Parents taking school aged kids to a supermarket opening during school hours

[Hdlll]

My friend uploaded some photos onto FB attending a new supermarket opening where she lives. It’s a supermarket chain that they had before but moved to a bigger unit. She took her DS who only started school on Monday. There were other school aged children in the background.

Supermarket opened at 10am, not the normal time which is 7am or 8am from now on.

Isn’t it pathetic that parents made their kids skip school for attending opening a new supermarket? Especially at the start of the school year. It’s pathetic any time of the year. I don’t think they got anything such as free stuff, coupons etc.

My friend did not send her DS (6) back to school as later on a photo of him in McDs.

One of my colleague’s kids isn’t back to school until next week because they’ve dumped a bunch of inset days in this week.

Stop asking the OP why she cares. If no one cared about anything, the threads on here would be very boring.

Was it Aldi Market Harborough? Only saying that as the whole town seems to have got ridiculously excited about the new Aldi so I can well believe people have taken their kids out of school!

I agree with you OP, if people did indeed take their kids out of school for this, it's very sad indeed.

YANBU to be outraged. This is what our taxes are going to - kids not attending school. And then parents wonder why they have bad attendance and grades in the years down the line. If parents don’t set examples of priorities how will a kid follow them

It's pathetic that you care enough to write this.

Did any of them look as if they might be in high school? I started FE college when I was 16 and at that time, in my area, colleges went back a week or so after the schools. I looked like the young adult I was, but I had classmates who still had baby faces and the stature of children.

As to the supermarket opening, it doesn't sound very interesting. But when you're 11 or so and you fear and abominate games or double maths, anything will do.

I think it's pathetic for anyone to go out of their way to go to a supermarket opening. Unless of course you genuinely needed some bits and it was the most convenient option.

Most schools in our city start tomorrow or Monday. My kids start a Tuesday. So, perhaps those children just aren’t back yet??

Fascinated by idea that a supermarket would have an opening ceremony! Which supermarket is it? Did they get some z list celebrity to cut a ribbon?!

If it was the Market Harborough Aldi, pupils and staff from one of the local primary schools were there to open it and help cut the ribbon.

Attending the opening of a supermarket deserves compassion. It’s quite honestly sad.

Who knows about skipping school - do you have their timetable?

Be grateful you weren’t there and move on.

You do realise that kids can go directly from the gp to the supermarket as some have pharmacies or they just need the required calpol etc. I used to attend medical appointments as a kid often and go to the shop after to get a treat (I’d often have major treatment for my chronic illness)

you have no idea other people’s circumstances and just because they’re in school doesn’t mean anything

Yes this

Not all children start back on the same day. Here, schools a few minutes apart started back on different days this week. Not all children go for the whole day either, especially at the start of term.

Don’t be so judgy.

Some of the schools near me have staggered starts depending which year you’re in. Some went back today, some tomorrow, some next week.

Yes he started school on Monday in year two.

Of course MN thinks it's sad to attend the supermarket opening... but they often do give aways and freebies and generally make it "an event". People love a freebie

As for why a "school aged child" might be there:
Local school were invited to attend the opening
School isn't back yet
Home schooled
Off school ill but still able to go out (some schools are really funny about colds for example)
School heater blew up inconveniently on the 2nd day back and kids can't go into school. Substitute flood, fire, spontaneous staff illness, sink hole etc for heater blew up

I have never hear of a supermarket “opening ceremony” type event, but even I can imagine many ways why a child might legitimately be there.

My DD’s school got struck by lightning today so they’ll all be off for a while until their electrics & boiler etc are fixed! All sorts can cause kids to be off. However IF they have kept their kids off because an Aldi has moved locations then that’s the saddest reason I’ve ever heard to keep a kid off!

But the op thought something so it must be true, we can think of a million reasons why children could be there the opening itself i doubt would be one of them

OK I said the boiler blew up/fire thing as a bit of hyperbole 🤣 but this is nice to see it happens 🤣

Wow that’s bad luck right at the begining of term

Yeah that’s weird. If he’d started school and then she took him out to go to a supermarket.