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Original poster

Essential retail....

40 replies

January21 · 22/12/2020 18:22

I'm hearing that essential retail might be streamlined and some stores may be closed

so possibly The Range,B&M?....I think this would help keeping people home and actually should have been the case from day 1

will drive everyone into proper essential retail resulting in more queues etc

Do you think this is a good idea?

OP posts:

ElephantWhaleRabbit · 22/12/2020 18:23

Nope. Fewer shops mean everyone cramming into the ones that are open, meaning bigger queues, and my level of pissed off reaching critical.

IcedPurple · 22/12/2020 18:26

Do you think this is a good idea?

No. Absolutely daft.

And WTF is 'proper essential retail' and who gets to define it?

Rosehip10 · 22/12/2020 18:27

Your post should say "in scotland" OP.....

EddieBananas · 22/12/2020 18:27

Not really.

More people crammed in. More jobs and businesses at risk....

Original poster

January21 · 22/12/2020 18:29

@IcedPurple

Do you think this is a good idea?

No. Absolutely daft.

And WTF is 'proper essential retail' and who gets to define it?

government.

proper essential, sorry i'm tired, by that i mean meds/home repairs/food/pet food

OP posts:

Hailtomyteeth · 22/12/2020 18:30

B&M is essential to me, I buy my masks there!

Orf1abc · 22/12/2020 18:35

B&M sell all those things.

ElephantWhaleRabbit · 22/12/2020 18:37

For the love of god please keep the beer shops open.

StatisticalSense · 22/12/2020 18:40

Some branches of B and M probably sell enough food and drink (and alcohol) for many to do a weekly shop in there so I would hope that such branches wouldn't be forced to close. There are also a number of the Range stores that stock the vast majority of Iceland food products so again such stores remain essential under any definition.
It is places such as garden centres and furniture stores that should be recategorized as these are truly non essential.

adagio · 22/12/2020 18:41

Sainsbury’s had all the ‘stuff’ aisles cordoned off today. (Wales). Presumably one is meant to go and queue again at another shop such as Argos or b&m if your kettle breaks, breathing on another different load of people than the lot you already breathed on in Sainsbury’s. Madness, in my view. Why not just grab said kettle on the way past and bung it in the trolley?

YasssDahlink · 22/12/2020 18:41

I wish booze and fags would be banned as non ess

StatisticalSense · 22/12/2020 18:41

In fact I would be very surprised if that even in normal times more than half of B and M shoppers bought anything other than things that are clearly essential (food, drink, toiletries, pet food, DIY supplies etc).

StatisticalSense · 22/12/2020 18:43

@YasssDahlink
Products that could have a major health consequence following a sudden end of supply are most definitely essential. The one thing I would like to be specifically classified as non-essential is newspapers as this gives people an excuse to go shopping on a daily basis (obviously contact free newspaper deliveries should continue to be available and encouraged).

Sallygoround631 · 22/12/2020 18:44

@YasssDahlink

I wish booze and fags would be banned as non ess

you should go the whole hog and also ban cars and lorries due to high levels of pollution, excessive noise and traffic accidents.

in fact, we should ban everything that I, and only I, consider low priority. Or else my feelings will be hurt!

IcedPurple · 22/12/2020 18:46

The one thing I would like to be specifically classified as non-essential is newspapers as this gives people an excuse to go shopping on a daily basis

FFS we had this discusion back in March. For many older people who are not tech savvy, newspapers are indeed 'essential'.

I'd be willing to bet a great deal of money that a high proportion of what gets chucked into your trolley would be classed by some people as 'non-essential'.

This is getting absurd.

adagio · 22/12/2020 18:57

Shout out fir essential wine here 😁😂

In all seriousness, if you actually try and ban the sale of things people are addicted to, like fags, you will simply drive the trade undercover to criminals or less scrupulous traders - and I doubt you will get much tax through that sales route and you will still spread the virus possibly worse as people visit all over the shop trying to beg steal or borrow. Ex smoker here - giving up was bloody hard.

Original poster

January21 · 22/12/2020 19:21

now christmas is done the shops will be using that space for easter eggs, valentines etc

wondering how they will determine if shops stay open. interesting sains have cordoned off homewares,i suppose other stores will do the same

did wonder why dobbies suddenly had a sainsbury's produce section

OP posts:

donewithitalltodayandxmas · 22/12/2020 19:22

Does seem fair in some ways , your shutting all the independant shops etc bit big ones allowed to stay open as they sell
Some food , the reality is lots are going and wandering around for something to do and maybe to get numbers really down this is needed as less for people to go out for.Like mcdonalds , costa mot needed and you aren't 2 meters away when they hand you your stuff
But this extreme should only be foe couple weeks as a short sharp measure to get cases down ,

Kazmerelda · 22/12/2020 19:26

Tbh it’s a catch 22.

Near me there is a cake decorating shop that is apparently classed as essential as they put a few tins in their range and bread and flour. So it’s open and rafts of people are going in there for something to do.

So some streamlining sounds good but not too extreme!

Original poster

January21 · 22/12/2020 19:30

since schools broke up our store has been teaming with parents and kids

its horrible. staff are fed up with the risk....i have told several people this week to put their mask on properly as they are approaching with questions but pulling the mask down to speak at us

children running round touching everything.....its getting too much now

OP posts:

IcedPurple · 22/12/2020 19:33

@January21

since schools broke up our store has been teaming with parents and kids

its horrible. staff are fed up with the risk....i have told several people this week to put their mask on properly as they are approaching with questions but pulling the mask down to speak at us

children running round touching everything.....its getting too much now

How is concentrating people into a smaller number of 'essential' shops going to help any of this?

dingit · 22/12/2020 19:41

My god, I usually get annoyed by Easter eggs in stores straight after Xmas, but now feel like filling my trolley in the hope that it pisses off someone on here 😂😂

IcedPurple · 22/12/2020 19:43

@dingit

My god, I usually get annoyed by Easter eggs in stores straight after Xmas, but now feel like filling my trolley in the hope that it pisses off someone on here 😂😂

I haven't bought a printed newspaper in years, but maybe I'll 'take the excuse' to go to the shop tomorrow just for that!

The Guardian, of course.

ElephantWhaleRabbit · 22/12/2020 19:53

I’ve got a radical idea. Why not let the shops open and let people buy what they like in them?

As for non-essential, some people spend as much time browsing shampoo and deodorant as they do non-essential clothes. If you’re there anyway, you should be able to buy it.

Burnthurst187 · 22/12/2020 19:57

The Range and B&M will be able to stay open as they have a hardware section which has essential items such as lightbulbs, fuses etc

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