O - I sort of assumed that most of the major supermarkets would sell plants etc., too.
I live a very sheltered life...
They do - Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, and more, all sell plants. But equally, it will depend how big the store is. There is a very big Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco where I live and they all sell plants. Smaller branches don't necessarily sell them. Depends on the branch. I could even buy a little cactus from the small One Stop up the road from me.
We have (not far from me) a wonderful hardware/timber/building materials emporium - not quite along the line of the famous Four Candles sketch, but not far off - and they've been open all the time at their usual hours since The Plague took off.
They don't stock Agricultural Red Oxide paint, though, or Black Tar varnish...
And, just got the FB feed from the local paper to say that they've now re-opened. It seems buying a few screws is considered essential. I'm not so sure about that, unless they're for the UK government who seem to have a few loose.
If, for example, your plumbing develops a leak, or your sump pump fails, then being able to buy replacement parts would certainly be essential. Repainting the bedroom - not so much.
I know our B&Q was still open to trade, so no problems with a plumber getting what's needed to fix anything. Plus they were also operating a "click and collect" scheme of ordering online and staff bringing your order out to the car, if you feel qualified to fix things yourself. I think it was a decision made by B&Q (and other large DIY retailers) to close because the government had included them in the essential category as suppliers to trades such as plumbers and electricians who would need to respond to emergencies in home and businesses.
My sister spent an inordinate length of time on B&Q's website the other day trying to order paint for the garden fence, but I don't think she actually managed to get any, as once she got to the "checkout" it said what she wanted wasn't available. There was swearing.
It's a double pain, as my nephew is a painter and decorator and has been furloughed, but it would presumably be safe enough for him to come and work outside the house, and she'd have been happy to give him the work.
Some restrictions lifted today in California and my county. The dog can go for a haircut but people can not. Some parks now open for walking with distance between people. Golf courses now open. Fishing from the bank now okay. Small personal boats on lake, but no sail boats or larger boats. This is to keep out of county people coming here for recreation. That is if you are under 65 years old. Glad people can get out a bit. We have had six cases here, 5 recovered and 1 still ill. No deaths. They have done 350 tests so their could indeed be more.
The site is back up, but just showing a picture of a broken egg and the message "Because our site is so busy right now, you may experience some delays."
NEQ, I hope the slot came through for you to place the order.
My travel agent sent an email asking what I wanted to do with the flight booking in early May I had to see my brother who is in care. As the fights will probably be re-instated before his Home will accept visitors, I've put my travel off for some months, maybe in spring October/Nov. He has Parkinson's, which of course is degenerative so I have my fingers crossed that he will still recognise me.
My sister spent an inordinate length of time on B&Q's website the other day trying to order paint for the garden fence, but I don't think she actually managed to get any, as once she got to the "checkout" it said what she wanted wasn't available. There was swearing.
It's a double pain, as my nephew is a painter and decorator and has been furloughed, but it would presumably be safe enough for him to come and work outside the house, and she'd have been happy to give him the work.
Any chance he might have, er, sources? (Trying to make that sound as shifty as I can.)
Having got the local paper yesterday and read the details of our B&Q re-opening one of the services they are not offering (because it requires staff interaction with customers) is the colour-match paint mixing. If you're happy with one of the standard colours you can walk in and pick it off the shelf, but there won't be anyone to make up a specific colour.
The Asda slot I bagged 10 days ago delivers today, but a lot of their lines run out regularly so I'm not sure how much of what I've ordered I'll actually get.
There are some items we use a lot which are available neither from such online suppliers as I've snagged nor from nearby local shops. So at some point I must shoulder my rucksack and walk the mile to the Big Mall.
It's pretty much just Tesco. According to Wikipedia, Inverness used to have the highest proportion of Tescos anywhere in the UK. The proportion hasn't decreased, but other towns have now overtaken Inverness as "Tesco Towns"
I can get a delivery for them from Iceland, but that doesn't have the range that Tesco carries. They have a weekly fish van, which also delivers eggs, and which is now leaving parcels on their doorstep. Plus they can get deliveries from their butcher, so they won't be stuck for food.
I gave up at 2am. The North East Loon tried at 5am, but all the new slots (for 14 May) had gone by then. I'll try again tonight for a 15 May slot. The problem last night was that the site crashed at 11.35, by which time I'd already been queuing for half an hour. The site went back up quickly, but I'd lost my place in the queue.
At least I am perfectly capable of sitting up queueing. I'm having a wee whinge, but I know that this is nothing really.
@North East Quine is there no one in Inverness doing community shopping? I mean here I am taking in requests for shopping from people in your parents' position and forwarding them to a volunteer, who, armed with rubber gloves and sanitizer does the shopping, leaves it on the doorstep, and gets reimbursed by the client through online bank transfer (usually). I know Inverness can't have a central scheme like that, but surely their church has people who could help out? (Tell me the church and I will badger the minister for you!)
(Also, there is an Asda, though I expect it is just as hard to get their on-line deliveries.)
If you're on Facebook, it's worth checking for local coronavirus support groups. I find in my local groups there are a lot of kind, genuine people offering to do shopping and collect prescriptions for elderly/vulnerable people. A lot of people have no work and really want to be doing something - anything - to help.
We're very lucky that there's a neighbourhood Whatsapp support group, and someone goes to one supermarket or another most days. Also, my brother and s-i-l have been very good about doing M&S runs for us - they're doing one today.
My parents have no idea that it's ...challenging...getting them a delivery slot! I've been telling them that it is no trouble at all, a piece of cake, pretty much effortless.
I'm having an online whinge, but as far as my parents are concerned, everything is going swimmingly. And I'd like them to continue to think that.
Might also be worth checking Morrison's as there's quite a big one in Inverness (I not infrequently stopped there for lunch/petrol when on the way out to Ullapool. In better days...)
My Asda order came via a friendly chap and a stack of crates, so I actually had a few minutes chat while I unloaded them, rather than just shouting and waving at a retreating back.
Not so keen on the substitution of mild French mustard for Dijon, nor yet 3 L of cooking oil for the 1 L I ordered. I suppose it'll come in useful if I want to deep fry a horse.
My parents have no idea that it's ...challenging...getting them a delivery slot! I've been telling them that it is no trouble at all, a piece of cake, pretty much effortless.
I'm having an online whinge, but as far as my parents are concerned, everything is going swimmingly. And I'd like them to continue to think that.
I bought a 3l bottle of oil last time, before the shut down, not for stocking up but because I thought it meant less single plastic use (one bottle instead of three) and I'd use it all eventually. The only supermarket home delivery we achieved, three weeks after booking, ignored the gluten free flour and non-dairy milk orders and substituted two packs of dairy-free dark chocolate puddings, which my daughter doesn't like, so we kindly donated them elsewhere because WTF. I still needed the GF flour and non-dairy milk so had to go shopping.
It's why I don't bother, we really can't do half the substitutions.
My daughter, who gets deliveries for us, suggested that we might try to get a slot for ourselves. Mr Puzzler has decided to take this on! Since most of the shopping is for his benefit, as he is very particular, I am more than happy. ( He expects his menus to be unaffected, pandemic or not. ). He never goes to bed before 1.30 am, so should be best placed to get a slot. Gives him something to do, as a change from cataloging his CDs.
My parents have no idea that it's ...challenging...getting them a delivery slot! I've been telling them that it is no trouble at all, a piece of cake, pretty much effortless.
I'm having an online whinge, but as far as my parents are concerned, everything is going swimmingly. And I'd like them to continue to think that.
It's why I don't bother, we really can't do half the substitutions.
I don't think the substitutions have ever made sense. Back in the early days of online delivery, "a major supermarket" chose to send us lemon-fresh bleach in place of lemons. Unfortunately, nobody really wanted bleach meringue pie.
But if you really need those items it doesn't make any sense having an online delivery. If I walk around the supermarket and I can't find something, I have a chance of choosing something appropriate as a substitution, or replanning my menu on the hoof.
If I want GF flour then ordinary flour is not an acceptable substitution, nor milk for non-dairy milk (because we're doing this because of gluten and dairy intolerance, not just because we fancy the change), both of which my daughter has received. And if you don't accept substitutions you just get charged delivery on half an order.
Looks as if I got off lightly then. It will all get used eventually. The important thing is they had the cocktail cherries. Last Saturday the aperitif had to be a Martini with an olive. Oh the humanity.
It's why I don't bother, we really can't do half the substitutions.
I don't think the substitutions have ever made sense. Back in the early days of online delivery, "a major supermarket" chose to send us lemon-fresh bleach in place of lemons. Unfortunately, nobody really wanted bleach meringue pie.
Although if the fartletter-in-chief is to be believed, chlorinade may be very therapeutic.
Well, I logged on at 11pm and got to the top of the queue at 14 minutes past midnight, by which time all the slots for May 15 were gone. I'll try again tomorrow for a May 16 slot.
$1200 relief check arrived today. I was surprised to see a check -- I was expecting direct deposit. It is signed by an authorized signatory, but the fartletter-in-chief's name is in the left hand corner. Printed, though, not his signature.
NEQ tesco can be really odd with slots. I've done the midnight thing and got nowhere even though I got "in" at 2 mins past midnight. And yet I idly logged on to tesco on my phone, which I never do normally and there was a whole week of slots! So grabbed one, stuck some bananas on and checked out. I checked while on the PC just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't.
I'm not saying it would work for you, but there's no harm in trying!
$1200 relief check arrived today. I was surprised to see a check -- I was expecting direct deposit. It is signed by an authorized signatory, but the fartletter-in-chief's name is in the left hand corner. Printed, though, not his signature.
If he had signed it there wouldn't be enough space on the cheque for those unimportant details such as who it's paid to or how much. Most people progressed beyond writing with marker pens using large letters in primary school.
NEQ tesco can be really odd with slots. I've done the midnight thing and got nowhere even though I got "in" at 2 mins past midnight. And yet I idly logged on to tesco on my phone, which I never do normally and there was a whole week of slots! So grabbed one, stuck some bananas on and checked out. I checked while on the PC just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't.
I'm not saying it would work for you, but there's no harm in trying!
I tried and there was a random slot for Sat 2 May. So I grabbed it! Absolutely brilliant! I will give thanks for you while saying my pre-sleep prayers, in bed, when I would otherwise have been having a third night sitting up. Thank you!
Reading NEQ's woes, I'm thinking I should post the following for anyone who finds it useful - info about Sainsbury's click-and-collect grocery shopping in the UK:
Since UK lockdown started, I have been doing grocery shopping by Sainsburys click-and-collect - you order online booking a 1-hour slot during which to go and collect, drive to Sainsburys where there is a click-and-collect area in the car park, park up next to the van which is holding all the click-and-collect orders, tell the member of staff your name, they either load the stuff into your boot while you stay in your driver's seat or put the crates by your boot then move away while you put it all in the boot (seems to depend on the day and the member of staff), job done.
The key good thing so far - I have been able to get a slot roughly once a week every week since lockdown started and the process of doing so has never been too arduous (no waiting up until midnight, etc). Friday and Saturday are usually the days I go onto the website to look for slots - there are 3 Sainsburys similar distances from home, so I click on each looking for slots, refreshing the page every so often. Often there will be no slots at all for hours at a time, but then at some point a block of slots will be released and one can pick the most convenient one. Mostly when I've been on when a block of slots has been released, it's been that they've released all the slots for just one or two days, but about 11.30am yesterday, they released slots for pretty much every day between now and next Sunday so the boyfriend and I had the luxury of discussing whether we'd most like our next grocery shopping to arrive on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Once one has clicked to reserve a collection slot, you get 2 hours to finish selecting your groceries and pay on the website - but you can also fill up your basket before you've managed to get a collection slot, so that potentially you can have all the groceries in your basket ready to checkout as soon as you get a suitable collection slot. You can also make changes to your order until 11pm the day before collection.
I've found it very easy and helpful so far - a much better option than going and standing in enormous queues outside the supermarket and fretting about getting infected whilst grocery shopping. I get the impression that Sainsburys are also being quite positively responsive to the situation and consumer preferences - I mentioned above that there are 3 Sainsburys similar distance from my home - before this week, one of those was never listed as a potential click-and-collect location, but this week it has been added in, which I'm guessing is because more and more people are wanting to do the click-and-collect option (especially as Sainsburys home deliveries are entirely reserved for those in the most medically vulernable categories).
Hmmm, maybe I should go and post this somewhere with more traffic where a Sainsbury's bod might see it, and see if they reward me with thousands of Nectar points, I am singing their system's praises so much ....
NEQ, may I nominate you for the Daughter of the Year award?
You have read my frequent snarks, haven't you?? And read of the above-and-beyond daughterliness of Sarasa, to whose level I can only aspire, except that I'm not aspiring very hard.
Note my daughterliness has involved sitting on my arse in front of a computer.... it's hardly challenging.
(especially as Sainsburys home deliveries are entirely reserved for those in the most medically vulernable categories).
*embittered laugh*
Nothing more exasperating than being excluded from processes supposedly there to help just your situation. Since Mr F is the driver as well as the Shielded Person, the click'n'collect doesn't work for us either.
However, it adds interest to life playing supermarket roulette - I could just wish Lidl were in the game: chocolate stocks are running low.
... my daughterliness has involved sitting on my arse in front of a computer.... it's hardly challenging.
I don't know about that - S. has been spending large chunks of her day doing just that (mostly for work, occasionally in an attempt to get groceries / paint / whatever delivered) and she found it very wearing.
Maybe the prize should go jointly to you and @Sarasa.
Comments
They do - Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, and more, all sell plants. But equally, it will depend how big the store is. There is a very big Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco where I live and they all sell plants. Smaller branches don't necessarily sell them. Depends on the branch. I could even buy a little cactus from the small One Stop up the road from me.
We have (not far from me) a wonderful hardware/timber/building materials emporium - not quite along the line of the famous Four Candles sketch, but not far off - and they've been open all the time at their usual hours since The Plague took off.
They don't stock Agricultural Red Oxide paint, though, or Black Tar varnish...
If, for example, your plumbing develops a leak, or your sump pump fails, then being able to buy replacement parts would certainly be essential. Repainting the bedroom - not so much.
It's a double pain, as my nephew is a painter and decorator and has been furloughed, but it would presumably be safe enough for him to come and work outside the house, and she'd have been happy to give him the work.
My travel agent sent an email asking what I wanted to do with the flight booking in early May I had to see my brother who is in care. As the fights will probably be re-instated before his Home will accept visitors, I've put my travel off for some months, maybe in spring October/Nov. He has Parkinson's, which of course is degenerative so I have my fingers crossed that he will still recognise me.
Any chance he might have, er, sources? (Trying to make that sound as shifty as I can.)
The Asda slot I bagged 10 days ago delivers today, but a lot of their lines run out regularly so I'm not sure how much of what I've ordered I'll actually get.
There are some items we use a lot which are available neither from such online suppliers as I've snagged nor from nearby local shops. So at some point I must shoulder my rucksack and walk the mile to the Big Mall.
I can get a delivery for them from Iceland, but that doesn't have the range that Tesco carries. They have a weekly fish van, which also delivers eggs, and which is now leaving parcels on their doorstep. Plus they can get deliveries from their butcher, so they won't be stuck for food.
I gave up at 2am. The North East Loon tried at 5am, but all the new slots (for 14 May) had gone by then. I'll try again tonight for a 15 May slot. The problem last night was that the site crashed at 11.35, by which time I'd already been queuing for half an hour. The site went back up quickly, but I'd lost my place in the queue.
At least I am perfectly capable of sitting up queueing. I'm having a wee whinge, but I know that this is nothing really.
(Also, there is an Asda, though I expect it is just as hard to get their on-line deliveries.)
I'm honestly not sure.
He's an employee (with a not-terribly-good boss), so I rather suspect not.
I'm having an online whinge, but as far as my parents are concerned, everything is going swimmingly. And I'd like them to continue to think that.
Not so keen on the substitution of mild French mustard for Dijon, nor yet 3 L of cooking oil for the 1 L I ordered. I suppose it'll come in useful if I want to deep fry a horse.
Hmm. Always beware of telling unsustainable lies.
It's why I don't bother, we really can't do half the substitutions.
Why? The 'government' tells them...
I don't think the substitutions have ever made sense. Back in the early days of online delivery, "a major supermarket" chose to send us lemon-fresh bleach in place of lemons. Unfortunately, nobody really wanted bleach meringue pie.
If I want GF flour then ordinary flour is not an acceptable substitution, nor milk for non-dairy milk (because we're doing this because of gluten and dairy intolerance, not just because we fancy the change), both of which my daughter has received. And if you don't accept substitutions you just get charged delivery on half an order.
Although if the fartletter-in-chief is to be believed, chlorinade may be very therapeutic.
I'm not saying it would work for you, but there's no harm in trying!
THANK YOU @Thomasina !!! THANK YOU!!!
I tried and there was a random slot for Sat 2 May. So I grabbed it! Absolutely brilliant! I will give thanks for you while saying my pre-sleep prayers, in bed, when I would otherwise have been having a third night sitting up. Thank you!
I'll get me coat.
Where's me coat? Thought I'd hung it up...
Daughterliness above and beyond the call of wossname...
(But well done - I mean it!)
Since UK lockdown started, I have been doing grocery shopping by Sainsburys click-and-collect - you order online booking a 1-hour slot during which to go and collect, drive to Sainsburys where there is a click-and-collect area in the car park, park up next to the van which is holding all the click-and-collect orders, tell the member of staff your name, they either load the stuff into your boot while you stay in your driver's seat or put the crates by your boot then move away while you put it all in the boot (seems to depend on the day and the member of staff), job done.
The key good thing so far - I have been able to get a slot roughly once a week every week since lockdown started and the process of doing so has never been too arduous (no waiting up until midnight, etc). Friday and Saturday are usually the days I go onto the website to look for slots - there are 3 Sainsburys similar distances from home, so I click on each looking for slots, refreshing the page every so often. Often there will be no slots at all for hours at a time, but then at some point a block of slots will be released and one can pick the most convenient one. Mostly when I've been on when a block of slots has been released, it's been that they've released all the slots for just one or two days, but about 11.30am yesterday, they released slots for pretty much every day between now and next Sunday so the boyfriend and I had the luxury of discussing whether we'd most like our next grocery shopping to arrive on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Once one has clicked to reserve a collection slot, you get 2 hours to finish selecting your groceries and pay on the website - but you can also fill up your basket before you've managed to get a collection slot, so that potentially you can have all the groceries in your basket ready to checkout as soon as you get a suitable collection slot. You can also make changes to your order until 11pm the day before collection.
I've found it very easy and helpful so far - a much better option than going and standing in enormous queues outside the supermarket and fretting about getting infected whilst grocery shopping. I get the impression that Sainsburys are also being quite positively responsive to the situation and consumer preferences - I mentioned above that there are 3 Sainsburys similar distance from my home - before this week, one of those was never listed as a potential click-and-collect location, but this week it has been added in, which I'm guessing is because more and more people are wanting to do the click-and-collect option (especially as Sainsburys home deliveries are entirely reserved for those in the most medically vulernable categories).
Hmmm, maybe I should go and post this somewhere with more traffic where a Sainsbury's bod might see it, and see if they reward me with thousands of Nectar points, I am singing their system's praises so much ....
You have read my frequent snarks, haven't you?? And read of the above-and-beyond daughterliness of Sarasa, to whose level I can only aspire, except that I'm not aspiring very hard.
Note my daughterliness has involved sitting on my arse in front of a computer.... it's hardly challenging.
*embittered laugh*
Nothing more exasperating than being excluded from processes supposedly there to help just your situation. Since Mr F is the driver as well as the Shielded Person, the click'n'collect doesn't work for us either.
However, it adds interest to life playing supermarket roulette - I could just wish Lidl were in the game: chocolate stocks are running low.
Maybe the prize should go jointly to you and @Sarasa.