Supermarkets

[lankeela]

Just braved Sainsbury's - had to queue for about five minutes but was amazed to count the number of people inside - at least a dozen in most aisles. What happened to restricting the number of people and especially the limit of 30 people gathering? It was very difficult to avoid people passing both ways and although I'm not of a nervous disposition I was glad to get out of there.

[Hopkirk]

Very unusual. Perhaps something has gone wrong at your local store.

[Rosie29]

Have a quiet word with the Manager ? They won't want to lose your custom if you're unhappy.

[ubasses]

Agree with Hopkirk, at our branch member of staff stands at the door with a tablet, tracking those coming out to let more in. The store allows 100 but when they get to high 80's they go and have a look to make sure they aren't getting any bottlenecks.

[lankeela]

Its not a huge store, and they did have a lad on the door monitoring those going in - but I didn't know they could allow that many in.

[Buenchico]

The rule about 'gatherings' not exceeding 30 people only applies where people "are present together in the same place in order to engage in any form of social interaction with each other, or to undertake any other activity with each other".

Shoppers in a supermarket aren't there to 'engage in social interaction', nor are they present 'to undertake an activity with each other'. So there is no fixed limit upon how many people can be in a supermarket at any one time.

If you've got a smartphone, you can check how crowded your local supermarkets are at any time by using the Crowdless app, which has been developed by the University of Oxford and is widely praised:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-52446658

https://crowdlessapp.co/

The best time to shop in many supermarkets though is often during the last hour of trading. When I visited Morrison's last week at 9pm there were only 3 or 4 other customers present in what is one of their largest stores in the country. Apart from the checkout assistant, I didn't come closer than five metres to anyone else in the store at all.

[lankeela]

Thanks Chris, won't be going in again for a few weeks!

[mushroom25]

// The best time to shop in many supermarkets though is often during the last hour of trading. //

round here, the problem with that tactic is the stores frequently have very little available to buy. in a "just in time" scenario the shop has no storage area, the storage area is the truck the goods arrive on. without 24hr opening now, there are no deliveries after 6pm.

[Maydup]

Its the Friday effect Lankeela. We have been shopping online and at local store until last week when we too ventured to Sainsbury's for the first time.

I recommend mid week afternoons. Either between 2:30 and 3:30 before school's out or 5pm -7pm when people are at home cooking. I think you'll find it much more comfortable then.

[ubasses]

I think it depends on the store as to when the best time is, I am getting there about 9.15am and it is virtually empty.