Just a Rant

[Deleted member 26715]

We're trying to keep away from people, we're not having contact with anyone other than the daughter, SIL & grandkids, the son has even stopped visiting as he's moved in with is girl/lady friend. We use online shopping where we can but there are somethings you just have to nip out for & TBH it's cheaper to buy at places like Home Bargains. So todays idea was to nip to Morrisons to pick a few things up, then to Home Bargains, then home before everywhere gets busy.

Morrisons won't let you through the tills until 10am but allow you into the shop at 9:30, we arrived 9:40 only I went into the shop & had got the 20 items or so, soup, beans mainly & was on a self service till by 9:45 knowing full well I would have to wait until 10:00 before it opened. As I am stood there a store assistant advises me the till is not open, so I replied I'm aware & that it will open at 10:00. Then a couple of minutes later another assistant comes past & tells me it's not open, but there are 2 more which are open to NHS personnel, to which I replied I wasn't NHS so I will wait, they then said, well it's up to me but I could go through the other till if I wanted to. As they were not busy it seemed daft to wait so, I packed the items back into the trolley & walked around to the empty NHS checkout.

The lady scanned all the items & then asked for my NHS identity, to which I replied I wasn't NHS & had been told to use the till by the other assistant. She then started to lecture me about not being able to serve the public until 10am, to which I replied I knew that & wouldn't have come to the checkout had I not been advised to. In the end she said as she'd already scanned everything it would be okay, but it wasn't a good experience

 

[Cycleops]

I guess they are just following the rules but these are strange days we are living in.
No such rules down here although most shops insist on a mask and sanitising.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Pretty sure they are breaking the Sunday trading restrictions (law) by allowing NHS to check through early. Entirely sensible; I'm just saying the law proscribes it, and no relaxation has been enacted sfaik. Morrisons just adopting a pragmatic approach which minimises hassle and no chance of Trading Standards Officers whining (successfully) in these difficult times.
I empathise with the whole uncomfortableness thing. And difficult to anticipate/avoid: you'd done your best.
Take care (eg with contacts outside your household).

 

[Archie_tect]

Perhaps go at 10am next time to avoid the hassle of being made to wait?

 

[Drago]

They can only trade for so many hours on a Sunday, hence the tills not opening until 10.

There is no exemption that permits them to trade for longer than that simply because they are serving NHS personnel.

In Phaeton's case id had told the self righteous little moo to go and fornincate on her own, and would have left the trolley full of goods for her to return to the shelves. He has greater fortutude than me to have been able to resist doing so.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Sunday trading laws depends on the size of the store. But I’m assuming the Morrison’s was large enough for them to apply. I think it’s above 2,500 sq ft from memory. If above that then limited to 6 hours on a Sunday.

That aside sympathise on different messages from assistants. But as pointed out it would be better if only NHS staff were allowed in at that point. As others suggest perhaps go later to avoid the delay whilst you wait, thus increasing your potential exposure.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Early access to the aisles of supermarkets on Sundays (sometimes 9:30, some 9:40) with the clear message that there's no checkout before 10:00 is pretty standard - and it's efficient for both shoppers and the store (a full 6 hours of trading). The cause of the OP's hassle (and rant) was then tweaking this to provide a nod towards the difficulties hard and long working NHS staff have, and the mixed messaging (poor communications) at the tills. The OP would do a service to the store manager to just articulate their experience, so they can grip the tills 'leader' (all that was missing was that person giving the checkout operator the 'nod'). And the manager can grip the check out team: ask for NHS ID before swiping the load through, not waiting till the 'have you got a Morrisons card etc' phase.

 

[MontyVeda]

Early access to the aisles of supermarkets on Sundays (sometimes 9:30, some 9:40) with the clear message that there's no checkout before 10:00 is pretty standard - and it's efficient for both shoppers and the store (a full 6 hours of trading). The cause of the OP's hassle (and rant) was then tweaking this to provide a nod towards the difficulties hard and long working NHS staff have, and the mixed messaging (poor communications) at the tills. The OP would do a service to the store manager to just articulate their experience, so they can grip the tills 'leader' (all that was missing was that person giving the checkout operator the 'nod'). And the manager can grip the check out team: ask for NHS ID before swiping the load through, not waiting till the 'have you got a Morrisons card etc' phase.

Not when I'm trying to stack the shelves and i've got half an hour less time to do it without any fecking shoppers getting in my way... I wish they'd just open at the store at the same time they open the tills.

 

[Archie_tect]

They can only trade for so many hours on a Sunday, hence the tills not opening until 10.

There is no exemption that permits them to trade for longer than that simply because they are serving NHS personnel.

In Phaeton's case id had told the self righteous little moo to go and fornincate on her own, and would have left the trolley full of goods for her to return to the shelves. He has greater fortutude than me to have been able to resist doing so.

They can avoid abuse from more vocal shoppers by leaving the doors locked until 10.

 

[Edwardoka]

Big shops only being allowed to sell for 6 hours on a Sunday which happens to be one of the two days most people aren't working, forcing most to do their big shop on a Saturday or squeeze it into the limited-in-Winter daylight hours on a Sunday seems more than a bit to me

We really are different countries.

 

[biggs682]

Jobs worth

 

[Archie_tect]

Several big supermarkets are open 24 hours round here... most are open until 8pm every day except Sunday- surely that's long enough to give people a bit of a lie-in on Sunday without people having a go at the staff?

 

[Drago]

Several big supermarkets are open 24 hours round here... most are open until 8pm every day uxcept Sunday- surely that's long enough to give people a bit of a lie-in on Sunday without people having a go at the staff?

Particularly when front line, clinical delivery, NHS staff work shifts and get a sprinkling of pm late shift starts, early pm day shift finishes, and days off during the week to do these things. A sunday is one of the least likely days that they would not be at work.

They supermarkets do it for cuddly PR purposes, and nothing more.

 

[Archie_tect]

That's the wrong way round D,
PR doesn't drive businesses. PR is the thin foil that sanitises what businesses choose to do to make sure they make as much profit as possible- difficult customers are just a nuisance- like midges.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Except @Phaeton the OP was not a 'difficult customer' and doing their level best not to be a nuisance. This debacle (and the angst caused to the OP) was a combo of the till leader trying to help (kind but misguided), then poor communications (not giving the cashier the 'nod'), and maybe just management not thinking through issues which might be a consequence of trying to give NHS staff a smooth passage (and the @Drago "cuddly" PR benefit of advertising that).