To be annoyed at people shopping in families/couples?

[Nicknamegoeshere]

So I went to the supermarket to do my weekly shop today. Left the baby and my OH at home as I understand the current rules re Covid to be shop alone where possible.

Now I totally respect that in certain circumstances there has to be exceptions to this rule e.g. for lone parents, shopping with a vulnerable person etc.

However, there were a huge number of large families (with both parents) shopping today, lots and lots of couples (young/middle-aged) etc.

Why are so many people blatantly ignoring the guidance?

I occasionally shop with my husband once a month- because we can’t drive and our nearest supermarket is 2 miles away (not on a bus route) and we both need to carry things home. We’re unfortunately on universal credit at the moment (due to covid) and we have to do a fairly big shop once a month when we get our money through to fill our freezer (and then we top up with fresh veg/fruit)
When Tesco etc had slots we avoided all of this by shopping online but since lockdown was announced again we haven’t been able to get a slot for love nor money.

If there’s one thing covid has taught me is that people will always find a way for the rules not to apply to them
If there’s one thing covid has taught me is that people will always find a way to get really over involved in what other people are doing.

‘@Stripesnomore if that's the case then what's the issue with people shopping in couples at the supermarket which according to this thread is a hive of disease? I'm confused what you're arguing here.’

They are not a hive of disease! The risk to customers is relatively small. The risk to workers is greater as they are in the environment longer and so will inhale a greater viral load, so have a greater risk of contracting the virus as the number of people in the store increases. They are not at as great a risk as someone in a factory cluster or as a taxi driver or security guard.

There are different risk levels in different jobs. That is not to say you couldn’t get a cluster in a stock room in retail which would increase the risk. It is just that I haven’t seen any reported so far, and have seen them for factories and meat packing plants and iirc fruit farms.

@DappledThings

If there’s one thing covid has taught me is that people will always find a way for the rules not to apply to them If there’s one thing covid has taught me is that people will always find a way to get really over involved in what other people are doing.

Agree.

@Rhine

Why does a couple need to go shopping together? It’s clingy, controlling and weird, Don’t get me started on whole families who do it. Just why?

Bit weirder to decide that going shopping as a couple is clingy or controlling.

We usually shop together because we don't have that much time together due to different working schedules. For example, we went a week without seeing each other and we live together. Sometimes we see each other for 2-3 hours. Plus we just like shopping together 🤷‍♀️
Clingy and controlling my arse.

It’s not a rule. It’s not the law. It’s only guidance.

@CounsellorTroi

My mum and I were ranting to each other about joined-at-the-hip couples the other day and she told me that she was at a friend's house some time ago before covid and the friend's cousin and her husband were there. When the cousin went to the toilet, the husband went upstairs and sat on the top stair near the door of the bathroom with her.

That's just weird. Couples doing the shop together are not.

More likely, the friend's cousin sometimes needs toilet assistance and her husband always helps her, but everyone was too discreet to mention that in front of your mother.

@CosyQueen

It makes me sad that people feel like they need to justify to total stranger why they’d re shopping with their OH!!

Ignore what is being said and carry on doing with your OH.

However, we are not really doing it now in big supermarkets

I have a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old and trust me, shopping is not boring to them.

They LOVE the supermarket. They LOVE scanning my shopping. Honestly.

That said, we dont all go in lockdown. I or DH go alone. But I think for some people there is just nothing to do to occupy their kids.

Everyone fed up with the sanctimonious, ranting CoVID-19 threads, say aye.

I’d love to be able to go shopping with my boyfriend. I’d love to be able to leave him at home and go shopping and come back and have him there.

But because both of us have bubbled with children over the age of 18 we can’t do that.

So, op, have a think how bloody lucky you are.

And instead of judging. And being smug and sneering, try thinking beyond your own experience.

@Winterwoollies

Everyone fed up with the sanctimonious, ranting CoVID-19 threads, say aye.

AYE.

Just mind your own business and stop judging everyone!

Why does a couple need to go shopping together? It’s clingy, controlling and weird

Such hyperbole. DH and I always go together, it’s quicker, and oddly, we really enjoy one another’s company, weird, clingy and controlling fuckers that we are

[quote Nicknamegoeshere]@HotChoc10 The majority of these couples were with trollies so I assume transport isn't an issue.[/quote]
What gives you the right to assume anything about anyone? MYOB

@I8toys

Oh bloody hell draughty

And she doesn’t believe in Covid so keeps trying to rip my mask off.

We shop together as I need help with the trolley/bags. Not classed as disabled but have mobility issues that aren’t obvious. I can’t drive to partner takes me and pushes the trolley. And anyway if we’re both wearing masks/social distancing and using hand gel what’s the issue?! It’s not sad or weird as others say, we enjoy planning our weekly meals, we also go together as it means nothing as missed so no need for in the week too ups.

@cabbageking do you walk round together though? In the first lockdown my daughter and I shopped for three separate households but we split up as we entered and met up again through the tills.

I am a little perturbed at adults who can’t manage a big shop on their own (health issues is on a different scenario )

@DappledThings Because, like it or not, anybody can become infected with Covid. Shopping with more than one person increases that risk for everyone.

@Stripesnomore okay I think we're possibly trying to argue the same point here...I agree they aren't a hive of disease. I think with viral load however, it's more the length of time you're in contact that makes the biggest difference to your chances of infection as opposed to the number of people passing you very quickly. Hence why I'm not convinced that shopping in couples increases risk to workers or other shoppers. It will however affect queues etc but I'm happy to stand a bit longer in a queue than fuss about a few extra people enjoying a shop together.

@HowManyToes Because someone said they didn't have a car and that was the reason they had to shop as a couple. This was clearly not the case for many of these couples today!

@Lilac95 I think the issue is lack of space in the aisles, some people are very anxious about the virus and like to keep 2 metres away from others and can’t do so with people wandering about in couples or groups

I assumed the 'one person, one trolley' thing was limiting the amount of people going into the store. So if a family of 5 decide to have a day out at the supermarket because it's the only place they can go , that's 4 people stuck in the queue not going in as fast.

People saying it's 'only guidance' then it's fairly easy to understand why the guidance is there. Just because it's not the law doesn't mean it's not sensible.

I think with a handful of exceptions at the moment it's better and safer to shop alone, get in and get out as quickly as possible.

Why don’t you move out and live apart from your partner and see how you like that?

And then see how you feel when people post on the internet that people like you aren’t doing the shopping right.