Plot twist: there is actually no right way to do this and it’s always painful (yet necessary). I look forward to the day when I can walk freely into a supermarket and buy all the ingredients for a three-tiered cake AND bolognese in one swoop.
I was actually writing this post yesterday while stood outside a Sainsbury's 20 minutes from our flat. Jules was reading a sign on one of the structural pillars that reiterated the two-metre distance we must maintain from other people while uttering “I never thought I’d live through something like this”. “It’s pretty mad” I agree. Then we spoke about her £5 GAP jeans and how someone could put a red bull can and an empty carton of cigarettes in the netting above our heads.
Teetering on the edge of our own strip of hazard tape, I realise my hayfever has peaked when it's really not the time. I hope people in the queue don’t think I’m sick. I hope people in the queue doing think I'm crying. This morning when I got up I sat on the toilet and sneezed 10 times in a row.
We’d already visited Tesco but couldn’t get everything we needed, so on our way home we joined the longest queue, which lined the edge of a car park and beyond, to get the last of the day’s shopping done. Someone ahead of us was using a Deliveroo bag for cold items which I thought was a really good idea*. This Sainsbury's is the biggest supermarket near us (it sells clothes, I saw someone looking at swimming costumes) but we haven’t been here since social distancing was implemented. A few weeks ago it was really bad. No loo roll. No nappies. No anything. Everyone was just standing in the aisles freaking out. I think I got some unwaxed lemons that day.
Queuing tips:
1. If the queue looks really long, it’s because it is. However, big supermarkets let in more people at a time so the queue feels like it moves faster? It's all in the mind.
2. Go with a member of your household if you can so you have someone to discuss the complexities of life with. Here’s a topic: why do dating apps exist when they cause so much pain and suffering?
3. If you’re alone don’t make eye contact with anyone just go on Instagram or Pinterest.
4. Have your tote bag and shopping list ready as you go in so you can get your items quickly and leave. I find my anxiety spikes when I've been around people for too long (but I think I was like that before lockdown anyway).
5. Don't turn around. Don't look back, you aren't going that way! Visualise the entrance of the supermarket and soon you will reach it.
6. Maintain a two-metre distance from everyone at ALL times even if the floor markings aren't clear.
7. Smile and say thank you to the people who are working on the door, they are doing an incredible job during these difficult times, as are all supermarket staff!
I just had a nosebleed halfway through my dinner and it ruined the experience considerably.
Until next time,
Oh wait before I go, I finished Crash Landing on You last night and I'm inconsolable. I'm not going to write any more about it because it's going to get its very own post.
Lauren x
*I realise this is just a cool bag okay, I am aware now.
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