There has, for obvious reasons, been a lot of discussion over "panic buying" and people "stockpiling" things due to uncertainty over how long this whole pandemic thing is going to last. And, indeed, if you head on down to your local big-name shop (Tesco Express in our case) you'll find empty shelves, stressed-out employees and, more than likely, signs politely informing customers that they really should think about not being dickheads to retail workers.
I popped over to the shop Andie and I affectionately refer to as "Funny Shop" earlier. Funny Shop is your proper traditional British local convenience store, packed with a random assortment of crap — including the kind of sweets you probably haven't seen since the '90s — and, generally speaking, far fewer customers than your average Tesco Express.
They also had both toilet roll and bread, which Tesco Express is notably lacking right now. I guess when "panic buying" people just go straight for the big-name stores and don't think to support local little family-run franchises. Well, I know where I'm going when I need some more bits and pieces — it'll take some of the pressure off the poor folks at Tesco and it'll support the local community. Double whammy of win, no?
I hope retail workers end up acknowledged as some of the real heroes of these trying times. Having worked retail several times in my life, I feel their pain right now… and they absolutely should be drawing a much more substantial salary than minimum hourly wage for what they're having to put up with!
Discover more from I'm Not Doctor Who
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
