed.

Seriously?Dear god.

Shouldn't it be more a case of "Thank God that most businesses were able to remain operational, therefore keeping the country going to some extent and reducing the inevitable hit our economy will take".

Lots of industries are required to stay operational in order for basic services and utilities to work. And taxpayers are what keep the NHS and other public services going - it's not a bad thing that most businesses and workers have continued working throughout the pandemic. Our economy has taken an enormous hit - why make it bigger than needed?

It irritates me when I see statements like "Most people are back at work now", because it displays a fairly staggering ignorance of the real world.

That irritates me too Receptacle but for a different reason - lots of people close to me work in industries that remain shut for the foreseeable, and seem to have been forgotten.

That's also true, and it's really crap for those people and those industries. But it doesn't change the fact that most workers have continued to work throughout (and thank goodness - we are going to need people to have money to spend at the end of this!).