I'm dreading next week

[Stitch147]

Just found out that our store will be increasing the amount of people allowed in at any one time. At the moment we only allow 40 people in to shop. With the 2m rule being relaxed from tomorrow we're going to be allowing in 118!!!! To say I'm nervous about work on Monday is an understatement. It's my weekend off. I'm taking the company risk assessment home to scrutinize over the weekend.

 

[eggyg]

Just found out that our store will be increasing the amount of people allowed in at any one time. At the moment we only allow 40 people in to shop. With the 2m rule being relaxed from tomorrow we're going to be allowing in 118!!!! To say I'm nervous about work on Monday is an understatement. It's my weekend off. I'm taking the company risk assessment home to scrutinize over the weekend.

What? I only have CSE maths grade 2 but even I know that twice 40 is 80 which with the new 1m rule makes sense or am I missing something? I went into town yesterday for the first time since everything re opened. I went in three shops, all pretty quiet but I was very, very anxious. I really feel for you. Hope they bear in mind your vulnerability.

 

[Stitch147]

I thought we would go up to 80, but according to the floor space calculation, done from high above my pay grade, they have said 118!

 

[Ralph-YK]

What? I only have CSE maths grade 2 but even I know that twice 40 is 80 which with the new 1m rule makes sense or am I missing something?

I'd guess that could be 1m in front and befind you. There's also 1m to the left and right. Or shop type maths! 😉
Of course, 1/3 or more of them will all be in the fresh fruiet and veg section, at any one time!

 

[Bruce Stephens]

What? I only have CSE maths grade 2 but even I know that twice 40 is 80 which with the new 1m rule makes sense or am I missing something?

You're missing that this is a 2-dimensional problem. If everyone's in a line, then changing from 2m to 1m approximately doubles the number of people, but when they're in a shop it's more complex. It might be that with 2m you need a one-way system (because each aisle only allows one line of people) but with 1m (or 1m+, as they're calling it) you might be able to relax that.

(I'm not saying you should relax it: a smaller increase in numbers would seem much safer, allowing more of them to keep the recommended 2m distance at a time. That's my feeling for how our M&S food store has been doing it: they just limit the numbers without having a one way system. So sure, you might pass someone closer than 2m away but that's only briefly.)

 

[Robin]

What? I only have CSE maths grade 2 but even I know that twice 40 is 80 which with the new 1m rule makes sense or am I missing something? I went into town yesterday for the first time since everything re opened. I went in three shops, all pretty quiet but I was very, very anxious. I really feel for you. Hope they bear in mind your vulnerability.

I'd guess that could be 1m in front and befind you. There's also 1m to the left and right. Or shop type maths! 😉
Of course, 1/3 or more of them will all be in the fresh fruiet and veg section, at any one time!

I just drew a grid out with 9 dots in it, 2cm apart. If you space them 1cm apart, you can get 25 dots in the same space.
But as Ralph says, they’ll all be bunched up in one corner by the fruit and veg!

 

[Bloden]

Sounds like Homebase Syndrome to me (aka Covid 19, what’s that?). I hope you don’t have a full house @Stitch147. Can you chat with anyone at work about your concerns. 118 seems OTT.

 

[PhoebeC]

Will it get that busy?
I wouldn’t want to be a customer in a shop that busy, so even if they don’t care about statff have they thought about customers?
hope all goes well x

 

[Ditto]

If I didn't think I'd already had it I would be on full lock-down, and remain so until at least Christmas! I wouldn't be listening to government numpties that's for sure. You'd think the pandemic never happened the way everybody is carrying on.

 

[MarkGeordie]

To be fair there’s a lot of shops increasing their numbers.

My local LIDL only has staff on their doors now on Fridays and over weekends and don’t have anyone there Mon to Thurs even monitoring who’s going in and leaving.

I was in the local One Below shop the other day and even the staff can’t follow social distancing, a young lad that worked there couldn’t get through so just squeezed up the aisle brushing off myself to get by.

Seems like it’s going downhill in that respect.

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

I'm sorry you are faced with this. Can you work in a safer role, such as the office or store room instead of the shop floor?

 

[grovesy]

What is a One Below Shop?

 

[Stitch147]

Luckily enough store management have made the decision to have no more than 60 people in the store. Definitely better than the 118 that was originally planned.

 

[grovesy]

Sounds sensible to me.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Seems like it’s going downhill in that respect.

I must admit as an ordinary customer I'm finding people locally behaving considerately. Even just walking past people on the pavement, we're careful to keep distance (so people will routinely step out between parked cars to wait), and entering and leaving the local Royal Park people wait and give distance. And similarly in the local grocery shops, while there's no longer always a staff member controlling entry (because the shops are not usually busy) people generally keep their distance.

But then I'm in a shop for a few minutes a day. It would only take a few idiot customers to make working a shift there awkward.

(On the other hand, this is outer London, so we're not usually particularly physically close in normal times.)