# "Seniors only" shopping hours, is it fair?



## debodun (Mar 26, 2020)

Some stores around here are giving "seniors only" shopping privileges during certain hours of business. Do they have any more right to this than a single-mom with 4 children to provide for?

Opinions?


----------



## CarolfromTX (Mar 26, 2020)

It's one lousy hour, usually at 6 or 7 AM. Sometimes just once a week. Seniors are more vulnerable to this, or any other virus. My opinion is that it's fine. Neighborly, even. Hooray for geezer hour!


----------



## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 26, 2020)

Walmart is doing this in our area and I did take advantage of it. I was thinking the same thing deb, but they were limiting items even to the seniors . I think it is a way of making sure we all have enough essentials. Seniors generally can't store as much food as the younger generation. The younger ones buy and then take it back to their cars and go in again. 
Maybe alternating special hours for families with young kids would help. But then I don't know how they would check that. 
Now that the schools are closed the parents have to take the kids with them when shopping, which means more exposure for them and us.
No easy answer.


----------



## chic (Mar 26, 2020)

It's 6:00 am for seniors here also. Too early as it's still dark out and people are driving like lunatics. I have nothing to do all day anymore so I go when I want. I don't think it's unfair to allow seniors to go early if they want to. Stores here have set limits on how much of anything you can buy and it's working. Today, I found both toilet paper and chicken in the same store. That hasn't happened in weeks.


----------



## Pecos (Mar 26, 2020)

debodun said:


> Some stores around here are giving "seniors only" shopping privileges during certain hours of business. Do they have any more right to this than a single-mom with 4 children to provide for?
> 
> Opinions?


You have a valid point.


----------



## RadishRose (Mar 26, 2020)

Senior are more prone to illness and may have a more difficult time standing in long lines. It's usually only an hour.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Mar 26, 2020)

I spoke to an older couple yesterday that I see often at the park, they went to a supermarket with a 2 hour window for seniors to shop.  They hated it, it was crowded and said they were on the check out line for 45 min.

I told my husband if I had to go, I'd just go during regular hours.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Mar 26, 2020)

RadishRose said:


> Senior are more prone to illness and may have a more difficult time standing in long lines. It's usually only an hour.


Exactly, that's the whole point.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Mar 27, 2020)

It makes no difference to me.

IMO it has little cost and little value but it creates the illusion that big business has a heart.

In my community, the senior citizen buses are still making regular grocery runs in mid-morning, as usual, to assist the seniors that live in retirement communities.

We have one large family-owned store that has always taken senior citizen shopping seriously by packaging meat, bakery items, produce, etc... in small packages on senior citizen day.  IMO that is much more helpful than just setting aside a single hour for older folks to shop.


----------



## todalake (Mar 27, 2020)

Our grocery stores have the special hour but actually less crowded if you go later in evening.  Friend went to early hour in Florida and said it was packed.   Turned around and went home.  Went back later during regular hours.


----------



## toffee (Mar 27, 2020)

uk. is doing it here - some stores only 2 allowed causing big ques - we have senior times too.. which is a good idea ,
this where patients kicks in /


----------



## debodun (Mar 27, 2020)

Here, they don't require proof of age. I bet some people less that 65 are taking advantage.


----------



## JB in SC (Mar 27, 2020)

Well my very limited experience is that it's not worth the effort. We have a couple of items that we buy at Publix (their senior hour is 7-8 am), so we decided to give it a try, it was crowded, the folks were not practicing social distancing, not much in stock. Went later in the day, no problems, had what we needed.


----------



## Sunny (Mar 27, 2020)

All the senior hours I've heard of around here are 6-7 AM.  I don't know a single person who wants to shop at that hour. I wonder how many people they actually get.


----------



## StarSong (Mar 28, 2020)

Yesterday, Los Angeles passed an ordinance covering all retail food outlets over 2500 square feet.  They must dedicate their first hour of business for elderly, disabled, and their caregivers.  Costco included.
https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-27/grocery-store-elderly-covid19


----------



## moviequeen1 (Mar 28, 2020)

I think its a good idea under the circumstances
Last week my close friend Marcia&I went to a local  grocery store,TOPS where I usually shop.On Tues&Weds,the store hrs for seniors is 6-7:30 am. We were there at 7am,finished 15 min later. I saw a couple other customers there too.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Mar 28, 2020)

I like that they are doing it. Most hours I've seen are so early that single mom's with 4 children may not be able to make it out the door that early. Plus stores are rationing now so hopefully that will help that mom and others get what they need. But you brought up a good point Deb.


----------



## todalake (Mar 28, 2020)

Picked up groceries ordered last night online.   Everything ordered was there.   Even had hand sanitizer.    Only problem $30 minimum,  need a gallon of milk later,  will run in late to get that.


----------



## Catlady (Mar 28, 2020)

Sunny said:


> All the senior hours I've heard of around here are* 6-7 AM.  I don't know a single person who wants to shop at that hour.* I wonder how many people they actually get.


I agree.  I USED to shop those hours, but only because I worked nights and shopped on my way home.  Who wants to shop at 6am, especially if you're old and your body aches when you wake up.  I'll take my chances at 9am as usual, use  a washcloth damp and with alcohol for disinfecting cart handles etc,  none of that gunk sanitizer for me.


----------



## Pappy (Mar 28, 2020)

SeaBreeze said:


> I spoke to an older couple yesterday that I see often at the park, they went to a supermarket with a 2 hour window for seniors to shop.  They hated it, it was crowded and said they were on the check out line for 45 min.
> 
> I told my husband if I had to go, I'd just go during regular hours.



I can just see the check out line with 25 of us old farts trying to remember our PIN number.


----------



## debodun (Mar 28, 2020)

Well, fart then. It will clear out the store. LOL


----------



## bowmore (Aug 26, 2020)

I did it once, at 7 am. Then I realized they do not start stocking until around 8 am. Now I go around 9:30.


----------



## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

They have 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. senior shopping here at one of the local grocery stores but it's too early for me because I won't able to find a parking space when I get back although I am up at that time now.


----------



## Jules (Aug 26, 2020)

Our senior/disabled time tends to be 7-8 a.m.  The stores weren’t normally open then.  We were just in there with the stockers.  Now that the mad panic is over, I try for 8:30 - 9:30.  It hasn’t been too bad.


----------



## PamfromTx (Aug 26, 2020)

My husband and I drove by the grocery store on Tuesday on our way to an Imaging Center (it was around 6:30 am) and the parking lot was filling up.


----------



## hollydolly (Aug 27, 2020)

At 65 I don't think I'm classed as old enough  to take advantage of the 'senior hours'.
I understand to be classed as elderly here in England  you have to be 70 plus.. ... The times of senior hours  vary depending on which supermarket chain..some as early as 7am..some as late as 9am till 10...

I don't ever go that early to the shops.. but if I was still working I'd be mad that I couldn't use the supermarket at 7am as I used to before getting to work..
We don't have any shortages of food or good here now..


However I do think it's a good idea to allow the elderly and vulnerable to get a chance to use  the supermarkets when they're relatively empty


----------



## Ken N Tx (Aug 27, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> However I do think it's a good idea to allow the elderly and vulnerable to get a chance to use the supermarkets when they're relatively empty


I think its more to let the elderly get to the freshly stocked shelves before the hoarders get to them!!


----------



## hollydolly (Aug 27, 2020)

Ken N Tx said:


> I think its more to let the elderly get to the freshly stocked shelves before the hoarders get to them!!


Our stores are mostly open 24 hours...  so they get stocked all day long


----------



## RB-TX (Aug 27, 2020)

pamelasmithwick said:


> My husband and I drove by the grocery store on Tuesday on our way to an Imagine Center (it was around 6:30 am) and the parking lot was filling up.



FAIR??  What is unfair about it, and life is not fair anyway.


----------



## hollydolly (Aug 27, 2020)

RB-TX said:


> FAIR??  What is unfair about it, and life is not fair anyway.


Where did @pamelasmithwick say or even imply  it was Unfair ?? ...she didn't !!


----------



## Ken N Tx (Aug 27, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> Our stores are mostly open 24 hours...  so they get stocked all day long


The ones that used to be 24 hours are closing at night to stock shelves and disinfect areas.


----------



## StarSong (Aug 27, 2020)

Ken N Tx said:


> The ones that used to be 24 hours are closing at night to stock shelves and disinfect areas.


Here, too.


----------



## Aneeda72 (Aug 27, 2020)

StarSong said:


> Here, too.
> [/QUOTEdeleted wrong place


----------



## Aneeda72 (Aug 27, 2020)

We no longer have senior shopping hours.  Yes, they were fair because they were also for the medical fragile of any age to reduce exposure to the virus


----------



## Keesha (Aug 27, 2020)

debodun said:


> Here, they don't require proof of age. I bet some people less that 65 are taking advantage.


 No! Do what you usually do and report them.  


CarolfromTX said:


> It's one lousy hour, usually at 6 or 7 AM. Sometimes just once a week. Seniors are more vulnerable to this, or any other virus. My opinion is that it's fine. Neighborly, even. Hooray for geezer hour!


Precisely!!!


----------



## PamfromTx (Aug 27, 2020)

RB-TX said:


> FAIR??  What is unfair about it, and life is not fair anyway.


I never once mentioned that it was fair or unfair @RB-TX


----------



## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

And to answer the question, yes, I think it's fair to allow the most at risk to shop early and I even think they should give us some extra time.


----------



## Gaer (Aug 27, 2020)

RB-TX said:


> FAIR??  What is unfair about it, and life is not fair anyway.



"FAIR" is an agricultual exhibit.
hahaha
"FAIR" does not exist in life.


----------



## StarSong (Aug 27, 2020)

Actually, fairness not only exists, studies have shown that  very young children and many animals become quite resentful when treated unfairly.

https://theconversation.com/animals...-treated-unfairly-and-they-dont-like-it-73152


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 27, 2020)

It is unfair. The earlier hours should belong to the younger people who have to work all day. The seniors can go to shop anytime if they are retired.


----------



## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

I don't feel it's true that seniors can go shopping anytime of the day they have appointments to get to and other things that they have to do  that require their attention and are not and are not just lollygagging around all day.  Also, a majority of senior citizens now have jobs they go to well into their 70s and 80s!!


----------



## Butterfly (Aug 28, 2020)

StarSong said:


> Here, too.



Here, also.


----------



## Butterfly (Aug 28, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> I don't feel it's true that seniors can go shopping anytime of the day they have appointments to get to and other things that they have to do  that require their attention and are not and are not just lollygagging around all day.  Also, a majority of senior citizens now have jobs they go to well into their 70s and 80s!!



I do a fair amount of lollygagging around; I'm getting very good at it.


----------



## Rosemarie (Aug 28, 2020)

I think it's selfish to complain about this. Many older people are in wheelchairs. It's difficult enough trying to manoeuvre round a store without putting up with other people's kids. It's usually just an hour once a week, surely that isn't too much to ask?


----------



## Sunny (Aug 28, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> I do a fair amount of lollygagging around; I'm getting very good at it.



I googled lollygagging and here's what I found.  Also some marvelous other byways such as balderdash and poppycock. So many great words and expressions have been lost to our language.


*      The racy past of "lollygag"    *
        By Rebecca Kruth & Anne Curzan _•_        Jul 29,  2018 

ShareTweetEmail








Lollygagging, screwing around, goofing off – whatever you call it, we can all agree there a lot of ways to talk about wasting time in English. 

Kalen, who previously asked us about "druthers," says "I tell my kids all the time to not lollygag, doodle or dilly dally. They are fun words, to be sure, but where do they come from?"

They are most definitely fun words. But watch out for "lollygag." It seems innocent at first, but then things get kind of racy.

"Lollygag," also known historically as "lallygag," comes into English in the mid-19th century meaning to dawdle. However, at that time, "lollygag" also meant to fool around.

Yes, _that _kind of fooling around.

Check out this awesome line that appeared in an Iowa newspaper in 1868: “The lascivious lollygagging lumps of licentiousness who disgrace the common decencies of life by their love-sick fawnings at our public dances."

Another great line from 1949 appears in the _Oxford English Dictionary_: "Lollygagging was grandmother's word for love-making." Today "lollygag" means to idle or dawdle, though we're guessing that some of you may now be having second thoughts about using it.   

That's OK, we've got other words for wasting time. For example, the verb "doodle" can mean to draw or scribble but in an aimless, time-wasting manner. When you think about it that way, it makes sense that "doodle" can also mean to dawdle.

We've also got "dilly-dally." The base word "dally" came in from Old French hundreds of years ago and meant to chat idly. Over time "dally" picked up other meanings such as to toy with things or spend time idly.


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 28, 2020)

My mother said dilly-dally. I recall Lollygagging too, but maybe it was in  a western movie.
Wasn't Dilly Dally a puppet on Howdy Doody?


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 28, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> I don't feel it's true that seniors can go shopping anytime of the day they have appointments to get to and other things that they have to do  that require their attention and are not and are not just lollygagging around all day.  Also, a majority of senior citizens now have jobs they go to well into their 70s and 80s!!


Ruthanne and, I said that in jest. Maybe you didn't notice my laughing emoticon?


----------



## Ken N Tx (Aug 28, 2020)

RadishRose said:


> Wasn't Dilly Dally a puppet on Howdy Doody?


Dilly-dally can also be used to describe wasting time or being indecisive. Dilly-dally is quite old fashioned British English slang but is still used today. This expression is perhaps most commonly associated with a classic music hall song from 1919. My Old Man (Said Follow the Van) was a popular UK hit for Marie Lloyd Marie Lloyd Matilda Alice Victoria Wood, professionally known as Marie Lloyd; was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as "The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery", "My Old Man" and "Oh Mr Porter What Shall I Do". She received ... en.wikipedia.org .


----------



## hollydolly (Aug 28, 2020)

Dilly Dally was an old cockney London song....


----------



## macgeek (Aug 28, 2020)

life is not fair.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Aug 28, 2020)

To lollygag is to *dilly-dally*, dawdle, loaf around, or goof off. If you're lollygagging, you're wasting time by moving slowly or doing something less important than what you should be (or doing nothing at all). Lollygag is primarily used in the United States. It is synonymous with the very similar spelled lallygag, but lollygag is more commonly used. Both are very informal.


----------



## JustBonee (Aug 28, 2020)

'Senior'  hours at grocery stores didn't last very long around here,   maybe a month or so.  .. It doesn't really matter to me anyway.  It was too early for me  (7AM)    to go,   and I consider myself an early morning person.


----------



## Sunny (Aug 28, 2020)

Holly, I couldn't see your video. But here are the words, anyway.

Even though I'm not a Brit, I know this song because it's on an old favorite Clancy Brothers record that my husband and I used to play a lot back in "the day."  It's called the Cock Linnet Song, and was a big favorite in the. British music hall.

A cock linnet was a little bird that was often kept as a pet, in a cage.

*We had to move away
'Cos the rent we couldn't pay.
The moving van came round just after dark.
There was me and my old man,
Shoving things inside the van,
Which we'd often done before, let me remark.
We packed all that could be packed
In the van, and that's a fact.
And we got inside all that we could get inside.
Then we packed all we could pack
On the tailboard at the back,
Till there wasn't any room for me to ride.

Refrain:

My old man said: "Foller the van,
And don't dilly-dally on the way".
Off went the van wiv me 'ome packed in it.
I walked be'ind wiv me old cock linnet.
But I dillied and dallied,
Dallied and dillied;
Lost me way and don't know where to roam.
And you can't trust a "Special"
Like the old-time copper
When you can't find your way home.
I gave a helping hand
With the marble wash hand-stand,
And straight, we wasn't getting on so bad.
All at once, the car-man bloke
Had an accident and broke,
Well, the nicest bit of china that we had.
You'll understand, of course,
I was cross about the loss.
Same as any other human woman would.
But I soon got over that,
What with "two out" and a chat,
'Cos it's little things like that what does you good.
Refrain:

Oh! I'm in such a mess.
I don't know the new address -
Don't even know the blessed neighbourhood.
And I feel as if I might
Have to stay out here all night.
And that ain't a goin' to do me any good.
I don't make no complaint
But I'm coming over faint,
What I want now's a good substantial feed,
And I sort 'o kind 'o feel,
If I don't soon have a meal,
I shall have to rob the linnet of its seed!
Refrain:*


----------

