Tabloids/social media shaming people buying ‘non-essentials’

[PotsofChoc]

Anyone noticed a spate of photos appearing of people out shopping for non-essentials? The Daily Mail (I know, I know) has an article and photos shaming people out shopping for things like blinds and paint. I actually need to go out to somewhere like B&M or The range to get rabbit food/hay and cat litter, thought I might get a pot of paint whilst there. Is this ok? I am getting paranoid about being ‘snapped’.

Slightly different but dh and I bought a convertible car like two weeks before this all happened. When it was warm a few days before we went on lockdown DH considered having the roof down- I said “don’t you’ll end up all over Facebook”.

If you have a rabbit or cat then I’d say that hay and cat litter is pretty essential!! But I’d try and do it in the same trip as a big food shop.

It’s a shame that the daily mail (and others) are facilitating public shaming. They’ve put photos online of people exercising alone 🤷🏻‍♀️ We’re allowed to do that once a day....

They’ve also uploaded photos of police not socially distancing themselves

They’ll have drones filming anyone going near the middle aisle of Aldi next

I’m sorry? Are you arguing that the Aisle of Random is in some way non essential??

In Italy they genuinely do have drones.

I had an ASDA delivery today but all the pet food was out of stock

I’ve now got to go out for cat and dog food either today or tomorrow - the nearest shop that sells pet food is The Range so I did consider picking up some paint while I’m in there

I’ve also got to go to the tack shop to get some supplement for our arthritic horse (I had ordered it online ages ago but it hasn’t arrived and we’ve run out) but I’m a bit worried about someone taking a photo of me.

My opinion would be that if you're in a shop that sells food and they're doing a one in - one out policy then I would avoid any none essential shopping as you're holding up other people.

But if you need pet food and you go to somewhere like B&M or the Range (and they're not doing a 1 in 1 out), then I don't see a big deal in doing some non-essential shopping whilst you're out on an essential shopping trip.

curiosity. I agree

But there are so many posts all over our Facebook community pages, shaming someone for buying a bottle of wine in the co-op while they were in there buying loo roll, someone buying a bunch of flowers while they doing their weekly shop in ASDA. Photos of people walking their dog on the beach, someone getting a Dominoes delivery, etc, etc

Even the police are doing it on their FB page, there’s then loads of absolutely vile comments which are left on there unchecked

I’m dreading appearing in one of these photos tbh

I agree with curiosity as well

And songs

I think its horrific some of the naming and shaming crap

You reap what you sow people...

I think threes going to be a further lockdown on this soon

Does they range’ even need to be open? Is it essential?

It's ridiculous. Lidl had a choc eggs ad on and 90% of people shouting at then for encouraging people to get non essentials. Like if seeing an ad would make you go out that very moment to Lidl to get a chocolate egg. So what, we're not allowed chocolate eggs this year?

And why the fuck are the daily mail still up and running, hardly essential to human life. Close them down I say.

@Curiosity101 But who is to decide what is essential and what not? Are we only allowed to buy plain pasta/rice and loo roll? Is cheese going to be too extravagant? What is someone decides ham/meet eggs are a bit too much as it's not essential to buy it? I can live without eggs and meat, so can everyone else, let's take it further, why even bother going shopping at all, everything is non essential in one way or another to someone out there. If I decide to get a chocolate in my way to the till, and hold someone up for 5 extra seconds, should I get a fine and have my photos on social media shaming me for that extra purchase? What about people with allergies who need to check the back of the box to see if they can have an item or not, would you like to ban this too as for you it's not essential?

Every thread I read on here today is making me even more resolute to not go back to FB for a long time.

This is awful. We're all really struggling, so what if someone buys a bottle of wine or a tin of paint while they're in the shop for other essentials? There's nothing positive to be had from judging others' purchases. The little lovely things like chocolate or gin are the things getting some people through this. Shaming them shows a complete lack of empathy, I'm not surprised the Daily Mail are doing it, but the Facebook shaming sounds horrendous.

We should be better than this as a society.

Until the government decides these business have to close, nobody is in a position to shame people online or in newspapers.

Who cares if someone goes to B&M to get a lava lamp and some paint? In the photo he was socially distanced, walking back to his car. There was nothing at all wrong with it! Some people are just looking for things to be outraged about.

How about looking at things like clothes retailers still trading through their websites with warehouse workers still attending work to get the orders through the door instead?!

You see it on here too, someone called old people going to an essential store to buy a paper “selfish cunts” and it’s frequently parroted that the PM said we should only buy essentials, chocolate aisles being closed, and police rifling through bags to check for essential items. Utter, utter bollocks.

Maybe having stuff to improve our homes, our mental health and keep us occupied is essential.

To be honest I don't hate the mail like many do but their coverage is insane right now.

A lava lamp for a child... Paint for projects people haven't had the time or inclination to previously do?

Is it essential that reporter and photo
Graphers are out there to film this

We should all sit and cry, only eat plain rice & drink tap water until this is over, is how some people think. Basically they want us as miserable as fucking possible

My household is home all the time apart from when either me or DH do the shopping once a week, we buy food for meals and wine, chocolate and other treats while in the supermarket getting the essentials. We go to 1 shop, once a week so no I feel no guilt about buying a few treats

We are also painting our spare room ( we have had the paint for 6 months just didn’t have the time to actually do the painting) but apparently that shouldn’t be allowed either as we are “treating this like a holiday” looking at comments on a news article this morning, it means we are not taking this seriously 🙄

Someone actually moaned on our village Facebook page that there neighbour had a bbq as “Now is not the time for a bbq” No Jane we wouldn’t want a family of 4 to bbq meat and have any fun would we

Go to the range and get your pet supplies but I’d try and do it on a day your off out for food shopping so your only making 1 trip out

This situation is dire and I’m having my treats and I refuse to be needlessly miserable, I don’t want my dc living in a miserable house where they can’t have any fun for the next however long

Also when coverage gets insane like this no one respects it anymore.

It's like people going into the most vast places to walks alone and pilloried for it.. People think fuck this.

It's strange what things you'd not think are essential, until you don't have them. Try living without anything to dry clothes on/in, or an oven. I saw a photo online of someone who was halfway through redoing their toilet when lockdown happened, they've no functioning facilities at all. I bet a window with no curtains or blinds is a pain as well, although TBH we managed with paper taped over the windows for a few weeks.

In addition, if we're not supposed to be buying these things, why the hell are the shops still selling them?

You see it on here too, someone called old people going to an essential store to buy a paper “selfish cunts” and it’s frequently parroted that the PM said we should only buy essentials, chocolate aisles being closed, and police rifling through bags to check for essential items. Utter, utter bollocks.

I haven't seen anyone say that on here yet but why am I not surprised? DH went to the corner shop to get milk and a paper yesterday and he bought me some chocolate while he was there. Presumably according to some people he shouldn't have done that but we must have missed the bit in Boris's speech where he said 'no chocolate for the lockdown'!

@MonaLisaDoesntSmile that came over as rather aggressive, I'm not sure if you intended it as such?

People know what is essential and what isn't to them. If you go to the shop with a list or something specific in mind that you need to buy then that's obviously essential to you. If you have food allergies then it's essential to check.

And I never suggested I wanted it to be policed. It would be really sad if it came to that and I really hope that it doesn't. But it seems that in trying to keep the 'rule breakers' compliant, people have taken to publically shaming other people. This is also quite sad 😔, especially if the police are on board with it.