Coronavirus (COVID-19) Panic Buying?

[lovetravellingoz]

Indeed, I get the impression Aussies are too busy emptying supermarket shelves to go on holiday!
cheers skip

Not at the supermarkets I frequent. And at Costco, when don't shoppers here have full trollies?

I think it is more that hand sanitiser has a run on.

 

[Flashback]

Tesco has announced further measures.

Food for all To ensure more people have access to everyday essentials, we have introduced a storewide restriction of 3 items per customer on every product line and removed multi-buy promotions. In product areas where demand is particularly high, we have simplified our range to get more of the most popular products on shelves. We have introduced a special hour in stores for NHS workers as a thank you for all they are doing. On Sundays, they can browse our large stores and select their shopping an hour before the checkouts open. All we ask is, if you’re an NHS worker, that you bring a form of ID to store, such as an NHS staff card. We have listened to feedback and are looking at how we can extend this to include extra days from next week. To ensure our more vulnerable and elderly customers can shop for what they need in our large stores, we have prioritised one hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning between 9-10am. We know that it’s difficult right now to get a delivery slot for online shopping. We are at full capacity for the next few weeks and we ask those who are able to safely come to stores to do so, instead of shopping online, so that we can start to free up more slots for the more vulnerable. We are looking at every opportunity to increase the number of slots available. As we increase our capacity, we will also set aside more of these slots for our most vulnerable customers. We have more stock coming into stores every day, with up to double the usual amounts of key essentials arriving – but we need everyone’s help: please buy only what you need, so that there is enough for everyone.

Safety for everyone To ensure we are doing everything possible to reduce the risk of infection for our customers and colleagues, we will begin to introduce new social distancing measures in stores in the coming days. Floor markings in our car parks will help you to maintain safe distances when queuing. Where necessary, we will limit the flow of people coming into our stores to ensure they don’t get too congested. Hand sanitisers are being placed around our stores for customers and colleagues to use, as well as extra cleaning products to wipe down your trolley or basket. In some stores, we will introduce directional floor markings and new signage, to create a safe flow around the store. New floor markings will help you to keep a safe distance from others while waiting to pay. We are installing protective screens at our checkouts. Where possible, we will create separate entrances and exits to our stores, so that it’s easier to keep a safe distance from other shoppers.

Supporting our colleagues We are fully supporting our team of more than 300,000 Tesco colleagues, many of whom will be affected by this situation personally or will need to care for their own loved ones. The countless messages of gratitude I’ve received are testament to the incredible job they are doing, at a time when our stores have never been busier. Your small gestures and kind words really do go a long way. We have almost 3,000 colleagues over the age of 70 and we are fully supporting them, as well as our vulnerable and pregnant colleagues, with 12 weeks’ fully paid absence. Colleagues who are in isolation are receiving full pay from their first day of absence, so that nobody finds themselves in a situation where they have to work when unwell. To help support our team, we are recruiting an additional 20,000 temporary colleagues. We’ve already appointed 12,500 new colleagues, but we will need more. We are also bringing in 8,000 new colleagues in driving roles, and we are training them as fast as we can.

It’s a challenging time for the whole country, but we are committed to playing our part in feeding the nation and to keeping everyone safe. We also need your help to change the way you shop with us, so here are a few simple requests to help us serve you better: Please check your store's opening hours in advance. Before you leave home, please bring enough bags for your shop. If it’s raining, don’t forget an umbrella too, in case you need to queue outside the store. Try to shop with no more than one other person, which will help to reduce the number of people in-store at any one time. Please use our cleaning stations to wipe your trolley, basket, or Scan as you Shop handset. If possible, use card or contactless payments. Please avoid shopping during our dedicated times for vulnerable and elderly people, and NHS workers, and be kind to our colleagues as they’re working hard to serve you; we’re all in this together.

 

[cove]

Yes we received that too Flashback. In 5 days we can get to a shop ourselves....14 days in isolation is a drag but it does help stop the potential spread of the virus.
We will go to shops when they are quiet when we are out of isolation.
The price of fuel dropped but some vegetables seem to have skyrocketed.
i think there is quite a bit of fear in our community so we need more people looking out for folks who are struggling

 

[juddles]

...
i think there is quite a bit of fear in our community so we need more people looking out for folks who are struggling

Cove, I completely agree.

Yesterday I went into a Dan Murphys to buy some things. The whole feeling was almost of panic. People were not smiling, everyone more hurried, overall an almost feeling of competiveness or desperation.

When I went to the checkout, a lady came in behind me in the queue, trying to hold a carton of beer. When it was my turn to be served, I invited her to jump in front of me as she was struggling. Her face changed from the stressed look of everyone else to a beautiful grateful smile.

Tiny things can make this whole period a tad more civilized

 

[Himeno]

Our local Woollies is becoming a Priority Distribution hub so only open for us from 1100-1800.

there is a list of these stores here https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/...ery-home-deliveries-to-vulnerable-australians

 

[Flashback]

Marks & Spencer Food Halls / Simply Food also has markings on the floor now. Interesting times...

 

[amaroo]

For the ones that need a wake up call....

Chinese-backed company's mission to source Australian medical supplies

Staff from Chinese-backed property giant Greenland Group were instructed to source bulk supplies of medical items, including from Sydney, to ship back to China.

www.smh.com.au

 

[Flashback]

Woolworths pushes banks, govt to raise tap-and-go limit from $100 to $250

To reduce customers interacting with PIN pads.

www.itnews.com.au

Mulling over increasing the contactless limit from $100-$250.

In the UK they've already decided to increase it, but it's still only going from £30-£45. Ironically enough at a supermarket I always use contactless, it didn't work the other day so I ended up having to use chip and pin.......

 

[Anna]

They need to fix the number of times you have to touch the screen at the self checkouts too. I've started using a clean tissue as a shield any time I have to touch anything that others have touched.

 

[pauly7]

They need to fix the number of times you have to touch the screen at the self checkouts too. I've started using a clean tissue as a shield any time I have to touch anything that others have touched.

They could just have all manual check outs manned by staff all the time to help I guess. Our local still doesn’t which is hard to believe.

Or they could have more people on the roster to clean those screens after each use I suppose.

Oh my apologies, that would cost our big supermarkets extra money when they are going to make record profits. Sorry

 

[get me outta here]

Also, The self check outs are too close if they don’t close every other one.
All the individual lines with operators (currently mostly closed and understaffed), should all be opened with distancing between customers and staff.

 

[Flashback]

Also, The self check outs are too close if they don’t close every other one.
All the individual lines with operators (currently mostly closed and understaffed), should all be opened with distancing between customers and staff.

All my local supermarkets have disabled alternate tills to ensure distancing is done.

 

[Pushka]

They need to fix the number of times you have to touch the screen at the self checkouts too. I've started using a clean tissue as a shield any time I have to touch anything that others have touched.

oh yes. its ridiculous. Yes I know we have to pay by card. Yes I have a bag. I have two. I have vegetables (alphabet scroll scroll scroll select) No I don't want to scan my loyalty card. Yes I've finished and will pay. Yes I will now pay by card. Yes I want a receipt. Ok I will type in my pin. The last time I shopped I also had to ask the guy to remove his hand basket off the shelf.

 

[Flashback]

oh yes. its ridiculous. Yes I know we have to pay by card. Yes I have a bag. I have two. I have vegetables (alphabet scroll scroll scroll select) No I don't want to scan my loyalty card. Yes I've finished and will pay. Yes I will now pay by card. Yes I want a receipt. Ok I will type in my pin. The last time I shopped I also had to ask the guy to remove his hand basket off the shelf.

I've also found that using my knuckle to tap it doesn't work, it seems to require a finger press.

 

[SydneySwan]

All my local supermarkets have disabled alternate tills to ensure distancing is done.

My local Woollies has done this for the self-checkouts as well.

 

[get me outta here]

Okay you can now have a haircut longer than 30 minutes but the 4 m² rule still applies.

 

[Flashback]

Okay you can now have a haircut longer than 30 minutes but the 4 m² rule still applies.

A cross between Edward Scissor Hands and Inspector Gadget (go go gadget arms!)?

 

[get me outta here]

I have found hovering the various cards above the tapping device works quite well, it’s not necessary to actually touch with the card. After shopping, I’m off to the bathroom to wash the hands.

 

[luxury-lizard]

Why not wear those disposable kitchen gloves when shopping / checking out so you don't need to touch the screen (self-checkout) or pinpad - I have found the screen still responds when using these gloves. A box of 500 costs about $4. Then when finished strip them off and bin. I also use them for unpacking groceries, washing packaging and F&V, etc and have always used them for food preparation.

 

[Pushka]

Why not wear those disposable kitchen gloves when shopping / checking out so you don't need to touch the screen (self-checkout) or pinpad - I have found the screen still responds when using these gloves. A box of 500 costs about $4. Then when finished strip them off and bin. I also use them for unpacking groceries, washing packaging and F&V, etc and have always used them for food preparation.

Im betting they got sold out light years ago.

Petrol is down to 90 cents in Adelaide. Shame I'm not driving anywhere.

 

[drron]

Gloves still available up here.