Do we still have to shop alone at the supermarket

[tired17]

Before lockdown my DH and I always used to do the weekly supermarket shop together. I know that a lot of people don't understand why we would want to do that but it suited us - we liked both being able to choose things. Since the advice to shop alone has been in force I have been doing it by myself and he has been writing what he wanted on the list and I have been getting it.

But with the most recent loosening of the lockdown rules and non-essential shopping open I was wondering whether we could now shop together again, I know this would make him happy because he does like a browse in the supermarket.

I had shopping, as does dh. But I can wrap my mind around other people feeling differently.

[quote CorporeSarnie]@StealthPolarBear our primary school has asked that only one parent or carer, wearing a mask, comes to drop off or pick up. Mostly adhered to, but there are some very special people in our school who feel they don't need to listen to this, and who stood in front of the head organising playdates during lockdown.
OP is going to do what they want anyway so I've no idea why they've bothered starting a thread about it.[/quote]
She corrected it to Primark rather than primary school

Our local Waitrose has someone on the door and the guidance to shop alone is on posters as you go in, it’s only a small store but people still arrive in groups and they don’t get turned away.

There was a whole family there yesterday, Mum, Dad and three kids, blocking the aisle every time they discussed what they needed, that’s annoying at the best of times but even more so now. Only narrow aisles in our store too. I also find that those who go as a couple do dawdle, disagreements with who wants what, what will go nice with this that and the other all the while blocking the place I just want to grab something from! I wouldn’t have the patience to go with DH, we’d end up coming away with iced buns, skips and a multitude of rubbish but nothing to actually eat for tea!

Occasionally Waitrose do put an announcement over the tanoy for customers to shop alone where possible and I do really think that this needs to continue, forever, unless there’s a genuine reason why you can’t shop alone!

Oh apolkgies I didnt understand the post about school! My fault

@tired17

So it seems to be fairly evenly split on whether to continue, perhaps we'll carry on as we are for the next few weeks and then revisit it

But if the notice has come down where you shop, it might be ok there.

At the supermarket I use the most, they are very strict. But I am overdo a shop so no idea what they are doing now.

I don't shop in Waitrose so have no idea how the other half live. I quite like food shopping though, odd though that seems on MN.

@dementedpixie that hadn't been updated before I posted. Primark in groups is utterly bonkers imo as it encourages lingering about in there, but I'm very cautious (work with NHS staff).

None of our local supermarkets have been asked this when i have been. Mind, I've only ever seen a long queue once when I drove by. And a short queue of 2 or 3 when we've been.

Dh and I have been to the supermarket together a few times in the last few months. As have a lot of people I know.

I dont see the attraction of Primark tbh. I certainly wouldn't queue to get in like I've seen on TV

Most supermarket staff are in the younger age bracket therefore have not been vaccinated. Please do not increase their chance of catching coving just because you both like to look at sausages. Those who have been vaccinated can still pass the virus on. Please just stick to one person.

There are all different age ranges working in the supermarkets I use. I wouldn't say most of the workers are young at all.

@TheFuckThatIGave

Our Waitrose is super strict on this. It's irritating.

Yep same here. Waitrose is the only place that still has queues.

That would make me want to go to Waitrose. They are still taking it seriously at this point.

I don’t think people give retail staff a second thought in all this TBH. As long as they are filling the shelves and on the tills every day enabling them to get their essentials.

Any of the three Waitrose in my city have been chilled out. The person at the door feels more like a nice greeter than a bouncer.

My local supermarket isn't enforcing this in anyway, lots of family groups, couples, groups of younger people in the store. No queueing to get in either. But it never feels crowded or that there is too many people in there. I haven't mentioned this to DH as I prefer going on my own

@Langsdestiny

It's such a weird thing to not be able to go to the shops without your partner. Obviously excluding disability and caring responsibilities.

I’m perfectly able to go to the supermarket without my partner and of course have done it all throughout the pandemic. But we used to find it practical to go together, or to both be able to nip out for some food shopping whenever it suited us.

Our evening meal and weekend lunches are the only times we eat together. We eat breakfast separately, I am out of the house for work and take packed lunches, he eats lunch in the house. So we want different things. It’s a bit tedious when you’re meant to limit your trips to the supermarket and only one or the other can go.

I find it weird as an adult to have to rely on your partner to go out to fetch your food for you.

Just to clarify, I can and have been shopping on my own for the weeks food. I understand that some people can't imagine wanting to shop together but it works for us, DH likes to choose some things himself and equally I don't like leaving it up to him to choose everything .

My query really was, as someone said, that you can now do non essential as a couple so had the supermarkets removed their solo shopping requirements

I don’t get why it’s seen as a family outing or even something fun for many. It’s food shopping, something that’s a necessity not a day out.

Yes it's a necessity but we both work full time and have very different lunches and quite often don't decide what each of wants for lunch until we're looking at it on the shelf.

We're both perfectly capable of shopping alone but we like to decide for ourselves what we want to eat.

We're both perfectly capable of shopping alone but we like to decide for ourselves what we want to eat

Home delivery/ click and collect works perfectly for this. I put all my stuff on the order, then DH adds to it, then DS. Everyone gets what they want then.

I don't use home delivery, call me a loon but I like to pick my own produce now I no longer have young children. I used to use it when I did because children in supermarkets can be annoying and as a single parent back then, I didn't want to inflict my kids on others.

I do a mix of Click and Collect for all the long life stuff and things you can’t go wrong with. But go to the supermarket at quiet times for anything that I would need to choose in the flesh so to speak. So some meat and fruit.

if possible, yes.

but if there are two of you, have some consideration. Don't stand in front of a display for ages jabbering, picking things up, putting them down. (Irritating in normal times). Shop with your eyes and then pick up what you will actually buy.

Make a list and remember it is a shop, not a social centre.

I would say most of the shoppers I see (in supermarket or anywhere) are not singles; many have small children, too. Maybe 1/3 of the 'shopper' units I see (1 or more persons who will pay for a single collection of purchased items) has at least 2 adults in it.

Only in Lockdown 1 were there mostly single adult shopper units.

I tend to go alone but have taken an older teen occasionally. But I send them off with half the list and we get done extra quick.

I think that's part of the problem we, in particular women, have been conned into thinking shopping is a leisure activity when it's a job.