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Original poster

Shopping with out children

31 replies

FirTree31 · 03/04/2020 14:38

How are parents getting around this? Single parents / no family / elderly

Sainsbury's advising no children, stopping people with to ask if they can be 'elsewhere', but still let them in.

Tesco not allowing

Morrisons one person one trolly

No click and and collect slots for three weeks

We live in Edinburgh and this has happened in the last few days. I'm a single parent trying to work from home with a 5&9 year old, should I now leave them alone when I have to get us food? I am distraught today after this.

OP posts:
Bramblespoint · 03/04/2020 14:44

Sainsbury's have said children are welcome if they can't be left safely elsewhere.

Not sure about the others though

Shopping with out children
MeadowHay · 03/04/2020 14:44

Ridiculous. Go to Sainsbury's or another store where they will be allowed in? So sorry you're feeling anxious about this. I have been too even tho I'm not a single parent but me and DH are both working and DH is a keyworker and I'm disabled and we have a toddler. So things are hectic and we completely ran out of bread yesterday. I had to take DD with me to the Asda as DH was at work. But there seemed no issue there, certainly nobody questioned or commented on it and the lady on the till was v friendly to DD and talking to her as DD was in a grumpy mood. I imagine it just depends on your local shop's attitude partly?

Original poster
FirTree31 · 03/04/2020 14:46

I know this is hearsay, but one of my best friends turned away on Thursday after being questioned by staff, so I hope this was a one off and the above is true.

OP posts:
museumum · 03/04/2020 14:46

I got that email from sainsburys as well too. Just tell them there's no other adult in your household. In that case they say they welcome them.

okiedokieme · 03/04/2020 14:49

Asda are letting whole families in and couples no questions asked.

CallMeRachel · 03/04/2020 15:24

If you are single with kids and can't go out shopping alone then ask friends and family to pick up your order (click and collect?) and drop at your door.

My local Tesco is not letting people bring children in and I can understand why.

Convenience has gone and now everybody needs to think how to manage so there's less strain on the nhs.

Why are the fathers not helping bring food shopping?

pocketem · 03/04/2020 15:28

They say one person per household but yesterday at my local Sainsbury's supermarket there were tons of older couples blatantly standing together in the queue with a trolley each, then separating as they got close to the entrance pretending they were not together so they could double up on item limits. The store assistant who was acting as the 'bouncer' could see it all and did nothing

ViciousJackdaw · 03/04/2020 15:30

Why are the fathers not helping bring food shopping?

Absent, don't care enough, live too far away, dead, in prison, under a non-molestation order....

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 03/04/2020 15:30

I took my children shopping today without issue.

As to where their father is... Working 8am-7pm, 7 days a week in his emergency response role. The food is for him as well.

Kungfupanda67 · 03/04/2020 15:39

I went shopping today and there was an older lady stood with her husband complaining to me while I loaded my car up that they only needed one trolley for their shop but the ‘silly rule’ means they needed to take one each 🤦‍♀️ For god sake, the idea is one person per house goes shopping, not you all go and take a trolley each!

Purpleclownsuit · 03/04/2020 15:58

If you are single with kids and can't go out shopping alone then ask friends and family to pick up your order (click and collect?) and drop at your door.

This is trotted out on every single parent thread. Lots of people have no one they can ask for help. No one.

bakingcupcakes · 03/04/2020 16:09

I shop for my parents who are vulnerable as well as myself. I'm a lone parent to a 5 year old. I've been getting my dad to come and park his car next to mine in the supermarket car park. I leave DS in it with a screen and my dad sits in his own car. I do the shopping for both houses at the same time. I've had to do a top up shop for milk inbetween the weekly one (because I can't buy enough of it for both houses in one shop) but I buy it at the garage/local shop and leave DS locked in the car parked so I can see him from the window. Up until a few weeks ago I'd never have left him in the car unattended or considered doing it anywhere not even getting petrol. It bothers me I'm doing it now but I feel he's safer in the car than the shop.

There's been lots of suggestions for getting strangers to do the shopping for me. I don't like that idea and will avoid it as long as possible. I feel like the few who don't control their children in stores or who take the entire family shopping unnecessarily have spoilt things for the rest of us who don't have much choice and it pisses me off.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 03/04/2020 16:10

I don’t see an issue when I see children out shopping- when I see two adults together I get enraged !!!

midgebabe · 03/04/2020 16:17

Click and collect? ! You'll be lucky to get a slot, and ideally they should be left to the shielded and then vulnerables

Might depend on the age of the child? I would guess that in these circumstances you might leave a 9 year old at home by themselves

Waxonwaxoff0 · 03/04/2020 16:39

Hearsay as far as I'm aware. I'm a single parent, always take DS and I've never been turned away. I went shopping yesterday.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 03/04/2020 16:41

Asda and Aldi are the shops I go to, are there either of those near you?

Greendin · 03/04/2020 16:55

Sainsbury's have said today they will allow children in if they cannot be left at home alone.

Tesco website says they will show discretion and allow kids in for the same reason.

Aldi and ASDA the same. If you are not allowed entry with your kids, ask to speak to the Manager as it could be the staff refusing entry have misunderstood the rules.

Greendin · 03/04/2020 16:57

Sainsbury's bans couples from shopping together amid Covid-19 crisis
mol.im/a/8184047

Original poster
FirTree31 · 03/04/2020 17:47

My other friend had to leave her 6&10 year old daughters on the street yesterday when she went in.

You can't leave children so young at home. We live rurally and nearest supermarket 15 minute drive, coupled with roughly 30 minute wait to get in (if relatively quiet), imagine the anxiety your children would have and parent, standing in the queue!

OP posts:
pocketem · 03/04/2020 17:57

A ten year old is perfectly capable of standing safely at a supermarket entrance (with CCTV, a supermarket worker acting as bouncer at the entrance, and a queue of people keeping an eye out). Bit dramatic to refer to it as being left out on the streets

PersonaNonGarter · 03/04/2020 18:00

You really must not take children to the supermarket, sorry.

There are so many do-good Facebook groups in Edinburgh wanting to collect shopping etc. Someone on your street will be delighted to go.

Sorry you feel like this. The rules do apply to you though. I know, it is very frustrating, but people will help.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 03/04/2020 18:02

A ten year old is perfectly capable of standing safely at a supermarket entrance hell no would I leave my child. Can be 40mins on a food shop.

Millicent10 · 03/04/2020 18:08

Slightly different, but I queued behind an elderly lady and what I assumed to be her son who was about 50. The son looked, for want of a better word, a little simple. They were told that they could not go in together and they looked so anxious when they were split up and she went in alone. I imagine that they got back together in the store but I do think there should be some leeway in situations like that.

Barbie222 · 03/04/2020 18:12

I would not leave my children outside. As mentioned previously the issue is with whole families turning up not the few parents who really need to take them. Most people will be able to leave children safely at home. Sainsbury's and Tesco both allow in if needs be for those who cannot,

Original poster
FirTree31 · 03/04/2020 18:13

There was no one watching over them, the security guard was there doing his job, of which part of is not watching people's children on the street.

I hope I'm not being too defensive (and I don't mean to be rude) but I hope those who say it's okay to leave such young children at home / on street would also feel that way about their own, even if it wasn't a single parent household. I'm really upset at this, not because I don't feel the rules apply to me, we've been sticking to these like everyone should be, but because I don't know how I'll navigate this now, it's really shaken me.

OP posts: