Running the messages

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Can anyone help resolve a (light-hearted) dispute with a friend, please? Both of us are half-Irish half something else and currently live in England (but have lived in Ireland in the past, she in Mayo and I in the Midlands).

I use the phrase 'run the messages' or 'do some messages' to mean little errands of any kind, usually involving going into town - posting a letter, returning library books, getting my eyebrows waxed etc. She thinks the messages are only food shopping, nothing else. Each of our families agrees with us, respectively.

Which is more common? Or 'right' if you're that way inclined!

Dubliner - the messages is only food shopping.

Dublin with country parents. Messages is a small food shop.

I'm Scottish and 'doing the messages' refers to food shopping only

My Dublin family call messages anything you need to do at the local shops, so post office, food shopping, but it could include some sort of personal care thing like a blow dry or nails.
It didn't seem to be exclusive to food. You might just get a newspaper and a loaf of bread from the bakery, florists, and then go to the solicitors office or pharmacy or something clerical like that ..
It would still be messages if it was in the local shopping area and didn't take the whole day or involve going into 'town'.
I guess there's no right or wrong to it?!

'Doing the messages' deffo = mostly food shopping, but you might pick up a newspaper or something as well.
If you were only going to buy a stamp at the PO and buy a newspaper, you wouldn't say you were doing the messages, I think food shopping has to be involved.
Not running errands - I don't know if we have a phrase for that?

I've read the phrase in novels set in Liverpool in the 1920/30/40s era (when many residents were of Irish descent). I always took it to mean doing things like going to the shops but in some of the novels it would sometimes be someone doing "messages" for someone else - like a child doing it for an elderly neighbour so it could be anything from buying food to collecting their laundry.
But I suppose the meaning from 100 years ago might be a bit different to how it's used now.

OH is scottish and uses it for shopping. He 'goes the messages'.

It seems the consensus is that my family are wrong. Sad times. Never mind, I'll get over it. I'll try to train myself out of using messages for general errands.

Thanks everyone.

Northwest here - ‘getting the messages’ would have covered general errands when I was growing up. So you’re not alone OP!

Grew up in the midlands - ‘going for messages’ was a top up of food but not the actual ‘big’ food shop.

Messages were in the local newsagents - bread, butter, ham, sweets.

I married into a Mid West family and live there now. Messages to me mean same as to you, OP. A few food bits, popping into the bank or the post office, picking up the dry cleaning. Definitely not just a small food shop.

Scottish - it was food only and you used a message bag to carry the food in.

My father used to use this expression.

I think he used it to do the rounds of his favourite small shops.

Scottish and "messages" is a food shop.

I'd say 'doing the messages' and it mostly means groceries. Maybe a few add-ons (e.g. newsagents) but wouldn't really extend to returning library books and definitely not to getting eyebrows waxed! I've never heard of 'running the messages'. I'm in Cork.

Ireland is a small country but you still get regional variations in the meaning of phrases. So you’re probably both right. The messages for me growing up in Midwest was mainly picking up a few mainly food bits from the village. Wouldn’t refer to errands.

Irish from Dublin but granny from 'the country' (basicallty anywhere that is not NI or Dublin) would do the messages when going shopping for groceries but 'going on a message' meaning going to get her nightly hot toddy.

I am in heart of Dublin City and I hear it all the time and it always a food shop. I also regularly hear the saying "makings of a stew, coddle etc" which seems to be a small shop.

During Covid I volunteered to get a couple of disabled neighbours shopping and it has stuck, they still ask me get the messages when I'm getting my own shopping. I have always said going shopping.

I have NI mum and lived there for a while so that could be where I picked up going shopping. She has always said going shopping

I guess even in different parts of Ireland it can be different things to different people

Food shop here, but only ever heard it at home, I think. English is my mother's second language so she might have picked it up anywhere in Ireland, as she lived in various places. I can't remember what my father said. We all say shopping now and have done for years. I've never heard running used.

I’m from the North and consider “the messages” to be as you describe, any little errands eg running to post office.

I never heard of "running the messages" but I did hear of having to do a few messages.