In Wales a two week ‘firebreak lockdown’ has started and only essential shops are allowed to open with the essential idea that these essential shops are only allowed to sell essential items, so as not to cheat on the non-essential shops who are not allowed to open. For example, you may not buy an electric kettle at Tesco, because Dai Jones the Electric in Pontypandy has been selling only electrical goods in his shop since 1937.
How are customers and supermarket managers to decide what is essential? Essential for survival or for Covid Comfort?
Tick which of the following you will buy over this weekend as the clocks go back and winter nights draw in. Chocolate of course, chocolate biscuits, bread, wine, potatoes, warm fluffy slippers, rice, cosy pyjamas, bunch of carrots, bunch of flowers, cabbage, boxed set of old black and white films, pork chops, celebrity magazine, cheese, pot plant, milk, Lego set, a free range chicken, new underwear, shredded wheat, paperback book, cocoa pops.
If you ticked more than ten ( 8 if you are vegetarian, 6 if you are vegan ) you are being self indulgent and breaking the spirit of the new rules. Now imagine the task of staff who have to police the supermarket customers.
Chains will be strung across the sweet aisle, padlocks put on the ice cream cabinets and constant patrols to remove flagrant non-essentials from the shelves. As staff must socially distance they cannot grab that bottle of whisky out of your hands so there will be announcements over the PA system.
Will the lady in the lurid pink coat put down the packet of chocolate digestives and raise her hands in the air… now take a packet of plain digestives.
Customers are reminded they must produce their child’s birth certificate if they wish to purchase birthday candles and cake decorations.
Pet owners with a certificate from their vet may purchase one bag of pet food, but not a squeaky mouse toy.
On the ball managers may have already set up deafening alarms to beep if you pick up a box of hair colouring and there would be greater embarrassment if you have braved the medical aisle and got as far as the intimate products…
Perhaps within a few days harassed supermarket staff will allow you no further than the till where you will be handed one basket of food essentials.
Times and Tides of a Beachwriter 
hahaha So the ass-entials are in charge again!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
but what if you really like that kettle at Tesco? 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hello Jim, yes it’s a sad day for kettle lovers.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Essential reading (darllen hanfodol) for the Welsh, who I understand are a bit partial to warm fluffy rice, free range underwear and chocolate Lego.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Doug, let’s hope we get some Welsh opinions here.
LikeLike
The world has gone mad!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, could we have imagined this a year ago?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Is it fiction? A silly idea? What is firebreak lockdown?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Balroop, yes it is real and has provoked much discussion! A Firebreak – I think there is a competition to think up new words to describe lockdowns and restrictions with Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England all determined NOT to handle Covid the same way as each other.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/supermarkets-essential-shopping-tesco-asda-19154753
LikeLike
I love the idea of having a basket of essentials handed over to at the checkout – maybe this will solve the obesity crisis into the bargain! I’m reading this from Western Australia, where we are in our little isolation bubble and feeling so thankful we have no community cases. However, we are all too aware things can change so quickly. Meanwhile, we could organise red cross parcels? Except there’s no plane flights to take them…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Jean, pity we can’t fly you over to supervise healthy buying at supermarkets.
LikeLike
Oh dear, it goes on and on…whatever next? Maybe a box of essentials left on every door step…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Carol, someone is sure to start a petition for that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure they will…The whole world has gone Covid-19 mad/or not as the case may be …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Things just keep getting a little more bonkers. Everyone is going to have a different definition of “essential.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Pete, yes contoversy is still raging this morning and I think someone has even been arrested for sneaking into the wrong aisle.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OH MY!!!! I only ticked off 8 of the items: chocolate, bread, wine, potatoes, rice, carrots, cheese, and milk. However, I would have to add onions, celery, boneless chicken breasts, coffee, cigarettes, canned tomatoes, green peppers, and pasta! OH!!! And let’s not forget the all-important toilet tissue and dish detergent! Those two things are in short supply here in the U.S., largely due to hoarding.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well done Jill – yes chocolate is definitely essential, but you might be out of luck with the ciggies as they are already kept in locked cabinets!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!!! Well, if they could see the look of panic on my face, perhaps they would relent and unlock the cabinet? 😱
LikeLiked by 2 people
I thought you were joking there at the beginning, but you’re not … are you?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Does Dai do deliveries to London, because if my kettle breaks down a replacement is an ESSENTIAL item? I could manage without underwear and the lego set, but coffee, cigs, whisky and chocolate need to be in the survival pack. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure Dai will deliver – just check his website.
LikeLike