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

The wording used was food and basic necessities...but if you are doing a shop, you might aswell buy treats at the same time. It's not a crime to stick some sweets or wine into your trolley. Or even some hair dye if they sell it. The shops still want to sell you that chocolate bar or cake.

I used to be frequent shopper. Maybe 3 -4 times a week, sometimes just to pick up a few bits.

And that was in addition to a weekly veg box delivery and fortnightly Big Shop at Ocado.

Now I am strictly limiting the family to once a week, if we run out of something before that, tough. We are still getting our organic box & getting meat delivered periodically from the butcher, so we are fine.

If I could avoid going to the shops at all, I would. But we have been badly let down by Ocado.

So slam me all you wish, but there are multiple others doing what I'm doing.
Nobody doubts there's multiple others.
There's members of the great British public who thought staying away from busy places meant bugger off to popular local attractions, popular parks and the beach.

It's easier for me to go to the shops every day, so I will, until it becomes law or a requirement that I don't
As long as it's convenient for you then who gives a damn about minimising the spread of covid?
It's exactly that 'you can't make me' attitude that sounds like a stroppy teenager.

I'd much rather go to the local hills to run, but it's not an essential journey so I don't. This afternoon I'd have normally seen that we had 2 pints of milk left and would have gone to the shop, but I didn't because we're shopping in a couple of days and it's not urgent. It's showing basic consideration.

There's another thread running where the op asked if people had noticed that the roads were much busier today. Most other posters agreed that not only were the roads busier but so we're the shops and more people were also out walking too. Then the government announced that there were indeed more cars making journeys.

Weather is reported to be very warm and sunny on Sunday - you don't need to be mystic meg to see where this is going do you?

Those poor drs and nurses.

Why can't all you selfish people start doing what you have been told by the government instead of spouting shit like they haven't said it's not allowed, and looking for loopholes just stay the fuck at home. It's not as if you are having to make a massive sacrifice.

Who is you lot?
The majority of posters are staying in. 2 (maybe 3) have said they are still going often. Most are not.

It's simply saying they posters who keep insisting people can only go to supermarket once every 14 days or buy certain products or can go bread and milk in between shops, are wrong.

Trying to make those posters realise, their interpretation isnt the law. And that other people have different needs and situations so have to go out more.

Just because you think some people need to stop telling people the law is different to what it is, doesn't mean you are going out every couple of hours.

I think going every 3 days should be the minimum. I could feed my family of 5 for three days with stuff I could carry home (with no car). Going every day is pathetic, and apart from anything else, massively unorganised!

It’s simply saying they posters who keep insisting people can only go to supermarket once every 14 days or buy certain products or can go bread and milk in between shops, are wrong.

If everyone went only once every 14 days, the infection rate would plummet and the lockdown could be released sooner. To put it in perspective, an inefficient lockdown might have to last 6 months, and no one wants that!

People need to use their brains and ask - to coin a phrase - not what their country can do for them, but what they can do for their country.

I couldn't do 14 days. Not with three teens. If I had a massive freezer I could.

It doesn’t have to be 14 days - but it does have to be the maximum that every household can possibly achieve. That’s how we all get out of this nightmare in the shortest time with the fewest deaths.

If everyone went only once every 14 days, the infection rate would plummet and the lockdown could be released sooner.

But not everyone can. Obviously there will be people who can go less than they are doing. But most are going when they need to.

I can go 10 days. Theres 3 of us. Ds has HFA and eats the same 8 meals. Easy to cater for. Dp and me both have food allergies, which make things slightly more difficult. Fresh stuff, really isnt lasting more than 10 days. We have usually been a day or 2 without it, by the time I go.

However, I earn quite well so can afford to spend a decent amount in one go. I also have a car. Dp stays at home with ds and I go.

We did this before lockdown. I work monday to friday. I couldnt go shopping first thing and by the time I finished there was nothing left, when the stores were busy several weeks ago. At that time, i wasnt going to at weekends as it was so busy.

Work allowed us all to rotate on our teams so we each came in late every so often so we could go to the supermarket.

I am in a decent position is that now I WFH I can plan a shop and work around it. if it takes 2 hours, including queuing thats fine. I dint need to take kids.

But I can appreciate that lots of people arenr in as decent position as I am. Single parents, families with older kids (who eat more) or bigger families. Those without cars. Those shopping for someone else as well. Those who dont have decent income and only have a limited amount available each week.

It would be great for every to only be able to shop every 14 days. But it's really not possible for everyone.

Infrequently is different for everyone and until we have a stricter lockdown, it's going to remain so.
Don't be an arsehole is a general piece of good advice but everybody interprets that differently too.
We will either get a stricter lockdown or we won't.

I do once a week. Spending about 30% more than normal as well. The supermarkets are going to be raking it in.

Don't be an arsehole is a general piece of good advice but everybody interprets that differently too.
That is quite true.

Naturally some will always have an excuse for why they absolutely have to be an arsehole because their situation is so unbelievably unique that nobody could have any consideration for others in their situation.
(Read - in the same boat as many people, better off than many others, but are clutching at straws to justify their selfishness).

If everyone went only once every 14 days, the infection rate would plummet and the lockdown could be released sooner. To put it in perspective, an inefficient lockdown might have to last 6 months, and no one wants that!*

Possibly but if that was correct wouldn't that be the advice only shop once every 2 weeks ? . If we knew for definitely the lockdown would last 3 weeks only then we'd all never leave the house but for 6 months it's not possible.
The lockdown won't stop the spread it's just slowing it down we won't be all lockdown for 6 months , it'll be a few weeks then relaxed but may lockdown again . Unfortunately we can't stop the spread only slow it down that means going out as less as possible .
Those that are going out every day for minor things putting themselves at risk and others don't actually care that there are selfish so it's actually pointless telling them so . The majority of people stay in which is good . There will always be the small minority who don't care as we know as we wouldn't have these cf threads .

'If everyone went only once every 14 days, the infection rate would plummet and the lockdown could be released sooner.'

That's not government policy though. We are just doing what we are told.

That's not government policy though. We are just doing what we are told.

The Government policy is explicitly to shop outside the home ‘as infrequently as possible’. Each household has to do their very best to cut that frequency down as far as they possibly can.

People interpret one piece of information in different ways.

For me it is shopping once every seven to ten days. But I do include chocolate in my shop.

(Only an additional trip when i have to shop for vulnerable people in my family, then I try and get all of theirs in one go, they are not all in same household).

Government "policy" is not law. The law is the law.

I'm shopping probably every 5 days or so, with two kids it's hard to do it less often.

There are no rules regarding frequency or the food I buy

We’ve went from having a high street of shops to 2 and a pharmacy left open.. combine that with the number of people who now shop locally and are off work/school so eating more at home (take away fridays out the window). If anything were out more now. We can’t get a decent shop instore, can’t get a slot online and I certainly can’t get what we need in the one place if at all.

It’d be a wipe out if they restricted us to once a week/fortnight