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.

Sometimes I haven't left the house for a few days so a trip to the supermarket is a day out! I'm in Scotland so there aren't other shops to visit yet

Not body is enforcing it now ime. Go at a quiet time (is avoid weekend lunchtime) if you're nervous

@TheFuckThatIGave

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

Ours isn’t at all, nor is it strict about masks. Must be individual managers’ discretion. Tesco on the other hand - traffic light system for entry, supervised hand sanitising, one way system inside, no couples or groups.

Supermarkets still have shop alone signs but lots of people go in in pairs.

I just walk in separately from teen DS if we both want to shop, though the rule seems to have been relaxed now. I saw a lot of discrimination before, teens and young adults being told only one could go in but nothing said to middle aged adults who would then block the aisles standing a metre and a half apart while having discussions on what to buy.

Shop with your eyes and then pick up what you will actually buy.
How can I read the ingredients without picking up the item? I don't know if I'm going to buy it if I don't know what I'm buying.

We had a family trip to Sainsburys the other day on our way out for the day. OH & DD1 bought lunch stuff, me & DD2 got sunscreen, sun hats & a magazine each for the kids.. was fine 🤷🏼‍♀️

The cashier in a local shop said it took a family of five to buy a single tanning mitt. It's stuff like that that makes me

Of course you can

@tired17

Up until the last few weeks there has been a sign outside saying to shop alone but I noticed this week that it had been removed.

We did try alternating visits but I found writing absolutely everything that we needed for the week on the list quite challenging, for example I just know that we are going to want bread so wouldn't normally write it but he would follow the list to the letter (apart from his stuff) and would come back without essentials, also I'm not working at the moment so if only one person can go it doesn't seem fair to leave it for him to do

We noticed that today too. DH, DS and me all popped in together. Wasn't busy in there and nice after a year of shopping alone for me

Just been to asda and was watching out after this thread. Pretty much everyone was with a partner or family.

I work in a shop, everyone ignores it anyway. Usually one shops whilst the other one stands around with a trolley blocking the entrance to an aisle. It’s been like it pretty much throughout the pandemic, apart from the first couple of months, retail workers were not given much consideration by some people.

I would just go together if that’s what you want to do.

We order food online and rarely go to shops. But we did go as a family once the start of the lockdown. We needed both me and dh be there so we just went. Nobody said anything.

Ooh. It didn't occur to me to shop alone. DH tends to get the bulk of the shopping. I like to browse for interesting things.
Yesterday he picked up groceries. I bought pea plants, alcohol and halloumi burgers and some generic greetings cards to keep in so I don't have to turf out just to buy a card next time a friend has a birthday.

If we need anything on top of delivery, we'll just as much go in together as to go in separately. We're much quicker in and out with the two of us as one of us scans, the other bags as we go and then straight to self service till.

It's not the LAW to shop alone.

Jesus Christ just get on with it.

I'm generally a lone shopper anyway. Nothing to do with Covid restrictions or guidance. I just like to look around and browse at my own pace and find having anyone with me more of a hindrance than a help.

I don't think anyone is so fussed about this anymore. I have recently needed to go into a couple of supermarkets with my mother and my sister (on separate occasions, not with both together). Nobody was even remotely interested. We just got on with it

I carry proof that I'm my DH's carer. We always shop together and nobody has asked why. He looks perfectly ok, walking with a stick, but he's too forgetful to manage on his own. I do shop alone sometimes, but he loves the outing, otherwise he doesn't leave the house.

I drive, DH doesn't. However, he does the cooking so knows what to buy better than me. Also he enjoys grocery shopping. I'll go in alone for a couple of bits if we particularly need something, but mostly we go together. Always have, even throughout the pandemic. Its not a social outing for us, its a household task. Why don't lone shoppers understand this? It might suit you to go alone, but it suits us to go together. Especially being a family of 5 with 2 teenagers so have a full trolley load of £100-£150 for a weekly shop. Its just how we've done it and always will probably. At least until 1 or 2 of the DCs move out.

@Sparklingbrook

Hopefully it will get better at the supermarkets now that people can have family days out (for something to do) at non essential shops other than supermarkets.

Exactly.

DH complained today having been to the supermarket and said that a couple were moving around very slowly discussing every last item. Apart from getting in everyone's way, how do they ever get anything done?

Nothing to do with covid, mind you.

My DH often comes supermarket shopping with me. We go in the early evening when the shop is very quiet. The shop we use has no queuing or security staff in place now. It's very much business as usual.

Really like Aldi’s green light system. Only had to wait once. Keeps numbers safe without having to worry about going in together - we don’t, anyway but my parents do (81 and 75). They have all the way through but they split up at the entrance, mum picks what she wants, stepdad what he wants and they meet up again either at the tills or in the car park. They’ve shopped like this for donkey’s years. Not quite sure what difference it would make if they walked around together though. With the green light system, the same number of people would be in the shop 🤷‍♀️

Not sure what the official line is but my local supermarkets are pretty much a free for all. Anything goes.

In the Sainsburys I shop in, I go pretty early and ppl tend to be on their own except the odd parent with a small child.

Last week I went in the afternoon and there was much more ppl together. Not groups, but much more couples.