Supermarket safety - get what you pay for?

[Pumpertrumper]

Just wondering if it’s my city is unique.

I’ve visited a few supermarkets over the course of covid, for one reason or another. There is a huge link between how ‘up market’ the supermarket is and how well organised/safe it was.

I very rarely shopped Waitrose pre covid but they are ace! Several staff on the door, all trolleys being wiped down religiously. Giant tenting and organised queuing system outside. Kept pretty quiet inside and everyone very careful.
M&S similar - little bit busier though.
Sainsbury’s- ok, good queuing system but bit too busy in some aisles. Good precautions at the tills.

Asda/Morrison’s - Total chaos! Asda doesn’t even have a queuing system and Morrison’s is obviously just for show. Both totally rammed, staff not caring. Shoppers elbow knocking distance of each other. No caution!

I can’t comment on Aldi/Lidl as haven’t been since covid (they are further away).

I know it makes sense an element of ‘you get what you pay for’ but I can’t help thinking it’s a bit crap that those who can afford to do their weekly shop at Waitrose get to be safer. I find myself going there more and accepting the extra £20-30 on our weekly shop as paying to feel safe.

Hoping it’s just my local city and not nationwide.

It does vary between stores under the same brand.

I went to a different Tesco than my usual yesterday and their system was great. People on the door actively regulating numbers, a staff member to dispense the sanitiser, they were cleaning the trolley handles for you, etc.

My regular store does none of the above.

It's pretty quiet inside because people can't afford to shop there. Other supermarkets are busier because they are cheaper, times are tough for a lot of people and shopping in Waitrose is out of reach.

Not true in our area - I've not tried out Asda recently, but aldi & Lidl were well organised, Morrison's OK but overcrowded, m&s was disgraceful!

This week I've been to Lidl, Sainsburys, Tesco Express and little Waitrose.

At each someone was at the door regulating numbers. Queuing at lidl and tesco. All had spray and blue roll to clean your basket/trolley. All had screens at the till.

All about the same here, tbh.

Asda were probably the better one at the beginning, counting people in, blocking the aisles and enforcing the one way system, wiping all the trolleys. Aldi make a good show of it, but the aisles are so narrow you can’t really keep your distance. Tesco has the traffic lights over the door, but I’ve never seen it on red even right before Christmas.

Apart from mask wearing it’s all pretty much back to normal here.

Our Waitrose is like yours, very organised but Morrisons is just a shambles,

Yeah common and poor people don’t know how to wash their hands do they? Can’t stand missing getting their dirty mits on a bargain.

Orrrrrrrrr..... it’s different in different areas and just depends on the people shopping in each store on that day. There was another thread about this and the anecdotal evidence was the other way around - Lidl etc well organised, Waitrose was chaos. Presumably all those toffs high on pouilly fume pushing one another out the way to get the last brioche.

My local m&s is disgraceful, Morrisons & Tesco are both better.

I have noticed this too. Our local Waitrose hands out masks to those who have forgotten theirs, and the trollies are well disinfected. Aldi is like a cattle market.

I think it depends on your local store.
Our aldi is brilliant, lidl utterly terrible.
One sainsburys good, other one terrible.

Nope - my nearest Waitrose is awful as aisles are narrow, it's far too crowded and the older people in there have their noses poking out over the top of their masks!

Morrison's and Lidl near us are the best. I'd rather clean my own trolley tbh then I know it's done

I think it very much depends on the manager of the store, we have two large Tescos within a couple of miles of each other, one is awful people just streaming in, no controls in store total chaos but the other store is great, organised queueing system, one in one out policy and sanitiser stations at the end of most aisles and staff directing everyone.

Waitrose is a disgrace where I am the rudeness of some people. The other supermarket we use are fine Tesco/Morrisons Sainsbury's have been the best ime

I did two biggish shops before Christmas, one at our local big co-op and one at Waitrose. Both had good queuing systems outside (and appreciated being able to book a slot in advance at Waitrose) but the co-op was much calmer and more organised inside.

No, our m and s is awful, people wandering aimlessly, far too crowded, staff restocking at same time, narrow aisles, people reaching over others. Older people not wearing masks correctly. They have a queue outside too so they genuinely think the numbers inside are acceptable.

Yes Waitrose mask wearers🙄

Definitely the case where we are. Waitrose is the only one still with a queuing system in place and disinfecting every trolley.
I also shop in Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Tesco and they’re all a complete free for all

My m&s is great, they fetch the trolley and sanitise for you, they're also very good at not letting too many people in store at the same time. Aldi are also great, there's a traffic light system outside to stop too many people going in at once, but you do have to sanitise your own trolley.

Sainsburys however is hellish. They count people in and out but they don't seem to have a limit on people in store, impossible to move around without someone walking into you and feels very chaotic. It's closest to my house unfortunately so I find myself going there more often than not, but it does increase my stress levels!

Aldi and Tesco are excellent here, both have the traffic lights system.

M&S people were arguing in the queue, somehow it had split into two and no one was willing to get it back to one. I do like the smell of their hand gel though.

We have been in lockdown since boxing day and Tesco has the queuing/traffic light system back in place the only complaint we had was shelf stackers out of the big cages causing congestion but every body was polite waited their turn.

Shit where we live. They cared until maybe June/July then stopped bothering. No queues to get in, no one inside the store cares either. That’s aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and morrisons.

Oh I forgot Tesco, only been twice during lockdown as not our nearest but would rate it between Sainsbury’s and Asda/Morrison’s.

Glad to know it’s not exactly the same everywhere else. I don’t think it’s just because ‘less people can afford to shop at Waitrose’ whilst yes it’s very true the Waitrose is 1/10 the size of the the huge Asda and they do have reasonable queues to get in.

Same here. Out local Waitrose is great with a queuing system etc. The Sainsbury near us is really good too but my mum's local one where I need to get her shopping isn't quite so careful. I haven't been in an Asda for months because the car park is always packed. I get Tesco deliveries now and in-between things from Waitrose.

I suppose the thing about Asda is they sell so many other things - pretty attractive when so many shops are closed.

Some of this is due to size - my local coop is so cramped there is no way of socially distancing at all. Partic around the tills.
My lical Waitrose is huge and spacious with safe space fir any queuing (rare) - wise aisles etc. I also walk to my Waitrose through a square so at least see some greenery and bird life etc as trudging along.