To think they were rude & we were singled out ?

[jemi01]

Today I went to a supermarket with partner.

As we approached the entrance , a security guard and member of staff raised their voice and stated " we can only let one of you in"

So one of us went in..

We then saw other couples entering together and not a thing was said !

Wtf

Very stern and shouted at us . It was not pleasant at all. Why didn't they say the same to others who were in twos ? Plenty of couples entering .

@DesdemonaDryEyes

As we are meant to be limiting outings why are folk popping to get a couple of things for dinner?

In my case it's because I needed some GF stuff rather than a full shop

@bendmeoverbackwards

I’d rather a bit of rudeness from the guard if it helps to reduce the infection rate.

Being challenged is a GOOD thing, every restriction is helping to fight Covid. Even it’s a bit hit and miss it’s better than nothing.

I agree. The issue is the fact they are choosing who to challenge.

In my case the security admitted he was only going to challenge us (2 females and not shopping as a couple) and not all the couples shopping.

Maybe the other couples were also questioned and gave a reason why?

I had this yesterday. I think a lot of couples are saying thats their 'carer' it theyre challenged

@rawlikesushi

I had a similar experience on Friday op.

I called at the supermarket on my way home from work and queued for ages.

After 15 minutes or so my adult daughter, also on her way home from work, arrived. She didn't see me and joined the back of the queue. When I spotted her, I went to the back of the queue to stand with her (we live in the same household).

I said I'd pick up whatever she was there for, to avoid both of us going in, but she wanted something specific for her baby, a bottle of wine (I don't drink wine and don't know anything about it), a birthday card for a friend, some work lunches, so she wanted to go in too.

When we got to the front of the queue, the security guard asked if we lived in the same household (yes) and if so only one of us could come in. We explained that I'd be doing the 'big shop' with a trolley and dd would go off on her own with a basket, that we both had shopping to do, but he said no.

She went home and I went in - full of couples, couples with children even. It's annoying unless rules applied consistently, and in our case ridiculous as dd just had to go back later for her bits.

That’s absolutely ridiculous.

Reminds me of me and my mates trying to get into a club in the 90’s. What used to work for us was agreeing, then joining that back of the queue again separately having made a small change to our appearance (coat now off/hair tied back/no longer staggering like an inebriated fool).

This happened in Tesco to me. Husband was doing the shopping and I needed to speak to the pharmacist as I have some horrendous back pains. My body is having its menopausal (very early) final hurrah and doing all sorts of odd things. Im struggling to lift.
I just walked on in past the security guard. Nothing happened but he tried. Im certainly not going into the ins and outs of my health problems.

It’s just beyond me why people seem to think they’re above the rules. The guideline is shop alone - so do so! We all hate this but it’s going to go on for longer if people are entitled enough to keep thinking the rules don’t apply to them. Do you also sometimes decide not to wear a seat belt? Drive when you’ve been drinking? I suspect not, and those are also rules that are there to keep you and others safe, this is not different.

Maybe supermarkets are fed up of telling people and getting abuse. I saw supermarket workers being abused really badly last week. There are signs everywhere. Why did you need to shop together?

@jemi01

I was helping my partner with some shopping as he was picking things up for his gran , I also needed to get some naproxen from the pharmacy so just thought I would be ok to go in with him then depart for the pharmacy . We haven't been shopping together for around 1 year I completely forgot to be honest. It was the way they spoke to us that was rude.

Perhaps others thought the same as you OP. You were happy to do this up until you realised you didn’t get away with it and others did. You could of asked why others were being let in if you know you was well within your rights..

Why does it take two of you to go the pharmacy- the advise is that one person does the shopping- so why don’t you just stick to the advise- if everyone did as you did there would be double the amount of people in the shops, increased risk- we are in lockdown due to a deadly virus that is killing people and exhausting the NHS and it’s staff. Stop winging and being selfish. You are annoyed at being challenged and you know deep down you are wrong Stick to the advise.

None of us here are the security guard so can't answer your question.

But they weren't wrong to challenge you.

@Casschops

This happened in Tesco to me. Husband was doing the shopping and I needed to speak to the pharmacist as I have some horrendous back pains. My body is having its menopausal (very early) final hurrah and doing all sorts of odd things. Im struggling to lift. I just walked on in past the security guard. Nothing happened but he tried. Im certainly not going into the ins and outs of my health problems.

You wouldn’t have to explain. Out of common curtesy you could just say in advance that you need to enter the store as you are going to the pharmacist problem solved. Realistically store/supermarket workers cannot be asking every single person sets on who walks through the door and it would seem they would get an ear full!

Probably just sick of CF shopping in couples, but if he did shout it will be on cctv if you want to complain. Of course, if he didnt shout you are going to look like even more of an entitled t*t.

I was in Waitrose the other day and went up to an assistant to ask her if she could reach something for me as it was at the back of the top shelf.

When I approached her she was standing right next to a colleague chatting. Made sure I was about a metre away but she leapt back with a look of horror.

She took a stepladder with her and reached the product I wanted . I held out my hand for her to give it to me, another look of horror and she placed it on top of the stepladder for me to pick up.

She must have seen me raising my eyebrows as she said I could have it for free. A good outcome then !!

The reason we are still in this pandemic is because people will not stay home.
The virus cannot move. It needs people to move it.

@Serin

The reason we are still in this pandemic is because people will not stay home. The virus cannot move. It needs people to move it.

So the small issue of eating food and not starving to death ? How do we get round that one if everyone is barricaded in their homes?

I don’t understand why people have to shop in couples unless they are elderly and unable to carry the shopping alone.

Having said, I brought my little boy (10 but looks about 8) to the shop yesterday. He really wanted to both be alone with me and select some sweets for him and his siblings. Lockdown has been hard for him and he misses school, sports and his friends terribly. I am sure that everyone thinks they have good reasons as well. I am just so fed up with everyone else breaking all rules and we following every single rule until yesterday. Lots of children in school, several children in our class in Dubai, one in Ibiza and excitedly telling the class on form time. My son is completely homeschooled now, stuck in a flat and hates our daily walks. His one treat has been to go to the shop yesterday and select his own sweets. And he helped my carry 2 of my my 6 heavy bags (we have no car and I wouldn’t have managed alone).

Nobody challenged us and we saw loads of couples and families. There was a couple there with their adult daughter (?) in a wheelchair. They bought about 7 items between the three of them. Another couple brought their two children of which one was in a pram.

@jemi01 yes, they were rude and they were applying their rule inconsistently. YANBU to call this behaviour out. You should ideally have done it there and then so you could get on with your day. Email customer services if that would make you feel better. They probably have CCTV footage.

@MothExterminator so despite taking your son to the shops, you were clocking other people and what they were buying. Jesus, has it really come to this. Depressing as hell.

I was shocked at a local supermarket yesterday.

A couple in front of me were stopped and told 'only one family member per shop... unless one of you has a trolley and one has a basket'!!!

WTF is it any wonder the country is in the state it is with covid

Cannot believe people get in such a huff over things like this. I always get the sense people like the OP think security staff, shop assistants etc are beneath them and a lot of this is outrage that service workers don't know their place.

Maybe the rules were inconsistently applied, but they're still the (perfectly sensible) rules that have been in place for a months now. I do not care how impolitely security staff speak, they have a very difficult (and dangerous) job to do in a pandemic and the idea that they should be bowing and scraping before us is highly unreasonable. Even if I felt they could have handled a situation better I would merely roll my eyes and maybe sigh to my DP, not go on and on about it online. Get over yourself and maybe get some real problems so this doesn't seem quite as important.

I wish every supermarket challenged this, even though it only takes one person to challenge. In my local supermarket the only couples I have seen have been older people, and I doubt if one of them alone could carry all their shopping.

@userxx yes, I am afraid so.

I have followed every single rule since the last lockdown, kept my children home for days when they had coughs, we haven’t seen friends since before the pandemic started, not been to restaurants or had hair cuts (trying to do our bit, it seemed like madness when it was encouraged early autumn), not seem the grandparents since February last year and basically been so very cautious.

I was feeling so bad for breaking my first rule, but is seems that nobody else is taking this seriously at all. I am massively struggling with homeschooling three children and working and some schools seem to have 40% of the children in.

It seems that so many people are just ignoring all rules that I am just feel like I have had enough.

I think the key thing with all the rules is consistency. If people see the rules as being consistent and everyone being the same they are more likely to stick to them. Its all this 'what about x situation or y situation?' that makes people think the rules are ridiculous and therefore why should we follow them?