• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Supermarket Update

Status
Not open for further replies.

Darandio

Established Member
Joined
24 Feb 2007
Messages
10,672
Location
Redcar
I'm actually going tomorrow now as I can pick up my free caffe nero :D


Okay well I'm very large foot so hopefully mine should be fine!

Had my best Tesco experience since early 2020 this morning. They have removed all lines, crosses and all other tape related nonsense from the floor.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Butts

Veteran Member
Joined
16 Jan 2011
Messages
11,323
Location
Stirlingshire
Had my best Tesco experience since early 2020 this morning. They have removed all lines, crosses and all other tape related nonsense from the floor.

M&S Falkirk Foodstore still counting them in and out but I got straight in as pretty quiet.
 

cuccir

Established Member
Joined
18 Nov 2009
Messages
3,659
Tesco seems to have gone furthest along the lines of removing covid-related matters. My local store has removed the last of its barriers to prevent normal circulation, and hasn't had spray for trollies for a few weeks (it retains hand sanitizers).
 

kristiang85

Established Member
Joined
23 Jan 2018
Messages
2,650
Tesco seems to have gone furthest along the lines of removing covid-related matters. My local store has removed the last of its barriers to prevent normal circulation, and hasn't had spray for trollies for a few weeks (it retains hand sanitizers).

I think we've now reached a tipping point going from where the safety measures would encourage people to shop to where they start deterring people from going to the shop. So hopefully over the next few weeks most supermarkets will chuck all thier tape/distancing spots/queuing/etc.

Any news on Waitrose? I haven't been near my local one for a year now as they annoyed me so much last time I went there with their restrictive entry policy.
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
Sainsbury near my office has FINALLY removed the queueing barriers which mean you have to walk quite a considerable distance away from the main high street before doubling back to enter the shop. Not quite sure why they remained for so long as I've not seen anyone have to wait outside in what must be coming up for a year now.

Any news on Waitrose? I haven't been near my local one for a year now as they annoyed me so much last time I went there with their restrictive entry policy.
Last time I saw queueing at Waitrose was on Easter Saturday, but then it was pointed out in this forum that it was probably unusually busy due to the government enforced closure on Easter Sunday. I did go in to one last night where I witnessed someone getting in the way of everyone whilst scrubbing the handles of his basket with the shop provided spray. Couldn't resist but shake my head.
 

Baxenden Bank

Established Member
Joined
23 Oct 2013
Messages
4,002
Last weekend I saw a couple spraying the entire upper surface area of their trolley with the shop provided disinfectant spray. Perhaps they did the chassis as well, I didn't hang around to watch. I haven't seen anyone that fastidious through the whole pandemic.

Whilst it's not my place to judge, perhaps they are at extreme personal risk, or perhaps they are right about the level of risk faced by everyone and I should take note, but I did think this was excessive and I wonder how they will manage in June when distancing and perhaps even the mask requirement get dropped.

My local Tesco still has the lobby split into separate entrance and exit routes and plays the 'be nice to everyone message' over the tannoy, but all other measures have gone as far as I can tell. The 2m distancing floor strips seemed particularly difficult to remove. The Deli counter remains closed and the fresh bakery product isn't as fresh as they pretend it is - most being brought in from outside and I suspect frozen and defrosted before shelving - the packaging has a date on the back several days prior to the price label with 'best before' on it, which I guess is the manufacturing date. Is there a technique for keeping bread fresh in a cool but not frozen state? I've been refreezing it anyway and it doesn't seem to have affected me, affected me, affected me, in any way.
 

TravelDream

Member
Joined
7 Aug 2016
Messages
677
Went to a nearby Co-Op yesterday and had to queue for the first time in ages. They were only letting five in at a time (it's pretty small). One person was working at the door and one the tills. I did think two at the tills would be a bit better, but...


My local Tesco hasn't changed that much in the last few months. They took down a few barriers at the entrance and the one-way signs on each aisle which everyone ignored. Other than that, cleaning stations with sprays, their annoying tannoy messages, separate entrances and exit, the potential to queue outside (I go early), and social distancing signs all remain.
 

DelayRepay

Established Member
Joined
21 May 2011
Messages
2,929
Last weekend I saw a couple spraying the entire upper surface area of their trolley with the shop provided disinfectant spray. Perhaps they did the chassis as well, I didn't hang around to watch. I haven't seen anyone that fastidious through the whole pandemic.

Whilst it's not my place to judge, perhaps they are at extreme personal risk, or perhaps they are right about the level of risk faced by everyone and I should take note, but I did think this was excessive and I wonder how they will manage in June when distancing and perhaps even the mask requirement get dropped.

I have noticed at my local Tesco, most people now ignore the cleaning station. But there are a few that go to great lengths to ensure their trolley is forensically disinfected. The irony is that these people take so long that you often see two or three of them crowded around the cleaning station. Whatever your view on the necessity of measures, surely you are theoretically putting yourself at greater risk by standing close to another person, than by using a potentially dirty trolley?

My local Tesco still has the lobby split into separate entrance and exit routes and plays the 'be nice to everyone message' over the tannoy, but all other measures have gone as far as I can tell.

We also still have the lobby split into separate routes but I don't really mind this. It used to get quite congested with people stopping to chat(!) or look at the random garden stuff that they used to stack in there, along with abandoned trolleys etc. Having the split routes makes it a bit easier to get into the store quickly so that can stay as far as I am concerned.

Other than that, and the announcements, and the screens at the tills, and the Costa Coffee being takeaway only, it's pretty normal(!)
 

Gloster

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2020
Messages
8,289
Location
Up the creek
There definitely does seem to be a easing off by customers of all aspects of their part of the measures (hand sanitising, trolley/basket wiping, etc.), but (as mentioned above) those that still make an effort really seem to go to excess. Shops seem to have slackened off their efforts to enforce the rules, except for those that always seemed to take it too far. It may be that they feel that people should be used to the situation by now.

One thing that still annoys me is the way that most of the notices and announcements seem to suggest that Happymart is being specially careful about your health because they are so considerate.
 

DannyMich2018

Member
Joined
19 Dec 2018
Messages
732
There definitely does seem to be a easing off by customers of all aspects of their part of the measures (hand sanitising, trolley/basket wiping, etc.), but (as mentioned above) those that still make an effort really seem to go to excess. Shops seem to have slackened off their efforts to enforce the rules, except for those that always seemed to take it too far. It may be that they feel that people should be used to the situation by now.

One thing that still annoys me is the way that most of the notices and announcements seem to suggest that Happymart is being specially careful about your health because they are so considerate.
What drives me crazy is many supermarkets self service tills are now card-only. Morrisons is the worst with only a few out of 10 tills accepting cash. I prefer to pay by cash when I can because I want a bit of privacy and don't want the supermarket or bank knowing exactly what I buy each week and how much is spend etc. Want some privacy. Went to Asda Nuneaton earlier one way system to get in is funny because if you do some shopping and you need to them go the loo you have to go back out and come in again because they are entrance only, not that I needed to go but could annoy some people.
 

MikeWM

Established Member
Joined
26 Mar 2010
Messages
4,382
Location
Ely
What drives me crazy is many supermarkets self service tills are now card-only. Morrisons is the worst with only a few out of 10 tills accepting cash. I prefer to pay by cash when I can because I want a bit of privacy and don't want the supermarket or bank knowing exactly what I buy each week and how much is spend etc. Want some privacy.

I agree it is rather annoying. I walked out of a central London M&S last weekend because they had about 40 self-service tills but only 2 were taking cash. Inevitably there was a long queue for those 2 while dozens of 'card-only' others stood unused. I left my potential purchases on one of those tills and walked out, making a point of telling the staff why. It probably won't achieve anything but I made my point anyway :)

The number of tills are fairly clearly based on 'nudging' you towards not using cash, rather than based on actual demand. I'd add that this doesn't work on me - I'm using cash *more* than I was before the Covid stuff started, because I think it is very important to still be able to do so.

On a similar note, at some point over the last year Tesco have removed more-or-less all of their regular instore offers, and now you only get discounts if you have a clubcard. Which may well not be Covid-related, but is still irritating.
 

jfollows

Established Member
Joined
26 Feb 2011
Messages
5,750
Location
Wilmslow
I live 100 yards from a mid-sized Sainsbury, but I stopped going there from March 2020.

I simply saw this as a means of minimising my risk of exposure to Covid-19 when I had other alternative arrangements I could make.

Last week I went back for the first time in over a year.

I'm glad to say that it was a good experience, I'm happy about my visit. Extra people outside cleaning the shopping trolleys and presumably reminding people to wear masks. A few signs, but nothing excessive. No one-way arrangements or closed aisles. Check-out tills now surrounded with protection for the workers. Several of the staff welcomed me back "we haven't seen you for a while" etc. which was nice.
 

LAX54

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2008
Messages
3,753
With all this extra sanitising of hands etc, with 60% / 70% alchohol rub, umpteen times a day, even by the hour if you are high street shopping, the next thing will be skin disorders, and because everything is 'so clean' there will be more bugs / stomach upsets as we will have become de-immuned (if there is such a thing) to the everyday stuff !
As for Tesco removing lines and orders, B&Q near us, have gone the other way all of a sudden, you MUST go this way, you MUST not do this, you MUST not cross this line.....
 

james60059

Member
Joined
6 Jul 2006
Messages
839
Location
Hinckley
Had my best Tesco experience since early 2020 this morning. They have removed all lines, crosses and all other tape related nonsense from the floor.

Our Tesco in Hinckley still retains all the paraphernalia - for now at least anyway :smile:

What drives me crazy is many supermarkets self service tills are now card-only. Morrisons is the worst with only a few out of 10 tills accepting cash. I prefer to pay by cash when I can because I want a bit of privacy and don't want the supermarket or bank knowing exactly what I buy each week and how much is spend etc. Want some privacy. Went to Asda Nuneaton earlier one way system to get in is funny because if you do some shopping and you need to them go the loo you have to go back out and come in again because they are entrance only, not that I needed to go but could annoy some people.

Morrisons Hinckley self service aren't accepting cash at all - not when I was in yesterday anyway. Tesco on the other hand, 2 of the 4 self service tills are accepting cash.
 

MikeWM

Established Member
Joined
26 Mar 2010
Messages
4,382
Location
Ely
Morrisons Hinckley self service aren't accepting cash at all - not when I was in yesterday anyway. Tesco on the other hand, 2 of the 4 self service tills are accepting cash.

I don't think Waitrose self-service have accepted cash for years, I remember being in one in Chester probably 5 or 6 years ago and none of them taking cash. Neither the 'mini Waitrose' in Cambridge nor the larger one in Ely do so now. Fortunately I'm not in Waitrose often!

So I don't think this is really a Covid thing, but they've used it as an excuse to accelerate what they wanted to do anyway. It does rather go against the principle of 'the customer is always right' when there is clearly some significant degree of demand still to use cash.
 

TravelDream

Member
Joined
7 Aug 2016
Messages
677
Morrisons Hinckley self service aren't accepting cash at all - not when I was in yesterday anyway. Tesco on the other hand, 2 of the 4 self service tills are accepting cash.

My local Tesco has never accepted cash as the self-service machines and those machines have been there a couple of years at least. I think this must vary by location.
 

david1212

Established Member
Joined
9 Apr 2020
Messages
1,464
Location
Midlands
In Aldi this afternoon no announcements every few minutes about masks and protecting colleagues - I can't recall the wording despite the number of times I've heard it as I just switch off ...
 

Freightmaster

Established Member
Joined
7 Jul 2009
Messages
3,469
In Aldi this afternoon no announcements every few minutes about masks and protecting colleagues - I can't recall the wording despite the number of times I've heard it as I just switch off ...
The one thing which strikes me is most of these announcements seem to be done by voiceover artists
with a Yorkshire/Northern accent - or is that just because I live in the North and the Southern stores
have their announcements done in a posh home counties accent?! o_O



MARK
 

bramling

Veteran Member
Joined
5 Mar 2012
Messages
17,685
Location
Hertfordshire / Teesdale
The one thing which strikes me is most of these announcements seem to be done by voiceover artists
with a Yorkshire/Northern accent - or is that just because I live in the North and the Southern stores
have their announcements done in a posh home counties accent?! o_O



MARK

The northern voices seem to be used down south too. The Tesco’s voice is nothing short of excruciating. There’s something about the tone of the message which is extremely irritating, especially when (as in my local store) it is played very frequently.

In my local store it’s followed by a creepy dystopian-sounding female voice doing the “be nice to each other” message.
 

Butts

Veteran Member
Joined
16 Jan 2011
Messages
11,323
Location
Stirlingshire
The northern voices seem to be used down south too. The Tesco’s voice is nothing short of excruciating. There’s something about the tone of the message which is extremely irritating, especially when (as in my local store) it is played very frequently.

In my local store it’s followed by a creepy dystopian-sounding female voice doing the “be nice to each other” message.

Almost as annoying as "Unexpected item in the bagging area" :E
 

fraser158

Member
Joined
7 Feb 2011
Messages
156
Location
Inverness
The northern voices seem to be used down south too. The Tesco’s voice is nothing short of excruciating. There’s something about the tone of the message which is extremely irritating, especially when (as in my local store) it is played very frequently.

In my local store it’s followed by a creepy dystopian-sounding female voice doing the “be nice to each other” message.
I work in a Tesco and I always think the female voice sounds like Priti Patel.

Anyway, at the start of the most recent lockdown it went: song, safety message, be nice message, song … etc.

Now it is a bit more palatable 2 or so songs then the messages and sometimes they throw in a Tesco Mobile advert for good measure.
 

Pete_uk

Established Member
Joined
28 Jan 2017
Messages
1,250
Location
Stroud, Glos
Just wanted to say well done to jfollows, I'm sure it's a bit of a strange feeling to go back to doing something you were used to doing all the time. Sadly there are still a lot of people still hiding behind their sofa...
 

initiation

Member
Joined
10 Nov 2014
Messages
432
I go shopping at Tesco every week about 7-8pm on a tuesday evening. May be I am lucky but I have never ever heard any announcements or annoying tannoy talks about what rules we must all follow. They do have a traffic light system at the door but I have never seen it used even on a Sunday afternoon. I have also never had my mask exemption challenged (the security guard mostly just says 'hello').
 

jfollows

Established Member
Joined
26 Feb 2011
Messages
5,750
Location
Wilmslow
Just wanted to say well done to jfollows, I'm sure it's a bit of a strange feeling to go back to doing something you were used to doing all the time. Sadly there are still a lot of people still hiding behind their sofa...
Thank you, that's a nice thing to say.

I actually went on the way back home after having my second vaccination against Covid-19, but having the vaccination wasn't the reason I decided to go, after all it'd be a few days before it had any effect anyway.

I just felt the time was right, and my experience proved this. I've been back again since, similar results. The only thing I had to remind myself was that the lady whizzing around with no mask probably has a valid exemption, although I took care to keep well away from her.

Next on the list of formerly-familiar things will using trains again; my partner will probably do so for the first time on Saturday week to go and meet friends in Manchester.
 

greyman42

Established Member
Joined
14 Aug 2017
Messages
4,894
I just felt the time was right, and my experience proved this. I've been back again since, similar results. The only thing I had to remind myself was that the lady whizzing around with no mask probably has a valid exemption, although I took care to keep well away from her.
Why did you have to remind yourself regarding the lady with no mask, were you going to say something to her and why would you feel the need to keep well away from her?
 

Freightmaster

Established Member
Joined
7 Jul 2009
Messages
3,469
Why did you have to remind yourself regarding the lady with no mask, were you going to say something to her and why would you feel the need to keep well away from her?
Some people are still absolutely horrified when they encounter 'maskless' people in shops, unfortunately...

I know this for a fact because Mrs Freightmaster works in a supermarket and doesn't wear a mask
(she tried for a week last July and nearly fainted twice!), but she makes sure to wear her sunflower
lanyard prominently so that customers can see that she is exempt.

Unfortunately, that doesn't stop customers regularly making official complaints about her "putting
the public in danger" to the management (which they quite rightly ignore).

How will these people cope when masks are no longer mandated in shops later this year?! o_O



MARK
 

Gloster

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2020
Messages
8,289
Location
Up the creek
I don’t whether I have just been lucky/unlucky up until now, but something that seems to be becoming more frequent is using trolleys to keep other people at a distance. This often involves blocking aisles or entrances so that others must make a significant diversion, despite there being sufficient room for passing. There are even a few who will swing their trolley towards you so as to force you to keep as far away as possible, even though you were already keeping well clear. (And, no, I think that this was deliberate, not just the usual supermarket trolley wonky wheel.)
 

Freightmaster

Established Member
Joined
7 Jul 2009
Messages
3,469
I don’t whether I have just been lucky/unlucky up until now, but something that seems to be becoming more frequent is using trolleys to keep other people at a distance. This often involves blocking aisles or entrances so that others must make a significant diversion, despite there being sufficient room for passing. There are even a few who will swing their trolley towards you so as to force you to keep as far away as possible, even though you were already keeping well clear. (And, no, I think that this was deliberate, not just the usual supermarket trolley wonky wheel.)
If they are so terrified of other people, why don't they stick to home delivery??




MARK
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top