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

Define basic nessecity, can you

Major food groups, plus basic toiletries, plus basic cleaning essentials.

Might well be some grey areas but I doubt anyone could mount an argument justifying chocolate or hair dye as basic essentials.

Somehow, the government are delivering boxes of basic essentials to those being shielded. Strangely enough it contains items like cereal, fruit, veg and tinned goods. It doesn't include chocolate, wine, Easter eggs and hair dye

Lots of people are popping out for just one or two items when they don't need to.

152 posts on this thread, 3 of which say they are doing that.

I agree with pp - is that really "lots"? Seems like a lot of frothing without facts to me.

Some of the Government food boxes contain Crunchies! Seems to vary across the country though with other areas having a much healthier version.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-52105260

Haven’t read the whole thread. My interpretation of going out to buy essentials is going to the shops when you need things to make meals with/feed yourself or your family, but you can also buy non-essential items within that shop. Like chocolates, or Easter eggs, or things that bring you or your household and children joy.
It doesn’t mean that you can go and and ONLY buy essentials. Honestly I think that some people are so miserable themselves that they actually want everyone else to be miserable too.
It goes without saying that there are shortages of lots of essentials, some people will not be able to afford to but why extras etc.
But if you can, and you want to, then get what you need in as few trips as possible per week and buy some things that make you happy too if you want to. The more small things people can do to make this more bearable the better, and the longer it will be sustainable.

If the government didn't want us buying hair dye, newspapers Easter eggs and wine they would decree that those areas in shops which stock them be cleared, and the shops which sell similar items exclusively (off licences, newsagents) closed entirely. Rather, those shops have been deemed essential businesses by the government - hinting, don't you think, that the government views the products they sell to be essential.

That's the government. The people who actually make the rules. Not the Mumsnet head girls/stasi who don't, much to their chagrin.

But if you can, and you want to, then get what you need in as few trips as possible per week and buy some things that make you happy too if you want to. The more small things people can do to make this more bearable the better, and the longer it will be sustainable.

Yes, this is my view also. If the lockdown is made too draconian and miserable people are going to end up rebelling, which is happening in Italy I think.

Major food groups, plus basic toiletries, plus basic cleaning essentials.

For some hair dye is a basic toiletry. And it can be picked up as part of a food shop. Didnt you say earlier, you didnt have an issue with that?

Where did your official list come from?

Strangely enough it contains items like cereal, fruit, veg and tinned goods. It doesn't include chocolate, wine, Easter eggs and hair dye

Well it's not going to include hair dye. Can you imagine trying to organise who wants what colour and brand.

They do have 'treats' in them. Not just stuff on your made up list of basics.

So if I am shopping for a family of 6 plus neighbours and elderly parents, how on earth am I supposed to shop only once a week, with all the restrictions in place?

Last time my Dh was in a shop he was only allowed 1 bag of potatoes, 1 packet of eggs etc.... Delivery slots aren't available even for my mother in law who is 87. Its shocking.

There isn’t a rule in the UK that says we can only buy essentials!! It says you can only go to the shops when you need to buy essentials. Not that you can only buy essentials.
They are two entirely different directives. Luckily.

Haven’t read the whole thread. My interpretation of going out to buy essentials is going to the shops when you need things to make meals with/feed yourself or your family, but you can also buy non-essential items within that shop. Like chocolates, or Easter eggs, or things that bring you or your household and children joy.
It doesn’t mean that you can go and and ONLY buy essentials. Honestly I think that some people are so miserable themselves that they actually want everyone else to be miserable too
That's how I understand it too, and how I think most people are working.

It's just a minority of people who think they're somehow uniquely in need of treats that they have to make special shops because they couldn't refrain from having a chocolate bar one day.

shits you asked me to define basic necessities, which I did.

You define what the government mean by basic necessities. No one ever, will define that term to mean any luxury items.

As for not having a problem with people buying a whole range of non essential items, well no I don't suppose you have. I don't suppose you care that while people are in the shop filling their trollies with extras like hair dye, alcohol, chocolate, and generally taking their time rather than getting the essential stuff that others are being left queueing up outside, waiting to go in and s lot of them aren't able to manage.

But then selfish people usually don't give a toss about others. Anyone who is prepared to justify buying hair dye over keeping others safe from a deadly disease clearly aren't going to be bothered about elderly or disabled people waiting outside for them to finish their recreational shopping trip are they?

There isn’t a rule in the UK that says we can only buy essentials!

The rule says basic necessities it's been linked to on this thread several times

Last time my Dh was in a shop he was only allowed 1 bag of potatoes, 1 packet of eggs etc.... Delivery slots aren't available even for my mother in law who is 87. Its shocking.

And that's because a month ago selfish people stripped the shelves bare and were busy yelling at shop assistants that there was no law against them buying ten bags of pasta, 48 packs of toilet roll and 20 pints of milk.

It seems that for some only the letter of the law applies. Not consideration, concern for others, common sense or fairness.

WARNING: Inappropriate potential humour alert.
When this war finally ends the lucky will have died first the rest will have gone mad.

you asked me to define basic necessities, which I did.

I asked where the list was.

Theres no official list which is what I am saying.

Your list isn't an official one. You dont get to decide. Boris didnt add a note advising all must come to for clarification on how long you can be in the supermarket, how often or what you can buy.

Thats been my point all along.

Several mners deciding their version or the guidlines is the right one and trying to tell people its fact.

Theres no official basic or essential list.

The rule saysbasic necessitiesit's been linked to on this thread several times

And yet theres no list to go along with it.

Just because something is a basic or essential to you, it isnt to everyone else.

And that's because a month ago selfish people stripped the shelves bare and were busy yelling at shop assistants that there was no law against them buying ten bags of pasta, 48 packs of toilet roll and 20 pints of milk.

No they didn't. Again, that was a minority. A study of till data suggested the incraesed shopping came from lots more people spending about £5 per week more. That's not stripping the shelves bare, that's just getting a bit extra in and not realising our shit 'just in time' shopping method would not cope with that.

I realise that doesn't fit the retoric that the country is filled with arseholes all skipping about several times a day and loading their cars up with everything they can get their hands on. That was a few. Most people are just, genuinely, trying to do their best.

I'm sure if everyone was asked to write a list of 10 essentials (or maybe 20 for a family), where you had to have run out of one of your 10 or 20 items on your list or you couldn't do a shop, then the lists would vary. There may be things like bread and milk on a high proportion of lists, but some people's lists may be quite different from other people's.

But then selfish people usually don't give a toss about others. Anyone who is prepared to justify buying hair dye over keeping others safe from a deadly disease clearly aren't going to be bothered about elderly or disabled people waiting outside for them to finish their recreational shopping trip are they?

So what you said, earlier about there not being a problem with people buying chocolate or hair dye as part of their shopping was bollocks then.

Yeah, ok.

You do realise not all supermarkets have queues. The one I went into the other night didnt. It's not common everywhere.

There weren't a hoard of people stood outside at risk, because someone looked at dressed or because I spent 10 seconds picking up a hair dye.

You have proved my point. A small, but vocal group of members who think their version of the rules should apply to all.

Doesnt matter what the guidlines said.

busy yelling at shop assistants that there was no law against them buying ten bags of pasta, 48 packs of toilet roll and 20 pints of milk.

There isnt. But a shop can choose to limit it what it sells or who too. So those people are seemingly as unaware of how the law works, as you are

Most people are just, genuinely, trying to do their best.

Absolutely, and having been on a few of these threads now I notice a pattern that the most vocal "everyone's selfish" posters have conveniently ignored any posts calling our their own hypocrisy and selfish behaviour. Those posts have been passed over in favour of easier game...

@whitesoxx

Yes, I'm selfish. Yes, I'm fully aware people like you will judge me for it.

But it is much easier for me to go daily, so I do.

And no amount of judgement from you, or others like you, will change that.

Absolutely, and having been on a few of these threads now I notice a pattern that the most vocal "everyone's selfish" posters have conveniently ignored any posts calling our their own hypocrisy and selfish behaviour.
Thankfully there's very few "everyone's selfish" posters.
Most posts I've seen where people are concerned about people taking the mick have been quite reasonable. For example, I've seen lots of people saying we should be following the guidance and avoiding non-essential travel to take walks in nicer places given that it is possible to remain 2m apart from others even in cities at the moment (unless you choose to go to Battersea park I think where seemingly half of London showed up). I've also seen quite a lot of posters saying we should be limiting how much we go out because that's the guidelines and there's a greater good.

Sadly those minority who want to defend their needless drives, non-essential travel, shopping trips for treats because they fancy it, get rather defensive and choose to try to group entirely reasonable comments about it being a bit selfish to take the view "I'm alright and I'll do what I like, it's not the law so nobody can stop me" in with those making ridiculous claims that nobody should buy anything other than basic food once a fortnight. The cynic in me thinks they're doing that because it suits them to present any challenge to their actions as extreme and unreasonable.

I can’t keep a two weeks worth of chocolate, I’d just eat it all in one day #theshame

Is milk essential? Unless you’re a calf?

No they didn't. Again, that was a minority. A study of till data suggested the incraesed shopping came from lots more people spending about £5 per week more. That's not stripping the shelves bare, that's just getting a bit extra in and not realising our shit 'just in time' shopping method would not cope with that.

I work in a supermarket. On checkouts. I know what was going through the tills and it wasn't everyone spending an extra £5 a week. Maybe if you average it out over every shopper but that is not how it happened.

Our store is basically a basket store, meaning that our shops are frequent basket shops. That changed overnight and became majority trolley shops - that's more than £5/person.

Queues were stretching down the aisles, even with every checkout open. Mon to Wednesday we would have had about 25% of checkouts open with no queues. We went to 100% open with 10 plus customers in every queue. That's not £5/person extra shop.

Our managers watched customers come in fill a trolley, load their car and then come back in again. So yes, I know what happened because I witnessed it first hand.

Shopping is the riskiest thing most of us are doing at the moment. Of course you don't just pop in for some chocolate and a magazine.