COVID - general discussion - Temp Locked
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Our nearest supermarkets are 8-9 miles away in different directions, Sainsbury's is 20 miles. Tesco was good when I was working, we didn't have a Waitrose then. I've only opted for Waitrose because I got familiar with the store in recent years so can visualise my way round when trying to think of items . I managed to join the system just before the first lockdown, I'd got fed up with the drive, parking, shopping and a painful shoulder, it took a chunk out of the day. This particular shop is quite small but covers a big rural area so they're doing well getting deliveries into three neighbouring counties.
I used to nip into the M&S foodhall when going to town and Lidl too. But I'm happy that we've got deliveries sorted and athough we pay more we're not spending money on much else just now. I order for our neighbours...they also get a free Daily Mail and I have to pay for the i !!
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Our son now uses Tesco exclusively since about 6-7 years back, previously they used Asda. I believe they have some sort of annual sub that lets them order as often as they wish. They live out in the sticks south of Glasgow, on a farm, though they do not farm themselves, rather rent out multiple acres. He works from home, always has done, his wife is a teacher.
His wife hates shopping for food, so he is in charge of ordering. They have had some problems getting slots in the past 9 months as so many new shoppers wanted deliveries, so I think he has had to shop in person quite a few times. Luckily a new Tesco store opened not too far away.
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That’s why I invested in a new more powerful microwave, it cooks a lot quicker. I’m called ‘lord of the pings’, I have earned it too😗😗
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I'm more than happy with the quality of food I get whether I see it before purchase or not, over time I've cooked on strict budgets with cheap food and the reverse. At present not going inside a confined shopping space is more important to me than lingering over food shelves and counters so I'm happy with that too. So each to his or her own.
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I think food shopping online has proved to be well worthwhile for us, something we had only done once before COVID. I perfectly accept that being able to walk around a shop and looking at things is far better but needs must when the devil drives. What I do miss is the fresh fish and meat counters which unfortunately are not an option with online shopping. The other thing is memory!!! We can't remember the entire assortment so sometimes miss things. I just wonder how long it will take before we go back to shopping in store. What we miss are those conversations in the supermarket aisles with ex colleagues, neighbours and friends and of course our weekly coffee and cake before the shopping. Mind you the latter has saved us a fortune over the last 10 months!!!
David
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It does help us not eating meat, and we don’t eat as much fish buying online, you can’t beat choosing your own fish. That said, haven’t had any issues with fruit and veg that’s been delivered. The thing to remember is that you don’t have to accept anything delivered, if it isn’t the quality or date you expect. Tesco indicate the use dates on a lot of their fresh stuff, such as bread, fruit, veg, deli options. I was sent a different brand of pitta breads last shop. I only eat one brand, they sent me two of Tesco own brand, but were happy to credit me.
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We got Tesco slots before any other that I'd tried for in the first lockdown. Iceland still offer inducements but I prefer Tesco's.
As takethedogalong says most fresh stuff has the expected days before use on the page. Substitions are always stated on arrival and you can say yeah or nay. My order before Christmas had the Turkey crown substituted for a cook in a bag chicken, wouldn't have been my choice, never thought to put a note in for substitute 😯. The chicken was actually very acceptable. When I was told I immediately said then I didn't want the cranberry sauce, I was impressed as it was all very last minute. Happy to retrieve that at the door whilst I sorted delivery and refunded by driver. Arrives in my account within 2 days when it happens.
I also had a cold meat which was dated for the day of delivery but not discovered until much later in the day. I rang tesco as I wasn't happy, I only get 2 weekly delivery so completely through out menu plans 😇. Lady on the other end full of apologies and a much greater refund into my account than the cost. I rescheduled menu and only rang because I didn't think it was good.
I do pop into M&S foodhall when needed, but I feel very safe there.
Heard of COVID19 death today locally 😢 and a married couple passing in Leeds, their son's wife runs nursery and they had their grandchild to sit with them to save her being bored whilst mum worked. A child came into nursery, grandchild asymptomatic carrier passed to grandparents 😱
Doing the best we can to stay safe.........
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Isn't the problem that the advice is you can go anywhere within your LA area, I know that is the case up here.
There has been some of course, that are not happy that their area is smaller than others.
We are lucky as we live in one of the biggest LA areas, Perth and Kinross, so legally we could go for a drive and then a walk/cycle over 60 miles away from where we live.
Some folk were complaining on the Scot.gov site that they live close to LA border area and there nearest shop is just a few miles but if they stay within their LA they would have to travel over 20 miles to shop.
It would make life so much simpler if they were now, under lockdown, to forget about LA areas and just say 10 or 15 miles from home. When in the tier system it did give folk a defining area but under lockdown it is meaningless.
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Do the latest rules still mention LA areas?
Since we are pretty much all in tier 4 now, it seems pointless.
OH found this..........you can leave home for essential shopping, including essential shopping for a vulnerable person. You should use online shopping or shops and other services in your immediate area wherever you can
so if the nearest shop is just over a LA boundary, surely more sensible to go there?
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/
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"It would make life so much simpler if they were now, under lockdown, to forget about LA areas and just say 10 or 15 miles from home. When in the tier system it did give folk a defining area but under lockdown it is meaningless."
Hi TG, Just to illustrate how difficult it is defining a restriction my nearest supermarket is 18 miles away and my LA area is the whole of Cornwall.
So under one, miles, I would be unable to shop and under the other drive to Lands End if I had a reasonable excuse!
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and applied immediate fine if vehicle registered more than 10 miles from the location might discourage what appears to be a lot of unnecessary travel.
I agree with the sprit of what you sat but it wouldn't work in practice. My company car was registered at the companies head office 80 miles away so would i be fined for having the car outside my house?
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As you say brue, each to their own, but I’ve always been happy with the quality of produce in our online shop, we do often ‘add a note to the picker’ about size or freshness and haven’t been disappointed. Like you I wouldn’t consider using a supermarket in person, (unless we were starving!) especially not at present!
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Yes, I wouldn't normally get into a discussion about food deliveries but just at the moment it's come to the fore as it reduces contact with Covid infections. Even with deliveries just now I handle everything carefully and wipe things over, we had slackened off on that one.
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We are still washing/wiping all our deliveries. In fact I sometimes feel I’m getting a bit obsessed about it but I can’t help it! I feel it’s the safest thing for us so I continue to do it BUT when will I ever stop? I often ask myself that question!! This new version of Covid seems more frightening than before.
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Morning
Very similar to you, my motorhome and car are registered in Cambs. I'm locked down at work in Cirencester. In March I'm hopefully headed to north Devon.
As for supermarkets, we couldn't get a delivery slot for 3 weeks so we braved the local Tesco's on Friday. Traffic light system in place and majority of people distanced ok. I think folk get frustrated when they get to the trolley cleaning / hand sanitizing station just inside the door, many people just pushing past not bothering. In store was ok if an aisle was busy we'd just go back later. The queues were too big at the self serve check outs so we waited at a manned one. Overall we felt ok with our masks, visors and gloves on. On the way out I fuelled the car at pay at pump.
It's a large Tesco extra but I think they are limiting numbers as the queue outside was around 50 deep but inside it felt ok. We managed to get all our supplies, especially the bulky ones, so for the next few weeks I'll just walk to the local Tesco metro. On the way back I thrashed the car half way to Swindon and back as it's not been out since November. Glad to be back to the feeling of safety on site with the gates locked!
Talking of gates, Saturday morning I had to call the authorities as there were so many cars trying to park up in our driveway. There were 3 particular cars that were together with 12 people aiming to walk in the park. Obviously not a bubble and no distancing at all. The Police turned up on quad bikes 10 minutes later. We had intended to attempt a walk in the park ourselves but the amount of people strolling past was unbelievable, decided to clean the car again!
JK
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If Chris Whitty is saying today that this is the most dangerous time for Covid and is saying avoid any uneccessary trips out I think he's probably right!
JK we're still seeing people walking around in groups for country walks round here. Hope you've got a nice clean car...
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+1, it’s very frustrating watching folk without a care in the world with no intention of even attempting to help the cause of bringing the numbers down, ie save lives & health care stress levels🙁. Each of these people potentially have parents, grandparents, friends, children yet they just don’t care. We see the Police herding the anti-vaxers away from joe public as they impose their beliefs on us all🤷🏻♂️. We need strong leadership-arrest them, fine them on the spot. It’s beyond their human rights, really?-it’s our Human right to life not theirs to endanger it. I’m done-I’ll go & find a stout cushion to scream into👍🏻
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We are the "like to see what we are buying and don't trust the pickers" type of shoppers for fresh produce but do manage to get a slot about every 3 weeks for the non perishables such as toilet roll, detergents etc.
I have an allergy to Wheat, Rye and Spelt and quite frankly I don't trust the picker to get that bit right. I once ordered some Gluten Free Muesli, when it used to be on the breakfast cereal shelf and I got ordinary muesli with wheat in despite the note to the picker. They've now moved that cereal to the Free From section. Last time I inadvertently had some Rye I was very ill for 2 days and lost half a stone so I want to see the product but at least with the Click and Collect we spend as little time in there as is necessary.
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The issue of the two ladies at Foremark Reservoir still rumbles on here. Matt Hancock and Priti Patel have said that the police were correct whilst the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner seemed to sit on the fence this morning being non-committal apart from saying that all fines issued during this lockdown were being reviewed. If they are reviewing the incidents, to my mind they are not certain of their position. It has been stated that it is up to the individual police officer to use his opinion and judgement at the time so there could be as many different opinions as there are officers on the force.
The word 'local' is what needs defining. The fact that this has still not been determined by the government makes me suspect that even they cannot agree on a definition. It needs a specific distance from home to be stated but additionally this should be 'as the crow flies' which is more specific than distance by road which can be variable.
Staying very local, ie walking from home was proved by a friend last week as to be not necessarily the best advice. On Wednesday my friend and his wife drove four miles and then did a six mile walk. They saw no-one. The following day, because of the hoo-haa they walked from home on a housing estate. They walked about 2 miles and passed 51 people. Another friend walked from home around the village where he lives. He said there were many people and family groups about that he had to warily walk past. Which walks were the safest? I know that these are only two examples but both good illustrations. The messages seem to be 'concentrate all people exercising in as small an area as possible. Don't allow them to use their common sense'.
Our local favourite place to go is Calke Abbey, 4½ miles from home but a place where there was a sizeable police presence over recent days. The car-park at Calke is enormous and due to the NT booking system people arrive at different times. When we have been there we have seen relatively few people in the 600 acres on the many miles of paths. Most of these people were at a very safe distance even though there might be a hundred or so cars in the car-park. I just cannot see any logic being applied in the guidance.
The medics have stressed that exercise is very important for us particularly in green spaces, and is good for both physical and mental health. Walking from my home the only green that I see is the occasional front lawn of houses. Hardly what the medics are advocating. Derby has several very big parks and heritage sites where people can be 'lost' in woods and green spaces but for most people getting to them would require a relatively short drive, isolated in their own cars.
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Difficult for you WN, what you can eat might be brand specific etc.... so deliveries much more difficult.
We have had to stop walking our nearby park, it’s so full of family’s, groups walking together and it doesn’t feel safe. We drive to woodland a couple of miles away to walk pooch. (Sadly his arthritis wont let him walk that far, and it’s steep hills as well, we aren’t being lazy)
I think much of the advice is coming with a lot of vagueness, too easily misinterpreted not only by general public, but by police as well.
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Have you tried on line buying for gluten free WN? I'm thinking of places like Planet Organic, my DIL has the same need for gluten free. I'm only thinking of this on a temporary basis whilst we get through this horrible stage of high infection rates, obviously many people prefer to shop personally.
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