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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Whole families going food shopping

746 replies

Shiningstarr · 18/09/2022 15:01

Just came back from food shopping, there were a couple of young families in there, one in particular, the mum was pushing the trolley, her two young children walking near her and the dad was following with a pram and carrying another toddler.

Surely it would be easier for just mum to go and do the food shop, or just dad? Why bring all those children plus pram? I can't think of anything worse. Both mum and dad looked stressed.

OP posts:
Badgirlriri · 18/09/2022 15:04

YANBU. Baffling.

Rosebel · 18/09/2022 15:06

It's always like this in supermarkets. Having worked in one it almost seems like a day out for the family.
I don't understand it. Given the choice I always left/leave the kids with DH or vice versa. Can't think of anything worse than shopping as a family.

Grandeur · 18/09/2022 15:06

I've always thought this. It's annoying as fuck when they don't separate and they block the aisles with their huge tribe 🙄

KangarooKenny · 18/09/2022 15:07

Maybe it’s a day out for the kids, they get entertained without needing to be entertained.

kimchifox · 18/09/2022 15:08

Maybe they have been doing something else and are now doing the food shop on the way home?

mamabear715 · 18/09/2022 15:08

I did that when I HAD to.
Isn't that why online grocery shopping was invented?

Hoolihan · 18/09/2022 15:10

Always utterly baffled by this. Our local big Tescos always has whole families dragging round on weeknights - mum, dad, two kids in school uniform and a baby. At 8pm. Insanity.

SpinningFloppa · 18/09/2022 15:10

Maybe they was already out and then going home and stopped along the way? I am a single mum so all my kids have to come shopping with me.

ReeseWitherfork · 18/09/2022 15:11

I’ve always thought this! This topic has been done frequently on mumsnet but until the madness stops we need to keep up awareness of this blight on society.

My family setup is annoying right now: I’m BF two babies who won’t take a bottle, we’ve got a three year old, DH can’t drive because his epilepsy flared up a couple of seizures, I’m reluctant to leave him with the kids because of said seizures. So we are going everywhere as a family of five. But we’ve discovered this magical life hack where Asda will deliver food to us! Bam, problem solved.

(Apologies for using the phrase “life hack”.)

Blix · 18/09/2022 15:12

I had a friend who did this every weekend. I could never understand why she didn't leave the DC at home with OH. They did all shopping as a family, even with newborns. I later found out he was controlling and abusive. She wasn't allowed money or to go out alone but he wasn't willing to do the shopping himself. So they all went.
They are now divorced.

CakeCrumbs44 · 18/09/2022 15:12

I sometimes take both kids shopping with me. They enjoy it - I give them a picture shopping list to tick off and they get to choose a little "treat" from the shop (last time it was character toothbrushes) they also like to use the self scanner thing as we go round.

Gr33ngr33ngr4ss · 18/09/2022 15:12

Maybe they can't afford to do much else out of house together.
Maybe they don't get much time together.
Maybe they like it.

Maybe it's none of our business!

thelastgreatdynasty · 18/09/2022 15:13

I feel exactly the same. It drives me bonkers.
I went to the supermarket earlier and there were lots of fed up families out doing the food shop together.
Some of the little ones were getting restless and therefore very screamy.

ManateeFair · 18/09/2022 15:14

I always wonder about this too. Obviously a single parent has to take all the kids but I cannot imagine why you’d want to drag them all round if you didn’t need too, so I assume there must be a reason, but it looks very stressful to me.

MyCatIsAFuckwit · 18/09/2022 15:14

With you all the way on this one OP, don't even get me started on the feckin "mini trollies"
Even more infuriating is when it takes 6 university students to ALL go shopping and take up the whole bloomin isle having a discussion as to which packet of noodles to buy.
Aaaarrgh!

Grapefaced · 18/09/2022 15:14

I usually hate taking my kids to the shop. But then today we had the whole family there!

We'd gone for a day out to the city centre to get other stuff. f we go to the supermarket in the city centre, we can park there all afternoon for free. So it was a case of popping in our way home IYSWIM. But I generally try to avoid making a habit of it every weekend!

Discovereads · 18/09/2022 15:15

They’re probably combining trips to save on petrol. Many are doing this because you can’t afford to go do the shop, come home and then go out again.

NippyWoowoo · 18/09/2022 15:15

This reply has been deleted

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gogohmm · 18/09/2022 15:15

Why not? Supermarkets are an activity for children, mine learned to read, count etc. kids like being part of everyday life

TheOldLadyOfThreadneedleStreet · 18/09/2022 15:16

YANBU

TulipVictory · 18/09/2022 15:16

Well isn't this thread full of miserable women 🤷‍♀️🤣

Original poster
Shiningstarr · 18/09/2022 15:17

SpinningFloppa · 18/09/2022 15:10

Maybe they was already out and then going home and stopped along the way? I am a single mum so all my kids have to come shopping with me.

But this wasn't a single mum. You could understand a single mum having to do it. This was mum and dad, and lots of young children.

OP posts:
Bemoredog · 18/09/2022 15:17

I work in a school, and for some kids all they do at the weekend is go to food shopping as there is no money for anything else.

mountainsunsets · 18/09/2022 15:18

Maybe they were on their way home from somewhere and decided to do the food shop on the way home rather than make a separate trip.
Maybe neither parent can drive so they need two adults to carry the food home.
Maybe they're using it as a free activity/way to get the kids out of the house for an hour or two.

We often used to stop at the shops on the way home from holiday or on the way back from town as a family as it was easier than going home and then coming back out later.

Online shopping also requires a minimum spend (or you have to pay a basket charge) and you can't buy the yellow sticker items that way either.

gogohmm · 18/09/2022 15:19

Ps I didn't drive, exh didn't cook (certainly couldn't be trusted with a list) and they hadn't invented online shopping in my case! He often wandered off with the eldest to browse cds or dvds, look at the TV's and white goods or clothes upstairs before dumping sweet stuff in the trolley