Supermarkets opening just for those who shouldn't even be there! Madness

[redskyattwilight]

The message from Prof Whitty is that vulnerable people need to stay at home. Not only to protect themselves but also the NHS + others.
The message from all the supermarket is 'come to us, it's fine, we'll even open it especially for you'

Why are the supermarkets allowed to encourage behaviour that is opposite to the official advice. I realise many will have problems with getting there food, but every effort should be taken to avoid them entering the physical shop surely.

How else will they eat?

There simply isn't the delivery capacity to deliver to every vulnerable person and many of them may not be internet savvy enough to manage it anyway.

Are you really that obtuse OP? You haven’t seen the threads where there are no delivery slots available for weeks? Or missed that the stores are mobbed at other times with greedy, grabby panic buyers and stockpilers?
This fucking resentful, grudging attitude towards those who need a little extra help or get some concession, like the key workers’ kids being able to go to school, is what really pisses me off about MN.

It's not ideal.

However as my parents found out, online delivery slots are booked up for weeks in advance.

Being elderly doesn't mean you don't need to eat.

Thankfully I don't live to far away and managed to drop off some staples in the porch for them (with a brief chat through the window).

Other people don't have family near to help.

You can die of starvation as much as CV19.

As such those dedicated shopping hours will be a lifeline to some over 70's until everyone stops panic buying and more online delivery capacity becomes available.

I dont understand it either. Wont that dedicated hour just get really busy so no hope of social distsncing and high risk of passing it on. There are plenty if local community groups offering shopping delivery services. I think the extra hour should be for keyworkers who maybe cant get to the shops during the day.

This fucking resentful, grudging attitude towards those who need a little extra help or get some concession, like the key workers’ kids being able to go to school, is what really pisses me off about MN.

I actually haven't seen that - the reverse (by the majority at least).

On the CV threads I've seen more people exasperated by people not taking this seriously, being selfish and not supporting key workers if I'm honest.

Quantum after the last post I take that back

Oh there are a few like the OP on here They CLAIM to care about pensioners but its really an excuse to be nasty.

When i pointed out that 23% of pensioners live in social housing and a good proportion of them have key meters, ( then started a thread about key meters and the logistics of self isolation and possible lockdown) it didnt move half as fast as the threads castigating pensioners for not staying indoors .

Told me all i needed to know like i didnt already

Yabu. Those who need supplies are struggling in crowds to grab a slice pan. This allocated time allows them buy food. Food deliveries are unavailable, not everyone has a DGC to nip to the supermarket. Another alternative is the government to organise a food pack delivery to the vulnerable.

I agree that we need to make every concession to protect our vulnerable. I also think supermarkets were right in doing this. However it does need a rethink. Today at opening times elderly were queuing up and the supermarkets near me were overwhelmed and overcrowded. I worry that if even one of these folk had the virus they could mass contaminate the others In the high risk category 😥

I think priority deliveries need to be given to elderly, and hopefully neighbours will step in to help also. I know my area like others has a WhatsApp group offering support, at the moment it’s far more volunteers that people needing help but I envisage that will change

People are putting notes through neighbours doors with contact numbers. However it also relies on the elderly wanting support. Many don’t and want to go about their day to day normal lives regardless of the risk :(

There aren't plenty of social groups offering support.

Just because you've seen on SM that some communities are doing this doesn't mean it's universal.

There are very many elderly people with bugger all support who can't/shouldn't go 5 shops to get what they need.

They absolutely should have the first morning slot when shelves have been filled, produce picked over by unwashed hands, not having to stand in long queues etc

Eh, because some old people have to live pension to pension payment and then have to go to the bloody shops to get their food for the week?????

And are scared but hold their breath and grab their stuff and go home and pray they haven't picked up the virus...

@DeRigueurMortis search covid-19 mutual aid and your location on Facebook. My area has over 4000 members offering every type of support imagined. They’ve also linked WhatsApp’s groups for each individual postcode and the one I’m in has had plenty of posts today. Please don’t accuse me of making this up because I’ve read one SM post!

twitter.com/MrsLouiseWS/status/1240788238312321024?s=20

Also @DeRigueurMortis I already posted I was in full support of this, just that it needs a rethink so they’re not all crammed in at once for one hour every few days. I wouldn’t mind if they set a full day aside for the vulnerable and elderly to reduce the risk to them

Pigeon

I didn't accuse anyone of anything.

I said it's not universal.

Yes there are lots of groups on SM but it doesn't cover every location.

It's brilliant that so many people are offering help (I'm doing so in my local community) but the point I was making is that some elderly don't have access or even don't know about it and as such this shopping slots are vital.

Sorry "these" not "this".

Agree with @HeIenaDove. There are LOADS like the OP on here, these type of posts started practically the minute it was leaked that the over 70s would likely be asked to completely isolate for up to four months. Immediately posters were ranting about spotting an elderly person in the street or a garden centre ffs

They haven’t yet been told to barricade themselves inside their homes.
The throngs of people clearing supermarket shelves for the last week or more has meant that elderly and disabled people have struggled to buy essentials.
Delivery slots aren’t available for weeks in many places.
Not everyone has adult dc nearby who are willing and able to shop for them.

If every effort should be taken to avoid them entering the physical shop then that effort has to be made by government services because for the vulnerable people concerned it’s a simple matter of having food and other essentials in. It’s absolutely right and proper that the supermarkets are trying to assist them because if MN is anything to go by a lot of the public are uncaring dicks who feign concern when they really mean I want the old and vulnerable to get the fuck out of my way so I can be first inside the supermarket.

I managed to book a Waitrose slot for 1st of MAY - and everywhere else is fully booked. What other options do vulnerable people have? Not everyone has people to go grocery shopping for them.

I’m not disagreeing with you @DeRigueurMortis in fact I’m suggesting they need to widen it. The fact is having hundreds of at risk people packed together for a short space of time though is actually going to increase to risk to them.

So they need to rethink, make the hours longer, set aside a full day, prioritise home deliveries for them etc

But as I said before if just one of them is ill then they stand a risk of infecting many others being confined together for a short period

There willl be some who cannot get to the supermarket, who won't call on neighbours.

The queues were deep at our Sainsbury's. Pensioners shoulder to shoulder, many thinking the virus is being blown out of proportion.

It must be so frightening for the very frail who do know but can't get out as opposed to my 70 year old aunt who is very mobile, drives, internet savvy.

There could be a 20 year gap in theory.

There was a pensioner who messaged in to QT tonight to say he can't get a delivery slot for 3 weeks and worried about food.
It is genuinely heartbreaking.

Also @DeRigueurMortis I already posted I was in full support of this, just that it needs a rethink so they’re not all crammed in at once for one hour every few days. I wouldn’t mind if they set a full day aside for the vulnerable and elderly to reduce the risk to them

I'd wholeheartedly agree with that proposition in seeing a much wider timeline of access being provided to the elderly and vulnerable.

!st May??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck!!!!!!!

my nearby grocery shop has a dedicated time slot (from 0700-0800) for the elderly and vulnerable. our local costco has limited the customers to 300 to allow for social distancing and tuesday am is a senior time slot and both wipe down the buggy handle prior to use.
the elderly need to shop safely.

@middleager Yes i saw that Heartbreaking.