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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be so utterly fed up of things being shit “because Covid”?

216 replies

Marianne1234 · 28/01/2022 23:48

“Covid measures” just so the organisation in question is seen to be doing something, even if it is pointless? Or just an excuse to reduce the service you get?

Masks in the school playground at pick up. It’s a big outdoor space. We don’t get anywhere near the building or teacher (I wouldn’t know my 7 year old’s teacher if she was in my soup). Forget your mask and you don’t get in the gate.

Hairdresser the other day - no tea/coffee. No magazines. Not even the table thing in front of you. Chair, mirror, with each hair dresser having a wheelie trolley thing.

Morrisons cafe - no menus??? No touch screen ordering at the entrance which saves a lot of time.

I’m so fed up of hearing “coz Covid” to justify cutbacks and crap service. It makes me wonder if little things like this will ever go back to normal. I’m not optimistic.

OP posts:
MrsJBaptiste · 29/01/2022 16:02

I hate that you can't do anything on the spur of the moment anymore. You have to pre-book absolutely everything, cause Covid

Like what? Everything is back to normal where I am 🤷‍♀️

MattDamon · 29/01/2022 16:26

Friend works for the local council. They are all refusing to go back to the office. Their union is involved and when they are forced in for certain things they pull sickies. January they had almost no staff at all due to the required for a fit note being suspended.

Thebig3 · 29/01/2022 16:31

I'm so sick of this too, think I get irrationally annoyed by things now!!

My biggest annoyance at the min is our primary school still insisting on parents wearing masks to pick kids up from school. All open space, outside. You're not even allowed to talk to the teachers now so I cannot understand why the insistence on masks outside. Especially now when mask rules have been scrapped in most places now.

What makes me laugh is I see parents walking in big groups into school together with no masks on and then wearing whilst in school....then removing the 2nd they get out of school! WHY!!

Wizzbangfizz · 29/01/2022 16:39

YANBU I'm heartily sick of it.

Devo1818 · 29/01/2022 17:06

The ones that get me are the ones that make me feel like I am being treated like an idiot. Every other seat on a station platform saying out of use. But if I am with my dd, we will sit next to each other, and then the one next to her should be empty. So shove your signs - we can figure it out ourselves! We aren't stupid!

Or the worst one was at work. The women's toilets is a spacious room with 8 cubicles, which came off the main staffroom. We were only allowed in one at a time. So that meant queuing in the staffroom, often 8 or 9 people. When really it was absolute nonsense - all that needed to be said was please stay 2m away from each other. We can manage without stupid arbitrary rules!!!

WonderfulYou · 29/01/2022 17:07

You do realise that if the hair dresser or dance teacher catches covid they won’t be able to work? So you won’t be going to the hairdresser and your daughter won’t be going to their dance class.

They’ll also have less income if SE, so a minor inconvenience to you (not having a biscuit or having to put a pen in a pot) could mean them not being able to pay their rent.

You sound quite obvious to the real life issues being caused by how many people are catching it right now.
Same as with the school playground - we are only open as the amount of students off allows us to have less staff in, if anymore staff go off ill and not students we will have to close.

Devo1818 · 29/01/2022 17:09

Oh and a castle we visited. Been before pre-Covid, wandered around to see whichever bits interested us, went back out again. Never went near anyone else - didn't have to. Now you have to follow a single one way route around the entire castle so you HAVE to be in there an hour. And then they make you wait in a room because the next room is too full. So now you are stuck in a room with 20 other people... to stop over-crowing?? What?? This causes it!!!!

Lilifer · 29/01/2022 17:09

@tiredanddangerous

In a lot of places it's a cost cutting exercise. If toilets and changing rooms aren't open they don't have to pay staff to work in them. I can't see it changing to be honest. They just assume people will get used to the status quo and stop complaining.
I suspect you are right

Ditto for the cup of coffee at the hairdressers - ours has never come back since covid and I doubt it will, why would it if people are prepared to accept it now the way it is? 🤔

JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:10

@Popetthetreehugger

Went to Santander yesterday, wanted to speak to a person …. Go on line and book for March ! I trotted of to metro and saw someone in 20 min . I do feel for hospitality, my son is a publican , and truly can’t get any experienced staff .
To be fair that was the case in Santander way before covid. I had the same, I went in to open an account and they said "we can do that in 3 weeks". Went next door to Nationwide and did it there and then. Though I don't know if that's still the case..
Lilifer · 29/01/2022 17:10

@Devo1818

Oh and a castle we visited. Been before pre-Covid, wandered around to see whichever bits interested us, went back out again. Never went near anyone else - didn't have to. Now you have to follow a single one way route around the entire castle so you HAVE to be in there an hour. And then they make you wait in a room because the next room is too full. So now you are stuck in a room with 20 other people... to stop over-crowing?? What?? This causes it!!!!
It's such bullshit is all it is!
Devo1818 · 29/01/2022 17:10

But this is the big one.

WHY DOES COVID MEAN I CAN'T GET A HALF AND HALF AT DOMINOES ANY MORE????

2 F*** years and it still isn't on the menu.

Lilifer · 29/01/2022 17:11

@WonderfulYou

You do realise that if the hair dresser or dance teacher catches covid they won’t be able to work? So you won’t be going to the hairdresser and your daughter won’t be going to their dance class.

They’ll also have less income if SE, so a minor inconvenience to you (not having a biscuit or having to put a pen in a pot) could mean them not being able to pay their rent.

You sound quite obvious to the real life issues being caused by how many people are catching it right now.
Same as with the school playground - we are only open as the amount of students off allows us to have less staff in, if anymore staff go off ill and not students we will have to close.

How is the hell does handing someone a cup of coffee increase the already present risk of covid in a hairdressers please?
JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:11

I was asked several times if I wanted a drink in the hairdressers yesterday!

Same as with the school playground - we are only open as the amount of students off allows us to have less staff in, if anymore staff go off ill and not students we will have to close quite possibly, but you won't catch it outside unless someone with covid sneezes right into your face.

Turquoisesol · 29/01/2022 17:11

Yes we still have to wear masks in the playground which is utterly ridiculous.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:13

At least you can look at your phone in my hairdressers now, at one point they banned that too

to be honest that kind of made sense. They'd get you to sanitise your hands (pointless anyway as you didn't touch anything once inside) and then let you play on your germy phone. Same when I went to give blood and was waiting after my booster vaccination.

firstimemamma · 29/01/2022 17:14

Yanbu. My personal favourite was no children's crayons in a restaurant due to covid.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:16

@usrbingrl

starting to think that the supply chain message on retail websites is designed to create a sense of urgency when it comes to making a purchase, a bit like those ‘selling fast!’ popups and ‘50 people have added this to their basket’.
They are, they are so-called "dark patterns". I think there are proposed EU laws to stop them and it's possible the UK will follow suit as it is also reviewing consumer laws in some areas.
JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:19

We have to pre-book the tip in my area too but it has been quite popular after the initial backlog as people can get a slot pretty easily and don't have to queue once there.

And although they said only one person allowed out of the car, DH and I went together and nobody said anything.

samsalmon · 29/01/2022 17:19

Specsavers no longer recycle glasses cos Covid. I can take whole bags of donations to the charity shop next door but can’t leave my old glasses with Specsavers. If they are saving money by opting out of what used to be a charitable activity for them, they should just say so, I agree.

IcedPurple · 29/01/2022 17:20

@Devo1818

The ones that get me are the ones that make me feel like I am being treated like an idiot. Every other seat on a station platform saying out of use. But if I am with my dd, we will sit next to each other, and then the one next to her should be empty. So shove your signs - we can figure it out ourselves! We aren't stupid!

Or the worst one was at work. The women's toilets is a spacious room with 8 cubicles, which came off the main staffroom. We were only allowed in one at a time. So that meant queuing in the staffroom, often 8 or 9 people. When really it was absolute nonsense - all that needed to be said was please stay 2m away from each other. We can manage without stupid arbitrary rules!!!

My swimming pool used to insist on pre-booking slots. Which of course meant that everyone was crowded into a very small communal changing room at the designated times, whereas if there was no pre-booking, everyone would be in and out at different times. Happily they stopped that nonsense.
JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:21

Oh the best one was my local Waitrose which is inside a shopping centre.

They decided it was better to make you queue outside in the INDOOR shopping centre, than let you in and circulate inside.

IcedPurple · 29/01/2022 17:22

@samsalmon

Specsavers no longer recycle glasses cos Covid. I can take whole bags of donations to the charity shop next door but can’t leave my old glasses with Specsavers. If they are saving money by opting out of what used to be a charitable activity for them, they should just say so, I agree.
That's what annoys me. If you think this practice is more efficient or is going to save you money, then fine I guess. Just don't pretend it's because you're so concerned with 'keeping everyone safe' despite us never having asked you to.
JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:22

@samsalmon

Specsavers no longer recycle glasses cos Covid. I can take whole bags of donations to the charity shop next door but can’t leave my old glasses with Specsavers. If they are saving money by opting out of what used to be a charitable activity for them, they should just say so, I agree.
I thought they did? Someone was asking on a local Facebook group the other week and it was suggested. Maybe it depends on the branch?
JuergenSchwarzwald · 29/01/2022 17:24

@LactoseTheIntolerant

YANBU do not get me started on the trains!! We still have a restricted timetable - coz covid, despite bring told we should be back in the office (this is a main line into London).
That too. Lets reduce the timetable - three days before the government tells us us to go back to work and save Pret. They then added about two trains a day once the announcement had been made, but goodness knows if or when we'll ever get the pre-March 2020 timetable back.
BookBanter · 29/01/2022 17:25

It's the inconsistency that annoys me. Why can I try on clothes in one shop but not another? Why am I not allowed a basket in one shop but allowed to in the one next door?

If it was based on actual science then surely all places would be adhering to the same 'reduce transmission of covid' rules.