Recipients of free school meal vouchers-only for personal shoppers.

[OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow]

I don’t think I’m being unreasonable- just found out that for Morrison’s and Tesco’s at least, vouchers are only redeemable for personal shoppers-no click and collect, no online shopping. Our school is rural, I’ve been fielding (as in passing to slt) calls today from lone parents, parents without support, parents without transport, parents miles away, parents wfh, with small children who physically can’t come and spend their vouchers. Plus people have been told to stay at home, lots of people would have to get a bus(which are expensive). Surely this is unfairly penalising families?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4147064-Bloody-not-Free-school-meals

Thought a link to this very recent thread might be helpful

This was the case from the very beginning, it’s not just those 2 I believe it’s only Asda that allows them online so not Sainsbury’s either (not just Tesco’s and Morrison’s) been the case the whole time

Yanbu. But we will just be told we should be grateful, even when the system doesn't work.

Sorry for duplication. Where we are the only supermarket is in our town, very few of the outlying villages and farms are on public transport routes (which we shouldn’t be using). It’s bonkers.

Yanbu. But we will just be told we should be grateful, even when the system doesn't work.
Nothing to do with the Govt. It is to do with the systems operated by the supermarkets. It's the same as me having a gift card for Boots which can only be used in store and not on-line.

I didn't say it was too do with the gov. I said the system (in this case the supermarkets system) doesn't work. Because for a large portion of parents it doesn't.

Asda and Waitrose will accept the vouchers on online shopping.

I've seen people on FB ask volunteers from their local Covid help group pick up groceries in person. Also there's nothing stopping people asking others to redeem the vouchers in store if they can't visit.

YABVU
Those of us working so hard and not entitled to anything and completely forgotten about.

Our costs have gone up so much but we get absolutely no help .

My husband is a low paid keyworker and I also work full time aside from child benefit we get no help so yes you should be grateful.

But people complained when they were given food parcels instead of vouchers. They can’t win really. People complain about food parcels, people complain about vouchers.

If the vouchers were online only people would complain because poor people don’t have the internet to do online shopping.

If they do Click and Collect they are going to the shop anyway. It wouldn't take long to go in and buy £15 worth of sandwich ingredients & snacks. If they have been lucky enough to get a supermarket delivery, or would otherwise not be going to a shop, they have 3 options - 1.sell the vouchers to a neighbour /friend who can physically get to a shop 2. Give the vouchers to someone to use on their behalf. 3. Save the vouchers for a few weeks (taking note of expiry dates) then get the bus to a supermarket and use them all in one go so the cost of bus fare takes up a lower percentage of the money being spent.

It doesn't have to be complicated.

Wales here d ASD I might be different, but I've been getting FSM vouchers for my DS and can do online shopping at Asda fine with them. They come through as a gift card so I just enter the long number and the PIN in the gift card section when I check out. Easy!

• Wales here so might be different

🙈

It's probably because their online payment systems aren't set up for it. The government are having to react and make very quick changes.

Penalising is definitely not the right word for it, people are not being penalised by being given a relatively very generous amount of money on a voucher just because they have to use it in person rather than online.

It’s not a perfect system, but it is worth way more than the 5 lunches a week the child would get if they were at school so while I know i will attract a flaming for saying it, I do think people should just try to be grateful.

If it’s too difficult to use the vouchers, schools should allow families to collect a lunch each day instead.

They can’t win can they? Pack lunch collection from school in the first lockdown, not good enough as people didn’t want to have to go to school to get it. Food parcels delivered, not good enough as people didn’t like the food given and wanted choice. Vouchers, not good enough as can’t be used online for most supermarkets. Seriously what do people actually want? And yes I do think you should be grateful you are getting free money to feed your child. Plenty of others are struggling and have to feed their own children themselves.

I imagine delivery slots and click&collect are booked up well in advance. If everyone on FSM suddenly starts using them what about pensioners, disabled people, those who are ill or isolating? And the poor delivery drivers being exposed more because lots of extra people are using the vouchers instead of shopping in person. I know some will already use delivery but it’s expensive, often £5-£7 extra so some of the voucher money may be funding delivery rather than food for the kids.

Parents were up in arms at the boxes, wanted vouchers, now the vouchers aren’t good enough as you have to drive to a supermarket/get a friend to pick up your groceries/take a bus.

I think if people really need the vouchers (in that their kids will go hungry without them) they will find a way to get to the supermarket.

Nobody can rely on delivery slots and click and collect always being available in a pandemic.

Food parcels- not good enough
Daily packed lunches- not good enough
Supermarket vouchers- not good enough

Can anyone tell me what would be good enough? Because even a bank transfer, not everyone has a bank account. Cash cant be used online. What do people want?! Complaining about having to pay bus fair when you've been handed money? Fuck me. How did all these people get their kids to school?

Yeah they should be grateful actually. That money is coming from tax payers, who are getting no support themselves, to feed other peoples kids. Yeah, be grateful you're getting some help. I think the problem with out country is that people are so entitled to help. It's your job to feed your kids, if someone is helping you do that then you should appreciate it.

It didn't work when it was food parcels, it doesn't work when it is in person vouchers, if they were online vouchers people would complain about the minimum spend required for that along with the delivery cost.

I would love to know what some people think the better and apparently incredibly obvious solution is?

Have you seen this?

@marshmallowfluffy

Have you seen this?

No doubt someone will complain about that because they don’t have the means to cook pasta or potatoes, or their children don’t like the fruit and veg offered, or they think it should be fresh milk rather than UHT.

I didn't think of that 🤦🏻‍♀️

I think it’s ridiculous that you can’t spend them online or click and collect and it wasn’t until I read the other thread that I realised that was an issue. We’re meant to be encouraging people to avoid going out as much as possible, not use public transport and many children who receive FSM are part of single parent households so that parent would very possibly have to take all their kids to the shops with them which is also being discouraged and if you do need to take the bus or something the cost of that then adds up to probably more than the delivery fee if there is one. Ffs.

@OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow

I don’t think I’m being unreasonable- just found out that for Morrison’s and Tesco’s at least, vouchers are only redeemable for personal shoppers-no click and collect, no online shopping. Our school is rural, I’ve been fielding (as in passing to slt) calls today from lone parents, parents without support, parents without transport, parents miles away, parents wfh, with small children who physically can’t come and spend their vouchers. Plus people have been told to stay at home, lots of people would have to get a bus(which are expensive). Surely this is unfairly penalising families?

Didn't all these people just starve to death last march when all the online slots got booked up?