UK - Resources for help getting food during quarantine and other supermarket related problems

I had been away visiting my Mum and had been planning to come back yesterday, but came back early as the situation across the UK worsened.

The journey(3-4 buses and 7 hours to cover 135 miles) usually knocks me out for 3-5 days, so fortunately I had supplies in to cover that and brought some stuff back with me.

I live in a small town in a rural area, we have 2 small supermarkets, and a few independent food shops.
Although I would rather support the independent shops my energy levels aren't up to it, even though I am in the centre of the town. I don't drive any more.

I had mastered buying food for each week in one shop at the larger supermarket and was grateful I was managing that. Now because of the limited stocks that isn't going to be possible. I have been out 4 times in the last 2 days to try and find what I would normally manage to get in one shop. I've also been far more exposed to other people than I am normally.

Yesterday the local Co-op only had a punnet of grapes, a small bag of carrot sticks(bought by the lady ahead of me) and 3 vacuum bags of beetroot in the fruit and veg section and they are only allowing you to buy one of any item, which I understand, but is tough when it is so hard to go out anyway.

There are people staying in the holiday lets behind me and across the road and about 14 caravans in the small park. The hotels and cafes are closed so they will have to buy and cook their own food.

I have put in a bulk online wholefood order (although they are fewer items available and a longer processing time)and I'm lucky in that I have friends and neighbours who have offered to help (some of them in the over 70 age group) but difficult for them if the shops have been stripped.

I've made a list of all the food I have in and making menu plans for the next week.
I hope the food situation improves for us all.
 
Mr Pye and I hit an unexpected snag today when venturing out to try and find food. The car wouldn't start. :mad:

So, the walk we planned to do never happened because we were forced to walk to our local big Tesco to get what we could and carry it home. It isn't a long way away if all I am going to buy is a box of tea or a loaf of bread. But when you want to actually get something to live off the weight of the shopping is difficult to deal with.

We had discussed some of the substitutions we might make if certain things weren't available. For example, we thought we might be able to use washing up liquid instead of soap for hand washing. We're getting through about 4 or 5 times as much soap as usual with all the hand washing. Unfortunately neither was available. We've ended up with a bottle of shower gel instead. :(
 
Arnie Pye said:
I'm running low on food - my husband and I have never been people who kept enormous amounts of food and other household supplies in stock because we don't have much storage space. Are we going to be forced to go out several times a day to every supermarket and small shop in the area, exposing ourselves to infection all the time so we can constantly check where we can find food? How is everyone else getting food?
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That's about what I've been having to do. It's wearing, and I'm not ill :( Would local churches, voluntary groups etc. be any use? I've found the smaller convenience shops have tended to be better bets, but it sounds as though you've tried them unsuccessfully already.
 
I think the supermarkets are behind the game in the UK. Sainsburys is opening its store to NHS personal for the first hour before normal opening, but for 3 days of the week they will be giving the next hour to the elderly and vulnerable. I thought the idea of giving the first hour of store opening to thus group was so they could shop in a clean environment, so it seems Sainsburys haven't thought this through. I am all for them ensuring front line NHS staff can get their shopping, but many will be coming in to the store straight from their night shift at the hospital. Wouldn't it have been better to be reserving the high demand items for this particular group through the click and collect method, picking off and reserving the items from stock as soon as it arrives in their instore warehouse.

https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/news/latest-news/2020/21-03-20-feed-the-nation
 
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lunarainbows said:
Amazon has a few bits of food still available. We’ve been getting bits and pieces from there.
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Amazon said a week ago they were going to clear their warehouses to make room for more stock of the essential, popular items. Hopefully increased availability of food, toiletry and cleaning items for home delivery from Amazon will start appearing over the coming weeks.
 
Today went better than yesterday. The AA fixed our car (needed a new battery - with modern batteries you get no warning of failure), so no heavy lifting of shopping bags today.

And the good news is we managed to find soap! Yippee! It was a kind I would normally never buy, but beggars can't be choosers. Still no pasta, eggs, or toilet roll though.

Edit : We are probably in good shape for the next week which is a relief. Although we will need to go out for milk.
 
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Hell..hath..no..fury... said:
I’ve been trying since this morning to get on their website for these boxes but the website was crashed. gonna keep trying
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The website is working for me, however they say there are no slots available - for an item delivered by DPD - and to try again tomorrow.

(I already had a morrisons account - I've never used it it because at the time i set it up the local store didn't deliver)
 
Wonko said:
The website is working for me, however they say there are no slots available - for an item delivered by DPD - and to try again tomorrow.

(I already had a morrisons account - I've never used it it because at the time i set it up the local store didn't deliver)
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Yes I just got access to the website for the first time today also, just registered with them but no slots. Will have to just keep checking
 
:banghead::banghead:Aww I was getting all excited there.
Finally allowed to order a box, delivery date April 2nd (not quite next day delivery lol) went all the way through checkout and get stopped at the payment page due to page crash :banghead:

ETA: just went back to try again and it’s vanished from my basket and now got the dreaded ‘sold out, come back tomorrow banner’ :banghead:
 
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My local store, or Morrisons local distribution center, has been saying 'no slots come back tomorrow' since I woke up and checked at around 6.30am - the same as last night.

So, not a viable way of obtaining food it seems.

ETA - 5 days on and I've still not seen any available slots, just a little green banner saying come back tomorrow. Given that DPD is still able to deliver things to me (I had 2 DPD deliveries yesterday) I would suspect it's a shortage of stuff to put in the boxes and not a lack of ability to get stuff delivered.
 
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I'm still not yet on the vulnerable list for Sainsburys, but decided to log on and check slot availability when I couldn't sleep last night. At 3 am in the morning there were slots available for the coming days in my area (I didn't book one because had already arranged for my daughter to do a shop for me whilst collecting my medication). Checking again about 9 am, there was none. So those of you who suffer from 'sleep reversal', the middle of the night may be a good time to check if Sainsburys have listed any additional slots!
 
Letter sent to major supermarket chains and UK Government from UK ME charities and the All Party Parliamentary Group on ME
Posted on 27 Mar 2020

We are writing on behalf of the adults, children and young people we support who have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS), asking for your help.

The Government has identified that people with chronic neurological conditions, including M.E./CFS, are at increased risk of severe illness from Coronavirus.

More than one in four people with M.E./CFS are so severely affected that they are unable to leave their homes independently, and even those with the milder form of this non-visible illness struggle to access services and support.

Many of those we support have relied on the excellent home delivery service you offer for years, to get food and essential supplies. But over the past few weeks the increased demand has meant they are unable to compete with healthy people who are able to spend longer online, searching for slots and sourcing deliveries.

We are also hearing from those who are able to visit stores who have tried to use the dedicated shopping times for those at risk – but who have been challenged because the debilitating pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties that come with this non-visible condition cannot be seen.

We are now seeing a huge increase in the number of calls to our already busy helplines, with many telling us they do not have any food in the house.

While those who are house/bed-bound are not necessarily included in the Government’s official category of “vulnerable,” this does not give the full picture.

This group of increasingly desperate people are unable to visit a store and many have no friends or family to support them. They need urgent help now – please will you:

  • include those house/bed-bound by M.E./CFS in your priority access group for your online service?
  • allow those with M.E./CFS, who are able to leave the house, access to priority shopping times in store?
We would be happy to provide our members with a resource they can download that shows they have a chronic neurological condition and are eligible to use this service.

Our teams are happy to help answer any questions or provide more information.

Carol Monaghan MP
Chair, APPG for M.E.

The Countess of Mar
Chair of Forward-ME

Ben Lake MP; Jim Shannon MP ; Mark Tami MP Dr James Davies MP; Edward Davey MP: Alex Sobel MP; Dame Diana Johnson MP.

Sonya Chowdhury
Chief Executive Action for M.E.

Nigel Riley
Chair, ME Association

Sue Waddle
Vice Chair, ME Research UK

Esperanza Moreno
#MEAction UK

Helen Winning
Chief Executive, The ME Trust

Simon Lawrence
Chair, The 25% ME Group

Jane Colby
Executive Director, Tymes Trust

Janice Kent
Director, reMEmber

Dr Nina Muirhead
Chair, Medical Education Group UK CFS/ME Research Collaborative

Dr William Weir

Dr Nigel Speight
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https://www.meresearch.org.uk/lette...-and-the-all-party-parliamentary-group-on-me/
 
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