Rules on shopping frequency - there are none!

[swishthecat]

There is so much misinformation being spread on MN about how often you can go to the shops. I think it is worth drawing people's attention to the fact that Downing Street has clarified that there are no specific limits. People are just expected to be sensible and go as infrequently as they can.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/no-10-slaps-down-shapps-over-shop-once-a-week-comment-coronavirus

Just do what you feel is right, what is right for you, and really stop worrying about what other people are doing.

While you go to the shops once a fortnight, others are there three times a day.

Who cares.

The supermarket I was at yesterday was full, however, they may have all not been shopping for two weeks

You need to live and stay sane

Since I am a scum prepper I don't need to go to the shops now more than once a week just for a top up.

I work as a HCP in the community and used to pop in to shops most days to use the loo and buy a drink, sometimes a sandwich is I couldn't be bothered to make one. I did a big shop once a week and popped in regularly to buy milk and bread and other forgotten items. We are now just doing the weekly shop and nothing else, we can manage without bread and milk for a few days if needs be. I froze lots of milk in ice cube trays a few weeks ago, so we do have some for coffee when we run out.

I refuse to put my patients and of course shop staff at risk so I am minimising my exposure to others as much as is absolutely possible.

It’s hard though. I’d barely need to go out myself for anything. I always have a lot in as I only do one shop a month (have big freezer and shop/cook in bulk). But I’m shopping for 3 elderly people in isolation and I can’t buy enough of certain items in one shop so end up having to go more often. I wish I could have a card to prove I’m shopping for others and could get it in one go.

What Okiedokieme said.....

No one is saying going to the shops every day, but I fully intend to get my kids Easter Eggs, and buy wine and gin, and all sorts of stuff if I want to and can get it
That's like most people and those things can be bought in the normal shopping trip.

I've got some creme eggs in the cupboard from our last shop. I'll be adding Easter eggs to our next shop, but I won't be going shop to shop to hunt for specific Easter eggs and will get them from what the supermarket has in stock.

I've also got a snack box in the house now with treats in so we don't have to go to the shops each time someone fancies some chocolate. Almost nobody is suggesting we should be eating gruel all day, just minimising how often we go out.

You are absolutely saying it's ok to do this on a daily basis, or even more frequently.

I'm bloody not saying that at all Hearhoovesthinkzebras. My OP says " "People are just expected to be sensible and go as infrequently as they can." Stop putting words into my mouth. You are being a bit goady I think!

The government have not specified every single permissible or forbidden act as a law

They have passed some legislation for the lockdown which must be obeyed

plus given advice from public health experts
which they hope people will have the common sense to follow

If too many people ignore this advice and stick to the absolute limit of the law, then cases will increase more quickly
and the government may decide to extend lockdown, or to impose draconic legal rules about when people may leave the house

Just do what you feel is right, what is right for you, and really stop worrying about what other people are doing - sure. Let's all do what we feel is right for us. Did what that does to the health service and the number of deaths caused by it right? Cos all that matters is doing what's right for me, right?

Who cares - maybe the hcps who will have to risk their lives looking after you or the person you infect?

Who's told you this ? Who's decided this ?

Unfortunately, more than one poster. One posting on here

It was on a thread a few days ago where another poster said that going out every 3 or 4 days for milk wasnt essential and shopping shouldnt be done outside your big shop at the supermarket. Which should also be done very infrequently.

People are losing their minds, mainly over what others are doing.

And yes I have even been told that just because it's in the guidelines (talking about exercise) doesnt mean you should. Even when posters are cekaflt sticking to guidlines. Ie leaving the house every few days, shoping only when they need to, exercising (most not everyday). One poster still insists it's wrong and killing people to do this

If too many people ignore this advice and stick to the absolute limit of the law, then cases will increase more quickly
and the government may decide to extend lockdown, or to impose draconic legal rules about when people may leave the house
That's my concern.
For many people, me included, getting out to exercise is part of keeping good mental health. The idea of going to an Italy style lockdown terrifies me and it pisses me off that we could be heading in that direction because some people want to throw strops about their apparent need for chocolate that is so great they must add additional shop trips for their treats, whilst clearly not being enough of a need to add a multipack to their main shop.

swishthecat

But you've posted more than just your op. Your subsequent posts are questioning what is wrong with going out every day to buy s bar of chocolate or justifying because shops are maintaining social distancing, which they aren't because shops have customers in them, who aren't maintaining social distancing and their cashier's can't maintain it because they have to handle your shopping, have to handle money and aren't sitting six feet away from the customers.

I think it's goady to have even started the the thread, so pot and kettle there.

I believe that no one should expect a HCP to risk their life to treat them if they can't be bothered to do everything possible to prevent getting ill in the first place. By wants are not important than someone else's life. If you think that's goady then it frankly says more about you than it does me.

There is a virus circulating which could conceivably kill you, or someone you care about if you pass it to them.

You catch the virus from other people, with shops being the most significant place for people to congregate now.

Why on earth do you want to point out that you're allowed to shop as often as you like? Or that popping into a shop to buy a magazine is fine?

Now we see why it's the law to wear seatbelts, not play on motorways, etc - people struggle to identify risk to their own health.

Unfortunately, more than one poster. One posting on here
I see so a mumsnetter not actually official advice .
Sorry but I will go to the shops as and when I need if it's every 10 days or once or twice a week so be it . I'm not going to go without just because it's not the requirements of a mumsnet .

Douglas Adams saw it. Instructions on toothpicks for the hard-of-thinking.

swishthecat

What on earth do you think “as infrequently as possible” means? It means cutting the number of shopping trips down to the absolute minimum needed for survival, not pushing the limits like a toddler with a law degree.

There are five of us and my freezer is quite small.

Five breakfasts every day. Five lunches every day. Five dinners every day. I'm finding I have to go to the supermarket every three days. It's costing a fortune.

not pushing the limits like a toddler with a law degree

Sorry but I will go to the shops as and when I need if it's every 10 days or once or twice a week so be it . I'm not going to go without just because it's not the requirements of a mumsnet
Most mumsnetters don't give a damn about people shopping when they need to, just like most mumsnetters couldn't care less about what's in people's trolleys as long as they're not shelf clearing. If a family need to go twice one week because they've ran out of things and there's product restrictions, who cares? Most people don't care as long as people are following the guidance.

A reasonable number of people (rightly in my opinion) have an issue with people making multiple unnecessary trips because they fancy a treat, don't want to walk in their local area and so on.

I don't want more draconian restrictions but I can see them happening because for every few people who are following the guidelines, there's someone doing what they like with no regards for others because "I want to do X and as it's not against the law you can't stop me".

There's front line staff in hospitals saying to stay at home, pleading with people to ease the pressure, we're building emergency hospitals and mortuaries, there's public health announcements, the government are saying stay at home and yet all over MN there's people saying "I decide what essential is and if I need a magazine then I need a magazine... If I want to drive somewhere then I will... I like to go to the shops daily so I will". It's selfish and people rightly have an issue with that attitude.

What on earth do you think “as infrequently as possible” means? It means cutting the number of shopping trips down to the absolute minimum needed for survival

But it doesn't and pushing those extremes is what's failing. Absolute minimum for survival (as stated by a pp) is about 3 weeks after your food totally and utterly ran out.

That's survivial and I think we'd all agree that's taking it too far. So, if we cannot say the absolute minimum for survival then we have to accept it will be more frequent than absolutely necessary.

If we mandate how frequently then people will suffer; once a week will be too often for some and not enough for others.

So we're left with allowing people to make thier own decisions, based on their lifestyes. The reality of that is that people will make different decisions to you and me. That's just the way of it.

I bet I could look at the decisions you are making across your life and find 100 things I consider to be immoral. You could do the same to me. As someone else posted above, just using technology automatically means that, at some point, you have placed your own wants above someone else's safety. An inconvenient truth most people ignore (including me and presumably that pp) because they want the tech.

The same is true in the shopping situation. Yes, some people will go to a shop more often that I think is necessary. Some will go less frequently than me. There is always someone who will think your own decisions are wrong - to scrutinise others is to invite scrutiny yourself and it is a certainty of life that you won't pass that test. No one can.

I don't understand why shopping would need to cost more if you are just getting what you need from the supermarket. If you are used to cooking all your food at home it will be the same, and if you previously bought your lunches, snacks, coffees out of the house, or went out for meals, any equivalent at home will be cheaper, so you will be saving money.

For those saying that you should get your little bits like chocolate, magazines and newspapers or odd forgotten items during an infrequent supermarket shop, some people like to support their local shop, or else they could go out of business.

They wouldn't do a whole shop there, due to usually higher prices and restricted choice, but would buy a few items a week from there. As long as everyone is keeping their distance, washing their hands regularly and not going out if they have symptoms, the risk will be low.

CendrillonSings that made me laugh!

Look, I keep trying to explain. I DO think we should go out to shop as little as possible, of course I do, the purpose of my OP wasn't to try and say we shoudln't all be doing this.

What I have an issue with is some Mumsnetters who are making up rules in quite a bullying way (e.g saying you can't shop more than once a week) and saying that is the Government guidance when it isn't.

It means cutting the number of shopping trips down to the absolute minimum needed for survival

Well if that was the rule, they'd have government officials in PPE searching everyone's houses and you wouldn't be able to go to the shop until you had a pass to say that you had no food at all, had eaten the out of date Christmas pudding and forgotten tub of brown slop in the freezer and that is was essential that you went out and bought more food.

But it's not.

barbara Two of my three DCs get their lunches for free and one of them also gets breakfast for free as well (nursery). My DH's office has a heavily discounted staff canteen where he has breakfast and lunch. Obviously he's not there now, so that's 25 extra meals we're having to buy food in for each week.

Oh, OK, I hadn't accounted for people getting free food elsewhere.

If the free school lunches are official free school meals, they're doing £3 a day vouchers now, which will be an enormous help, as obviously it costs considerably less than £3 to make lunch for a child at home.