Saturday 27 February 2021

Going out.

 

I do my shopping on Tuesdays.

I leave the house at exactly 8.05am, and arrive at my supermarket at 8.30am; just as the doors open.

My list is written almost like a travel map; I know the layout of the store so well that I can write down everything in the order that I pass around the aisles. Dog food first, fresh fruit and veg last.

From entering to leaving usually takes me about 30 mins, and by the time I leave the building I'm hot and breathless, and my spex are steamed-up; that bloody face mask takes its toll.... I feel very sorry for the check-out girls who wear them all day long.

I've noticed recently that I become a little nervous about my weekly trip. Not because of any fear of catching the virus, but because my sorties are so infrequent. I'm perfectly aware that my feelings are illogical; but they remain.

No doubt this is all due to a year's lockdown. I feel wary of going out, but even so, delighted to do so at least once a week. 


29 comments:

  1. I haven't timed our shop but I, also, make a list in the order I come to items. We both shop though so often extra items appear. Luckily no face masks. Fruit and veg are usually first in supermarkets here although any we do buy are usually from the Growers' Market.

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    1. Occasionally Lady M writes something on my list 'in totally the wrong place', so I have to go back again to find it. Very annoying.

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  2. I find that I am very relieved to get back home and that when out in the car I do a sort of extra distance between my car and the one in front!

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    1. Yes, getting back home is probably the best bit. Very little traffic here so, luckily, I usually have the roads to myself.

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  3. I think Lady M needs to take you to clothing shops, homewares shops and 1 euro shops. Then you can both go to a large hardware shop. Well, restrictions permitting.

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    1. I try to avoid going near any shops with Lady M; let alone inside them!.

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  4. Shopping has become rather a trial these days. I am hoping that the vaccine rollout will ease some of the pressure eventually.

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    1. I'm probably getting tired of going to the same place, at the same time, on the same day. Maybe I'll go somewhere else for a change.

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  5. I know what you mean about feeling wary. This is why I make my supermarket visits in the hour before closing time when there are hardly any other shoppers around.

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    1. It's much the same early in the morning, I'm usually there with just a handful of others.

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  6. I don't use a list, although I probably should begin. I just slowly go up the aisle glancing at things. "Oh, we need milk. I'm good on eggs. Best get some butter. I don't like the look of the bananas this week," etc. I try to envision the day when once again, a child can blow out his birthday candles without a collective gasp of horror. Do you think it is even possible?

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    1. Very occasionally I arrive at my supermarket and find that I've left my list at home. It's like my worst nightmare, trying to remember all those essentials; without which we would all perish. Luckily my memory is pretty good.

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  7. I know what you mean. I ventured to the supermarket for the first time since NY and found myself looking at people as if they were a novelty. What has this lockdown done to us all?

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    1. It's a strange sensation seeing that one's character has changed slightly. I know that I will soon return to how I was, but it's an interesting experience.

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  8. Yes, Pirate is getting very wary of shopping.
    I do most, but insist that he does some, to boost his confidence.

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    1. If I didn't go out once a week, I'd go bonkers. It makes staying at home more acceptable.

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  9. I have been inside a store only three times since last March. They were to pharmacies, first for my flu shot, and the second two for my Covid shots. In one week, the Moderna shot will be at its maximum strength and I can go anywhere. It will feel very strange and I know I won’t jump into freedom without some trepidation. Covid time has long terms affects on my mind.

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    1. I think you're right not to go crazy. Take it easy; the jab doesn't make you totally immune.

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  10. I also go with a neat list like a map in a mini supermarket near the house. Every two days at six in the morning, I'm almost alone there.

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    1. Six in the morning is very brave. My eyes are only just post-coffee at six.

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    2. I have a feeling that something in my English was not written correctly. There is another way to write six in the morning ... but it has already been written ...

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  11. I haven't been inside a supermarket for almost a year! I'm quite enjoying having stuff delivered to the door although you can't really beat selecting your own fruit and veg.

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    1. I would definitely need to select my own fruit, veg, and meats. Everything else I'd happily have delivered; but no hope of that here!

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  12. We shop once a week at lunch time, between 1 and 3 is sacred to the Italians and therefore very quiet. I found myself quite agitated before yesterday’s trip and more relaxed when it was over. Staying at home seeing no mine may be reducing my confidence which is going to make travelling make to the U.K. a challenge when there can happen.

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    1. If you wander around any French town between 12 and 2, all you hear is the sound of knives and forks on plates. Lunch is sacred here too!

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  13. I know what you mean, Cro. Here we order curb-side and don't go into the stores at all except for Rx meds on Tues (Senior time only 6 AM). But I find that even masked, gloved, and face-shielded, I can't wait to get out. So strange what the pandemic has done to us...

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    1. I wonder when we'll all return to being our normal selves? Hopefully we will!

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  14. I'm a list-maker too Cro, exactly like you, I list items down in order of the store layout. That works very well until they decide to re-merchandise the store, which is often. Even before this year of lockdowns, I had become a homebody, happy to plod along on my own little acreage, void of bustling crowds, and idle the days away...
    Jo

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    1. Yes, rearranging the layout is a pain, luckily my supermarket seems to be sticking to their current plan. I'm pleased to see I'm not alone with my list making... it makes things so much easier and efficient.

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