Does it need 7 people (3 adults and 4 kids) to do a food shop?

[rhomb]

Braved today at 7am. Saw entire families shopping. One example was two parents, 4 DC and one of the parents’ DM. Kids were, guessing between 4-12.

Why couldn’t at least one of the adults stayed at home looking after the kids? Two were bored (think being dragged out of bed didn’t help them) and the other two were demanding “can we have this?”.

Please keep shopping numbers to a minimum. It will help you, other shoppers and staff.

Food shopping is a one person operation, as long as the list has everyone's input.

They will be the same people that take the entire extended family to A&E or a GP appointment with them, they can’t leave the house on their own.

I saw a dad shopping with 2 kids yesterday, one in the trolley and one doing the list. It was nice to see.
The issue is when both parents are there and obviously the children are hating it/getting in the way etc. it’s bad enough having DH with me (yes he was getting in the way of people) so no way would I also inflict DC on the public too.

Agree - shopping's a chore not a pastime and especially at this time of year. Go do something more interesting instead.

Daft thread. There's loads of reasons why children are out shopping with their parents.

Anyway what's wrong with kids. Some adults are worse and more bad mannered.

Bah humbug.

I had to go to the supermarket today with a 4yo, 2yo and a baby. Husband is on call every day until 27th and I couldn’t get a food delivery slot later than 19th. Don’t think it’s unreasonable for us to have some fresh-ish veg over Christmas. It’s also frowned upon to tie up your kids outside the shop, so options were limited.

Wasn’t excited about going shopping as I’m sure plenty of people feel like you, but I put the three of them in Santa hats and they behaved impeccably so that warded off any audible public shaming for me.

A colleague said the problem is are families that I mentioned in the OP where they clog up the self scan, scan n go areas. If some of the group are not paying, don't block the area when people like her want to pay and get the hell out of there!

Maybe this is one of the few parts of Christmas men are held equally responsible for participating in and so instead of the woman (let’s be honest that is who it would end up being 90% of the time) doing it all on her own she ropes in her partner to help. Kids are off school so they need to come too.

FWIW I did mine with just two kids in tow who had a wheely basket each plus my trolley because their dad had to work last minute. It would have been infinitely less stressful for me if he had been there.

Live and let live. Mind your own business

I used to take a bunch of kids because there wasn't anyone to mind them and DH was at work.

Now, I take at least three adult kids with me. They're doing their own shopping and usually have their own trolley or basket as well. Saves us having to park four cars rather than one.

Do they also get in everyone's way running around, lay on the floor, insist on pushing the trolley but can't manage it, scream repeatedly for no reason whatsoever, block aisles. Because I think this is peoples actual problem not a child who walks in a straight line next to you. Its the parents who have no idea where there small child is as they are to busy on the phone, the parents who let the kid wreck the shop and get in everyone's way why saying Jacob don't do that why not doing anything to stop them or the parents who laugh and think there child is the funniest thing ever after ramming a trolley into someone else. Or the parents who let there kid do whatever they want and say things like how the fuck is everyone looking at us he's got adhd he can't bastard help it nosy fuckers as there kid just randomly lays on the floor in the entrance of self scan kicking anyone who walks past.

Oh mine love it!!!! I took my two yesterday and they had brilliant fun picking what they wanted

This is my stance completely. It’s just too much chaos for me so i will step aside for those who want to enjoy it and if that means taking a family of 8 shopping so be it 😄

I am out of the country this year but if i wasn’t I’d be going shopping as early as I could and/or doing online shopping.

My only issue would be with those who bring dogs as I feel that’s entirely unnecessary and not in the best interests of their dog or anyone else. Nearly tripped over someone’s little dog in a store the other day and have heard cases of dogs pissing on floors/on stock.

90 minutes for a hypermarket sized store and a trip that included DC choosing a gift for each other plus one DC getting shoes? Nah. That 90 minutes includes parking time, walking to the store, queuing at the checkout, and packing the car too.

Careful you don't hurt yourself with that overstretch

That wouldn't bother me, the only time it's annoying is when a whole family of between 5 and 9 go into a and e and bring a picnic with them, ridiculous!

yabu my dm often came with us as she didn’t drive so car was handy for her shopping , wanted to choose her own things and have a browse

My absolute favourite thing is when people clearly go to the supermarket to socialise! They've bumped in to someone and they stand chatting for 20 minutes in the middle of the aisle, with their trollies all over the show!!!! Not!!!!

Where are these A&E departments because at all three of my local ones, staff actively manage this. They come around and tell people it's one person per patient, extras get sent away unless it's medically necessary for them to stay. They do a cursory triage at entrance too so hardly anyone there for frivolous reasons. They redirect anyone who doesn't need A&E to the most appropriate service, anyone who does need it gets a ticket and you take the ticket to the check-in desk (obviously ambulance arrivals/urgent cases take a different route).

OK, I'll leave my 80+ year old Alzheimer's sufferers husband at home next time so he doesn't even get out of the house once a week.
It's one of the few things he thinks he helps with and makes him feel useful. Along with carrying one of the bags to the taxi.
Try not to get old if you can't be patient. Or maybe just get your shopping online.

Not liking is fine, suggesting you would have intervened is ridiculous. Intervened in what what, police protected the child??

No. I will go out with as many people as I like, as often as I like. HTH.

None of your fucking business.

I would have liked to tell him not to speak to his child in that way. Shouting and swearing, there's really no need. I didn't because it's not my business but i didn't like it.

I couldn’t think of anything worse than doing the Xmas shop all of us (2 adults, 9 year old who wonders in the way a lot and 2 year old who hates the trolley and can somehow pull things off the shelf from any distance). I saw a woman today pushing a double pushchair in front and dragging the trolley behind. Part of me thought, my god she’s amazing, but the other part thought why the hell is she doing her big Xmas shop in person and not getting it delivered. She did also unknowingly take out a shop assistants ankle with the trolley!