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Original poster

Are we still supposed to be shopping solo?

115 replies

biser · 26/02/2021 18:31

I've just come back from the supermarket. There were a LOT of twosomes. Also saw masks being warn as chin-warmers.

Have the supermarkets, again, given up monitoring this?

OP posts:
partyatthepalace · 26/02/2021 19:33

Supposed to be yes

MrsMercedes · 26/02/2021 19:36

how are they supposed to manage it all...?

people know the rules. what did they all say when you asked them why they weren't complying?

Sparklingbrook · 26/02/2021 19:38

Yes it's still 'shop alone unless you need help or have to bring the children' nothing has changed.

MyCatHatesOtherCats · 26/02/2021 19:39

Mmm. In theory, yes, and the signs are still up. But I did see a group of what appeared to be three adults without any obvious extenuating circumstances (ie didn’t appear that anyone was a carer) walk into Sainsbury’s together and the staff didn’t challenge them. Whereas a few weeks ago our Waitrose was certainly asking people to shop alone if a couple was in the queue.

I think people are being a bit more casual this week. There were a lot of chin-wearers on the underground yesterday.

woodhill · 26/02/2021 19:40

Yes I noticed that

CandyLeBonBon · 26/02/2021 19:43

I wish they bloody would. Entire families are out at the supermarket I work at and seem to be treating it like a trip to Alton towers!

LivinLaVidaLoki · 26/02/2021 19:43

In a nearby town, the main supermarket is also the main car park and you have to walk through the store to get to the car park, so I can imagine there, there would be
a) a number of people parking and passing through not actually shopping
and
b) people using the car park, needing to pop to get some odds and sods and thinking they may as well go together rather than one go wait in the car as they've had to walk through the shop anyway.

Sparklingbrook · 26/02/2021 19:44

I have noticed that people seem to be winding up this lockdown up a bit sooner than advised.

I think at this point it still makes sense to have fewer people in shops.

itsgettingwierd · 26/02/2021 19:59

Locally everywhere near me apart from B and M it seems which is the compulsory family day trip Hmm

Although Tesco in small village isn't generally challenging couples shopping but it's not a very busy store anyway.

CovidPostingName · 26/02/2021 21:01

The manager in my local Waitrose was having a complete power trip over this last weekend! The chap on the door was letting couples in, but inside the manager was challenging all of them.

SweatyBetty20 · 26/02/2021 21:04

Depends where you go near me. My Sainsbury’s had people on the door asking if you could shop alone but M&S food were counting you in and out. I suspect it hinges on who you have on the door - Sainsbury’s had older staff who were polite but assertive where M&S had a couple of young teenagers who wouldn’t say boo to a goose.

MaxNormal · 26/02/2021 21:33

No-one has stopped us in either Sainbury's or Waitrose.

peak2021 · 27/02/2021 07:56

This should apply at all times I think. I have not noticed a change when I shop but I live in a town centre and so can pop out at quiet times.

MuddleMoo · 27/02/2021 08:01

Yes

mrurddhasabitpart · 27/02/2021 08:31

God I hate this. I cannot see why counting people in and out isn't enough? I shop with my husband. I have my reasons for that. I'd hate to be challenged by some fucking stranger as to why. I hate that clear other customers hate us for it. I hate that it may wind others up so much that they start threads about it. It's all so controlling and awful. I cannot wait for this all to be a bad memory

EverythingsComingUpRoses · 27/02/2021 08:44

I take my 20 year old with me

She has autism but you wouldn't know it to look at her

She wears a mask

No lanyard

-because she is petrified of people challenging her about not wearing a mask

She finds leaving the house at all really difficult and if she didn't come on a weekly trip with me to the supermarket then she'd never leave the house -she'd also never eat because if she's not checked the food is 'safe' then she won't eat it and her parameters of what is safe changes over time

We've been turned away from the only other place she'd go thanks pets at home

You can't tell if people need support with shopping by looking at them so there has to be some element of trust here

Munkeenut · 27/02/2021 08:47

I live in a student town so there are lots of groups of students shopping, but it makes sense for 4 people who live together to use the same trolley rather than for them all to go in together and use separate trolleys so I can't get too concerned about it. There was a huge increase in elderly when I shopped last. Far more than during the whole lockdown so presumably they're feeling fine about being out and about now they're vaccinated

Witchesbelazy · 27/02/2021 08:51

Even when restrictions stop some will still judge I’m sure . People really have nothing better to do than judge others shopping

Toocold · 27/02/2021 08:53

I find it bizarre, I get it’s a lots of people thing but those people from the same household are likely to have the same germs aren’t they? I can’t wait until people stop policing other people.

Frazzled2207 · 27/02/2021 08:55

Our Sainsbury’s still has a strict policy. Generally speaking however I definitely find everyone being a bit more relaxed. Not so much deliberately braking the rules but happy to meet friends in parks etc now (accidentally of course!). The weather helps. Also I think there’s only so long people are prepared to basically not see anyone. Especially when there is zero enforcement (round here anyway)

Frazzled2207 · 27/02/2021 08:56

@Toocold

I find it bizarre, I get it’s a lots of people thing but those people from the same household are likely to have the same germs aren’t they? I can’t wait until people stop policing other people.
If everyone brought along a shopping partner it would be enormously harder to socially distance.
MrsScarlett007 · 27/02/2021 09:20

Our local small supermarket still has staff sanitising trollies and there is a queuing system.

Last week there were three people in front of me, nothing was said at the door but about two minutes into my shop there was an announcement over the tannoy reminding shoppers to shop alone if possible!

SnowyPetals · 27/02/2021 09:28

Can't wait for the regulations to be dropped, so we can see an end to these endless boring threads monitoring and judging why people might possibly need to shop with another person. Yawn....

Daisyhoney · 27/02/2021 10:20

I've shopped with my husband or teenage son throughout all of the lockdowns and haven't been questioned by any of the supermarkets we've been in ( Morrisons, Asda, Aldi ). Also nobody irl has looked at us funny or said anything. It seems to me that it's only sneery people on Mumsnet who have an issue with this for some unknown reason. Also I think comments like ' whole families treat shopping trips like a day out at Alton Towers' is actually bloody ridiculous considering shopping is just a chore and theme parks are fun I mean seriously!!!!

User7538943 · 27/02/2021 10:21

It depend on the shop rules, it usually states at the door