Non Essentials cordoned off

[CMMMum]

I've just seen this on Twitter www.thegrocer.co.uk/service-and-availability/english-supermarkets-told-to-cordon-off-areas-of-non-essential-goods/650001.article

I had no idea this was going to happen. Does anyone know if they'll make an exeption in emergencies as they did in Wales? They were only closed for a fortnight, we're going to be in lockdown for a month, and so close to Christmas!!

This is how it was during the last lockdown in England.

Not in my area it wasn't last time. I managed to kit out a new baby. Bedding and allsorts whislt in supermarket

Not close off aisles where there’s a mix

So they could put a clip strip of lightbulbs down the cushion aisle then? Or a random little shelf of screwdrivers in with the Christmas decks

Be sticking to rules then in these ‘mixed’ aisles!

But what if someone needs new bedding, why can't they buy it if they're in the shop anyway?

I know. I managed to get loads in the last one. Wed moved house just before too. So whislt there I got housewares, bedding. Kitchen stuff. Clothes etc. Didn't go to multiple shops. Just did whilst I got groceries. Prob added all Of 10 min to my shop.

@CMMMum

But what if someone needs new bedding, why can't they buy it if they're in the shop anyway?

Probably order a set of bedding beforehand and collect if it's urgent, if aisles are closed presume the philosophy behind it is to reduce the browsing and time spent in shop.

But expect some shops will have aisles open and some not.

Or people will go online.

Oh, crikey. I can imagine tesco hurriedly putting baby gros in amongst the nappies and crackers next to the paxo, then!

@PineconeOfDoom

This is how it was during the last lockdown in England.

We didn’t have this

I don’t really get it either. Most people buy this stuff when food shopping already

They said they weren’t going to do this. I bloody welll hope supermarkets start changing the shops around so all are mixed.

Surely this won't actually be happening since it didn't last time (not in my area anyway)? I'm not planning doing much non-essential shopping but might need to get stationery/socks etc and it will be much easier to add them to the trolley with the weekly shop than have to order online.

Lol I actually can imagine that.
I have no issue online ordering but the delivery costs add up if on a budget or could collect meaning again extra time in the shop as collection times will no doubt be longer.

That happened last time though. The large M&S near us with food and all other things in the same building would only let you into the food but with a few rails of basic house things and clothes moved so you could get them too.

Has this changed since they originally brought out the guidance? I kind of see the point if it's a completely separate area of the shop or on a different floor (eg in a large M&S it would make sense to keep the floor with the food hall open and close the other floors off)

However, if you are in a general supermarket with different aisles selling different things, it's silly , you are there anyway and people can dither buying a jar of jam, so stopping them buying a pair of socks won't stop the dithering!

Boots must be getting so excited about cordoning off the make-up again

A lot of shops will offer click and collect though this time around according to the BBC Nine ways England's lockdown is different from last time [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-54793959]]

M&S are closing their clothes and homeware apart from for access like last time, I guess that is because the stores are large and mostly not food. Some Tesco Extras have huge floors of non essentials, maybe it’s those that will be closed off not the ones with a couple of aisles like smaller branches have.

I work at The Range. I was at home during the last lockdown but heard that all departments were still open & that will be the situation this time too.

Bit scaremongery, isn’t it?
It will be whole sections, not bits of supermarkets. Makes sense that M&S have to close their clothes depts off but allow access to the food dept.

Wilko sold everything last time and you can get bedding and housewares from there

I never go into Boots now after they stood at the door and asked what you wanted to buy, Boots don’t sell anything you can’t get elsewhere and usually cheaper

@cologne4711 Our Boots didnt do that.

"non essential" goods were on sale here during lockdown one

Try the range, they are advertising same day click and collect above all non essential items in stores in Wales. Only problem I have is there signal for EE is crap in my local store!!

I think it varies from store to store, easier to just buy it off Amazon anyway, even in the last lockdown stuff seemed to be delivered next day.

the not there

@WhentheDealGoesDown

I never go into Boots now after they stood at the door and asked what you wanted to buy, Boots don’t sell anything you can’t get elsewhere and usually cheaper

They did that? FFS.

I do think that in a few years from now we'll look back on a time when we were forbidden from buying arbitrarily defined 'non-essentials' as some sort of weird interlude.

@ReindeersAreBetterThanHumans

They said they weren’t going to do this. I bloody welll hope supermarkets start changing the shops around so all are mixed.

Presumably the logic behind the rule is to stop people spending a long time browsing? If supermarkets get round the rules by mixing up the aisles, people will still browse and nobody will be able to find anything in the new layout and spend twice as long in the supermarket...