Call to extend one-hour shop for vulnerable to full day

A Maidenhead resident has launched a petition to keep all but the most vulnerable out of the shops and supermarkets for a whole day.

The petition, entitled ‘One hour is not enough’, has reached 265 signatures.

It is intended to challenge the current provisions supermarkets have put in place for the elderly and vulnerable, many of which dedicate one or two hours on certain days of the week for these shoppers only.

However, observing the queues outside the shops and the empty shelves inside, Claire Freer of Bridle Road has proposed staying away from the shops entirely one day of the week, on Monday.

“Although [the supermarkets’] intentions are good, I don’t think that one hour is a long enough window for the elderly, vulnerable and NHS workers to get to the stores and do their shopping,” said Claire.

“This evening [Wednesday, April 8] at 6.30pm, the queue for the big Sainsbury’s was all the way down the street to outside Modello’s hairdressers.

“NHS workers working shifts are probably unlikely to be able to make a one hour window in the day.”

As well as drawing the attention of supermarkets, Claire is hoping to engage regular shoppers, encouraging them to stay away from supermarkets, shopping locally and responsibly.

Although some of the stresses on supermarkets have quietened down, Claire observes that times such as the Easter period tend to inflame the problem once again, requiring people and businesses to think ahead and make alternative plans for the future.

“I want the petition to make people think about how, when and where they are buying, and to be kind and considerate of the way they shop.

“I don’t ever want to experience again the chaos of the panic buying that we saw at the outset of the lockdown.”

Visit tinyurl.com/v37du9y to view the petition.