Whole families going food shopping

[Shiningstarr]

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.

I detest threads like this. Extremely snobby and draconian.

This is not the 50's. Are you living in the dark ages? Maybe they don't own a car and they need extra hands and pram to carry shopping home!? Some people can't afford to go anywhere else other than food shopping, and getting out of the house is better than constantly being cooped up inside. Perhaps they all enjoy the walk?

You must be terribly boring, and/or terribly ignorant of the current situation of families from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Just bugger off and go fold your Waitrose for life bags.

Jesus.

I'm with you on this - big family groups getting in the way, children shrieking and don't get me started on the little kiddies' trolleys with the flags 😡

I’ve never seen this.

I don’t know if it’s a culture thing but I went shopping in a very working class/low income area where there is a lot of council estates etc. I was surprised how many young and quite large families that were going shopping together. Most of the supermarket was children screaming and shouting. It was on a Saturday and I hardly shop on a Saturday anymore. It reminded me why I no longer do.

Food shopping is a leisure activity for families nowadays. 🙄

You sound like you had a day out looking at the peasants!

This thread is so reminiscent of those of March 2020....
(I agree OP, don't see the need, and can think of little worse than dragging children round Tesco, but to each their own!)

DH and I usually go together with our toddler after finishing work on a Friday as we both tend to finish early. We work during the week and our weekends and evenings are usually pretty busy. Tbh I like it as we can have a proper chat in the car and pick up something nice for dinner and choose wine etc for the weekend. I like picking my own work lunches and so does he, I wouldnt like him doing all my shopping for me. We don't really make a list for the weekend we go and see what we fancy/what's an offer. DD seems to love sitting in the trolley and holding the scan as you shop doofer thing. Is that good enough??

I'm with you. There could be any number of reasons the whole family has to go grocery shopping. Even if there isn't a "good" reason (which is subjective), children are people and they're allowed to exist in public.

Personally I don't prefer shopping with my child and his father. But my kid's dad sulks and acts miserable if I want to go on my own, and sometimes it's just easier to avoid a giant argument by sacrificing my solitude.

Trust me, folks, I'm not having a good time either.

When I was a kid we all used to go. My dad used to work a lot of hours and my mum worked evenings. So we didn't get to spend much time as a family. Plus it was something to do out of the house that didn't cost extra money (with the exception of my smash hits and my brother's football stickers). We were skint so days out with proper family activities were few and far between.

Try working in this situation.😠

There is lots of judgmental people on here!!
You don’t know anyones situation. What a world we live in

I guess this is me. I frequently take my disabled son supermarket shopping in the hope of teaching him life skills and take my husband and other two along as back-up. Not at peak times though if possible. It’s also good for them to help I think, especially if they are keen to do it. You did make me laugh about the hide and seek though

We do 99% of our shopping online as it is easier and we both work full time so it also saves time. However my 5 children love going to the supermarket and I do take them. My husband will come along as having both parents there is easier. Why should I tell my children sorry you can’t come as some people are baffled and think daddy should keep you at home or vice versa. I rarely comment on threads but some of the comments on here have really rattled my cage. If you don’t like what you see maybe you shop online!!

Can’t think of anything worse! I always go alone, but my oh prefers taking one or 2 of the kids with him, think he likes the company. But he normally just goes in for bits and bobs so not too bad, I don’t think he’d want to take them for a full weekly shop. I tried that once and still have nightmares 😝

What a bunch of miserable sods 🤣🤣

Loads of reasons why - been somewhere, one can't drive, maybe they just want their kids to learn that shopping is a mundane job that just has to be done and let them pitch in, maybe the kids get an input into their daily meal choices.

Why don't you just go when you know kids will be in bed if seeing families and kids in the supermarket pisses you off so much. 🙄

I live in a seaside town and families shopping together is ten times worse every school holiday. Every family in self catering accommodation goes to the supermarket en masse. Which is fair enough on holiday of course but when everyone is doing it, it becomes ridiculously busy.

Because some of us actually enjoy shopping together like the family that we are!, not to mention that my husband and i are a team, and teams work together whether it be housework, food shopping, taking the children to school or helping them with their homework!

Mind your own business perhaps?

Normal people wouldn’t even notice so don’t worry!

Firstly I am from a working class family myself. I wasn’t looking down on anyone it was just a big culture shock that was all. When you haven’t been in such an environment for so long you end up noticing these sort of things.

Agree 100%!

YANBU

This!

I don’t see the issue. When I was married I was the only driver but also hated shopping. I enjoyed it when my DH came along as I didn’t have to do all the thinking about what to buy. We didn’t ever make a list. We would see what was on offer and decide on the day what we might want to buy. It was also somewhere to bring the kids and teach them how to behave appropriately in public. It also meant if one of us did ever do the shopping without the other then we had a good idea of what we both like to buy. DH (now ex) did learn to drive eventually but we only had one car so would often do the shopping on the war back from a family day out. I would sometimes do the shopping on my own or own my own with the kids. Now I’m a single parent my kids come shopping in school holidays but I try and do it on my day off when they’re at school. I don’t like doing online. To many substitutes I didn’t like (think I’m buying sainsburys own soya and they would substitute for sainsburys own oat milk that I don’t like). Quite often I’d end up having to go out for missing bits n pieces. I now have to shop for elderly parents and I just find it easier to physically go to the shops myself.

if we don’t take our kids shopping, how do they learn how to shop?? How do they learn how they get their food. About making decisions between buying own priced and branded?