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[roseway]

Maybe there’s regional differences then, but I haven’t seen a Waitrose slot for weeks.

I note the availability list invariable shows “fully booked” for the next three days, and “unavailable” thereafter.   It would be interesting to know if the same “fully booked” vs “unavailable” distinction shows for their prioritised customers?

I checked just now after receiving a delivery this morning. I see available slots from 25 April until well into May, and a very small number of "unavailable". I don't really know what the latter means, but I'm guessing that it means slots which are free but not yet released.

[Chrysalis]

I had to go out yesterday to get petrol for my lawnmower, which included driving past Waitrose.

On a normal Sunday, the car park would be full and queuing, but it was largely deserted.    Looking through the window, it looked pretty empty inside.   Yet Waitrose seem to have completely stopped delivering to anybody not on the ‘vulnerable’ list, so how are all the healthy people getting groceries?

Makes me wonder whether an awful lot of people have found an angle to get themselves onto the ‘vulnerable’ list?   A bit like the number of incredibly fit professional racing cyclists who turn out to suffer from terrible Asthma, which happens to be treated with steroids.

Or maybe they conveniently have a vulnerable relative living nearby, or a neighbour on the list, and get their deliveries by proxy?

more likely you just went by on a quiet time of day, the vast majority of people are still going into shops, the supermarkets dont have the capacity to deliver to any more than a minority of people.

[sevenlayermuddle]

They lifted some of the per-item limits a few weeks ago, and whereas Tesco limit to 80 items overall, I don't remember Waitrose doing that.  Might be wrong. 

Since we have started offering to help out elderly neighbours when we do get a Tesco slot, and we've sometimes gone nearly three weeks at a time, we can get close to their 80 items limit.  Annoying thing is that as a green gimmick, predating all this, Tesco started doing away with packaged multipacks.  So for example, when we first started ordering, a 4x pack of Pot Noodle was one item.  You'd now use up 4 items in such a purchase.

Had a bit of a traffic jam in the driveway this morning.  Large Parcel Force van bringing electronic components coincided with another large van bringing beer.  At least the beer van driver was able to quiz the Parcel Force driver as to location of a house I'd never heard of.

I checked just now after receiving a delivery this morning. I see available slots from 25 April until well into May, and a very small number of "unavailable". I don't really know what the latter means, but I'm guessing that it means slots which are free but not yet released.

That does then sound like my own three-day-ahead restriction is either due to the fact I am not yet 70, or regional variations.  Right now, as it has been for several weeks, anything beyond three days is simply 'unavailable', and anything within three days is fully booked.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Moral dilemma...

You have successfully added one extra large cauliflower, your very favourite vegetable, to your Tesco home delivery basket.

A couple of days before delivery you call your elderly neighbours to ask if they’d like to add anything.   They ask you to add milk, bread, eggs, and... a cauliflower.

When adding these items, you are notified that extra large cauliflowers are now unavailable, so you downgrade your own cauliflower to small, 2 x small in total.

Upon delivery you are supplied, by mistake, with just one small cauliflower.  What do you do?

1  Explain to your neighbour that their cauliflower order did not succeed?
2  Take it on the chin, give them the cauliflower?
3  Fess up, and take half a cauliflower each?

I went for (3).  Next delivery nearly two weeks off and not sure I could last that long with no cauliflower at all. 

[Weaver]

Janet went to the Coop this morning to stock up on the usual supplies. While she was in there she had a sudden - innocent - tickly cough. She thought "I’m going to be regarded as a leper!", so she had to go into the toilets before she could cough in peace

[sevenlayermuddle]

According to BBC, B&Q have decided to start opening stores...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52393074

As far as I am aware, Govt rules and guidance remain the same...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others

Stay at home
Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
Wash your hands as soon as you get home

B&Q washrooms are actually quite well maintained in my experience so hand washing may even be possible in store, and it might be possible to observe the 2 metre gap most of the time.   But I wonder, how often is there a food or health reason for visiting B&Q?   

It’ll be interesting to watch the stats in a couple of weeks, to see if events like this cause a spike.

[j0hn]

Trades (plumbers, electricians) are still working and need somewhere to buy materials and parts.

The government thinks shops like B&Q are essential.

From the Screwfix website.

On Monday 23rd March, Screwfix was categorised as an essential retailer by the Government. We are open with a range of products to help keep homes warm, safe and with power, and to support you with the products you need at home. Please use Click & Collect for safe contactless pick up at store. Wherever possible please use our Home Delivery service to reduce non-essential travel.

Edit: from the B&Q website

Having watched other essential retailers support social distancing in their stores, we are now in a position to follow best practice and re-open some stores, while keeping our colleagues and customers safe. See list here.  Our aim us to provide the best possible service and help customers look after their homes and gardens, as well as their wellbeing, at this difficult time.

[sevenlayermuddle]

@John, yes I agree.

But by opening the main doors, as opposed to just the trade only doors, B&Q may tempt ‘average people’ like myself to venture out.   Yet I’m not convinced such trips, by average public, are permitted within guidelines.

I’m certainly not sure I’d like to face a police spot-check in my car as they’ve been doing on some roads asking me the essential purpose of my journey, if the best answer I can find is “buying paint at B&Q”.

Per responsible trade activity as an example, our dishwasher packed in last week.  The manufacturer won’t supply me the parts or send an engineer to fix it as a domestic dishwasher is not regarded as an essential appliance.   A fridge, or a cooker, they’d have fixed it.   Quite reasonable, imho, even though I’m already sick of washing up.

[g3uiss]

My wife works for the NHS, she is dedicated but struggling with worries about infections and bringing them home.

Today on her day off, she got a parking fine for an alleged breach on private land on the 5th of January!

It was dated 18 April. I’m disgusted that they can do this from months ago, at a time when nobody needs it. She burst into tears.

I will be writing a strong email.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Re that parking issue how can parking sharks, in all honesty, claim that their contribution to society is essential and should continue during lockdown?   

High horses aside, might be worth checking the rules/guidelines on notification periods.    Not sure but I think intended Police prosecutions under the Road Traffic Acts have to be notified within 14 days, including police-enforced parking fines.

With decriminalisation of offences like parking and yellow boxes  local councils were able to ignore the 14 days but tended to observe it voluntarily.    Private parking sharks never had anything to do with the law so the 14 days period was irrelevant but industry guidelines, with which they ought to comply, suggested restraint.

Emphasise, that’s just from memory.  Might be utter codswallop.   

[g3uiss]

@7lm yes the notice period is voluntary for private.

It’s a pity there isn’t a mechanism to disgrace them publicly. I will email them, but we have enough issues so will likely pay.

They do say they will issue court proceedings, I suspect that can only be “claim on line” the old small claims, tempted to let them, I’m sure they would get short changed thru that process, and more likely to attract attention. Really disappointed with the whole thing, we don’t and can’t deal with it at the moment

Stay safe

Tony

[Chrysalis]

Is no surprise 7lm, my area has almost normal activity now, people blatantly flouting the lockdown, and the press keep pushing it for it to be lifted, the numbers have barely levelled off, so it seems the population will find out the hard way over the coming months.

[sevenlayermuddle]

We’ve just opened the patio doors, to applaud.   Slightly surreal as being a village location we can’t actually see anybody else but by golly, we can hear them.  I’d say tonight was the best so far.

I just find it a rather nice thought, that any healthcare staff or other essential workers, who happened to drive through the village at the right time, would hear it too.

[jelv]

Over the last few days we've been busy making a new kite. Around 7:30pm we were on the top of Castle Hill, Mere to check it flew OK - there was barely enough wind. By 7:45 what wind there was had totally gone - but we hung on in hope. This was taken while we waited for some wind.



About a minute to 8pm a lovely breeze picked up and it flew beautifully straight up to around 150ft. Taking photos of it in the air was tricky as it was flying directly towards the setting sun - this was taken as we brought it down when people had stopped clapping. A few minutes later the wind had totally disappeared again.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I really don't with making as much noise as possible.  The last two weeks I've not been feeling well and got woken up by the neighbours settings off fireworks.

If I'd been an NHS worker trying to get a few minutes shut-eye between shifts, not sure I'd appreciate it either.

There is a point where it becomes disruptive rather than supportive.  I've also seem a nasty trend of it encouraging people to ignore social distancing around communal buildings.