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.

For some people, I think their whole identity is keyed to being parents, and parents of a huge brood. With limited opportunities to display their family, the supermarket has to do, even though we their audience are oblivious, or irritated, and certainly not admiring.

I switch into 'it takes a village' mode. If your kids are running riot in a public space, then anyone in that public space is entitled to parent them, especially if their actual parents aren't bothering to.

Note! I am not referring to parents doing their best to wrangle kids in genuine meltdown, we've all been there, sympathies galore.

@gatehouseoffleet I am gobsmacked by your last comment.

So ignorant!

yet the families I see aren’t enjoying anything but usually yelling at Cadan to fucking stop running off.

I expect you're only noticing the troublesome ones, I'm sure there are plenty going about their business that don't land on your radar

For some kids, going on the weekly food shop and going to the local park are the ONLY activities they might do all weekend, every weekend. I can afford to take my kids wherever I like now, but I was one of those kids growing up and to think there used to be others looking down their noses at my dad and siblings is very sad indeed.

I mean ok, but shopping online delivery charges is £3.50 upwards even at the cheapest time of day and that's a lot of food at yellow sticker time.

It doesn't a lot of empathy to imagine why families might choose to shop together either.

You’re assuming a lot about the average Brit!

Funnily enough, we did this the other day, five kids, me and husband, we had been out up the woods for a walk, and then decided to do a shop, wasn't going to leave kids in the car, and we really enjoy doing all sorts together as a family, including the weekly shop. We home ed and part of that is that the kids cook a few times a week so they like to choose what they are making.
And I couldn't give a rats ass if others think its weird. I don't see as much of my husband as I'd like as he works away a lot, so when we can, we spend time together!

This would my only reason for going food shopping with my OH or my child
if I didn’t have to.
They both annoy the hell
out of me when they have to go with me as they do nothing but whine the whole time so I would rather go alone.

So glad your friend got out of that terrible relationship

Oh, and to add to those snobby up their own bum twonks who say 'Oh those poor children' at enjoying the weekly food shop, yep, me and mine have very little money, most of our savings went on helping my Mum who is disabled, we also have a disabled daughter, and money is v tight, and we are so so lucky to have joyous wonderful kids who find happiness with us, their parents, at even helping with the shopping!

We do a lot of mundane activities that our kids actually do enjoy simply because they are with us, we are a very loved up little family...and if having more money and doing more exciting things means you look down on your nose at others like a twank, then I'm happier to stay poor! lol. Mumsnet is really home to some classless judgey snobbers!

This was me and my family back in the 80s and 90s. My dad wouldn't have wanted to shop for everyone on his own and would be scared of getting it wrong. My mum didn't drive so couldn't get to a shop without dad. So we all had to go...

I know families that they do this, because they actually enjoy shopping and treat it as an activity to look forward to together. Definitely wouldn’t be how I would chose to spend my time, I rarely enter a supermarket unless I need to nip inbetween deliveries.

I see nothing wrong with it? I find it quite cute when I see a family out together rather than one mum with a massive trolly on her own.

Unfortunately, certain types of families are the ones that seem to make shopping a family outing. They are usually very loud. I actually go to the opposite aisle of the shop to avoid having to shop along side them. Nothing will ever stop them doing it so you might as well have a tactic to avoid them.

@ChilledBeez agree it’s always the loud ones. I heard a very funny exchange today in the supermarket where poor little Iris wasn’t following mummy’s script.
“Iris, darling, did you say you wanted watermelon or pomegranate for your packed lunches”
“Oreos”
“no, Iris, you don’t want Oreos, do you? You wanted watermelon or pomegranate”
“no, I want Oreos”
“Iris. darling. Please”

Most assuming. She really was trying ~so~ hard. She soon stopped looking around to see who was listening to her.

Oops! *most amusing.

Family day out

So many judgy people. If you don't want to see families, shop at night. Plenty of 24 hour supermarkets around

We used to do this when I was a kid. It would be mum, dad, me and my brother. It was like a family outing. Sometimes we would be coming back from somewhere so we would all go together as we didn't really want to leave anyone sat in the car waiting.

Sometimes mum and dad wanted to do the food shop together and they'd take me too. I think it's quite a nice thing to do together for families, choosing food and meals together.

However, as an adult now, I do find it frustrating when I'm trying to do my grocery shop and there are families everywhere. For that reason, I just do mine during quieter hours (early in the morning or late in the evening as I'm near a 24/7 Tesco).

@NippyWoowoo I beg your pardon? Throw in what? So you don't believe a disabled person might need help with shopping? Wow

How do you know he was they're dad? He might have been they're uncle. Plus baby in pram usually means they don't drive. Most parents wouldn't go through the bother of getting the pram out to go around a supermarket. Plus you wouldn't get much shopping in the car with pram in the boot.

Because we're exhausted after a busy week (especially if the last two or three weekends before that were non-stop), we only have energy for one outing, and the shopping has to be done by at least one adult, so the other adult might as well tag along for the company and to help with decisions and packing (as opposed walking around a park on their own later). Even more so if the weather's miserable.

Come on, do you never have a Saturday or Sunday where you just think "I'm knackered and I can't be bothered to do much"? Never?

(Also I'm amused by how many museums you think the average market town has...)

More to the point though, why do you have to interrogate other people on how they wish to spend their down time..?

Their.

They're means 'they are'

Completely (purposely?) misunderstanding my meaning. Of course I don't think that. My point is that people always run onto threads like this to throw in reasons why someone does something, when it's clear that those aren't the people that OP is referring to.

Another example has been more than one person saying 'I do it because I'm a single parent!' When the OP is clear that it's referring to whole families.

But people just want an excuse to get mad.

So continue to be mad with your biscuit.

loved it when large families came into shop , lots of additional treats in the trolley. Pester power great for profit

Well personally I would usually go on my own, but occasionally it doesn't work out and we just go to do the shop while we are out and there for all end up going.
There is also the chance it could be that the mum doesn't drive and needed dad to take them.