Just seen a NEWS report on the shops that have reopened

Only shopping in local shops for a while yet. I will only venture to the main town when I really have to.
I’m trying to understand why some people are happy to be in crowds to go shopping but don’t think it safe to go back to work.

I will probably go and have a look round the town (medium sized market town) and see if I can support the small local shops. The two large shops I regularly shop in are JL and Debenhams and they are not opening in our nearest town yet. I would like some new make up so will have to wait to go for that but otherwise everything is on line and much more convenient to try things on at home - I may never go browse shopping again.

I was having a huge declutter just before all this, so, I'm stuck with bags of stuff.
No way do I want to struggle down to a charity shop with them, and I've no idea when post will be back to normal, so selling on is not an option, either.

Whilst working yesterday I spoke to a Customer who had Queued 3 hours! to go into local Halifax branch.

One person serving who was also multi tasking helping people set up new accounts, other staff apparently just wandering round.

3 hour queues at Sports Direct.

One of our local charity shops was opening yesterday, only 3 or 4 at a time, one way system, donations to be taken round to the back door.
I hope they are not inundated with stuff, they only look to have a small store room.
I imagine many donations will go straight to the skip, as they will just have nowhere to put them, and if shop clothes have to be quarantined for 72 hours after being touched......

I'll be going past there on the bus in about 10 mins, grannygravy.

I'll try and crane my neck and see when they're open.

It’s not all the younger generation addicted to shopping. Various threads on GN show how many shoes, boots, handbags, not to mention clothes that many older ladies buy, either online or in person.

That post was to MissAdventure

Well I have to have something that fits me (who knew that baking actually shrunk clothes?) when we are allowed to meet up at Cafe Max for coffee and cake ?☕️

Oopsadaisy the charity shop I work in is probably not going to be opened till July but there are lots of things already put in place Donations will be double bagged and left for 72 hours we have a counter screen up , one way traffic and 4 customers at a time plus no trying on, goodS brought back will again be stored for 72 hours
It’s going to be very difficult but no worse than ordinary shops I guess
I m looking forward to a wander round town we can’t hide away for ever this virus isn’t going to disappear it’s going to be lurking around for probably years popping up every now and then we can’t stay in hiding for the rest of our lives

That's very unselfish of you, grannygravy

MissAdventure you are correct, according to GrandpaGravy I am single handedily trying to keep certain stores going ?

Online COVID-19?

It's no different to other people continuing to buy online, despite having umpteen pairs of shoes, boots, etc.

Non-essential says it all. Who needs new clothes - except children who are still growing or those who are munching their way through lockdown?

Saw a young woman clutching a handbags she’s ‘simply had to have’. Says something about our culture and priorities doesn’t it and suspect that applies to the young men mobbing the Nike shop too.

TerriBull - I confess, John Lewis is my go to store. My family often query how their sales can be dropping, given the level of support I give them. I'll look on line and I will miss meeting a friend at our local JL, wandering the sale lines, trying things on, having a coffee and a cake. Pre lock down bliss but not for the foreseeable

I won't be rushing out to the shops, before the lockdown I did like going to my local town in the early morning whilst it was quiet, we have one of the John Lewis that opened their doors yesterday. Their summer sales should be looming, normally I would buy at such a time, although everything is on line. However having seen some of the manic behaviour on the news, I can't understand it really, Nike in Oxford Street in particular, I mean no one dies without new trainers not to mention the queues for McDonalds, it really does say a lot about some people's mentality, definitely an age demographic thing I'd say. Would still rather walk out in the fresh air rather than traipse around shops with artificial lighting, haven't really missed them that much. Having said that, sadly the high street will suffer even more unless those wanting to spend do so.

In one image I saw I could clearly see two women - white haired and more than middle aged - coming out of a very crowded store onto a busy street. What were they thinking? How was that a safe environment for them?

Mick - I won't be rushing into any shops, that's for sure. Distancing rules, so many hands touching clothing etc - too risky for me. keep safe everyone

Mentioned on i another thread, out of curiosity I walked into town yesterday. Queues round the block for sports direct......how urgently can you need multi packs of Slazenger socks

Locally in a way to me Bicester Village , distancing rules broken etc , according to reports calls for it to close , until distancing rules change, which could never happen .
Mick

I’ve done more and more online shopping in recent years but even so, I’m mildly surprised at how completely indifferent I am to the idea of ever doing in-person shopping ever again.

I've never liked going into shops (not even for groceries, but I've been having to do that since the lockdown), and can't understand what would make anyone wait for hours in a queue. I can get everything I need online, thanks.

I suspect that was just Oxford Street, one photo I saw online looked like the scrum was 50% photographers

There are pictures on line of the young, mostly men queuing to get into the Nike Store in Oxford Street, no social distancing looked like a rugby scrum the poor man on the door didn’t stand a chance of monitoring numbers.

Who needs trainers or gym wear that desperately?