Purple Bricks.

Last night just before I went to sleep, I thought of my recluse brother. I decided I’d buy him a mobile phone voucher in case he was to run out over the next few days, as he is not contract. This morning I went to my local 24-hour Tesco with a small can of cat food. I went to the till only to see that the queues were SO long they all went up each isle! Seriously if I didn’t need the phone voucher, I’d have put the cat food down and leave. I have never seen queues like this in living memory. Not even at Christmas. So, I joined the queue in the crisp isle and just waited patiently. While I was waiting, an old lady was right behind me with her family and grandkids, I knew from her accent and words that she was from a country that is in lockdown now in Europe, she suddenly coughed very loud behind me! It was then I wished I’d gone into the shop with my hood up, but now it was too late. I had to just reason with myself that people have coughs and sneeze, it’s that time of the year. I was in this queue for 45 minutes then when I got to the till there was a sign on the till saying, “Don’t stand too close to each other….” Which was a bit late when we all were way back there in the isle. I saw a lady in another queue, she had a worried face, some people look worried all the time, I didn’t know her but she just looked worried.

I noticed in the queues there were all ages even over 70’s who according to the government should be self-isolating at home. I saw very old people, and wondered what they must have made of it all. I saw parents with their young children and single parents with kids. I saw those whose deep trolleys were full to overflowing. And those who had few pickings.

Today there was bread, eggs, loo rolls and kitchen paper. A Supervisor Staff came to the till I was at and he was going to each till with the latest details he said to her, “We can sell 3 of each item in the store but only 1 of the items on your list in front of you.” I made sure I was extra polite to those in front of me and behind and to the cashier at it can’t be easy for them with all the crowds.

Yesterday when I had gone to Tesco to get two items my brother had asked for, I noticed a lady at self service with what looked like 50 bags of prepared vegetables, the lady in front of me at the till she was told, “You can only have 2 bags of vegetables,” I then informed the cashier, of the woman next to us at self-service, she got her supervisor who went over to her. Yesterday after I finished my brother’s shop I went over to the Supervisor and said, “The free parking box that we all have to use to put our car registration in we are all touching it,” He replied, “It doesn’t belong to us, it’s a private company, and until they come up with something we have to carry on using it,” I said, “OK.” Today in the queue another customer had asked the same question I did and he gave her the same reply.

I then went to the petrol station at Tesco and said to the man at the till, “Its crazy inside the store,” He replied, “I know, this morning when they opened at 6am (for they had closed from 10pm last night until 6am this morning) he said, “There was at least 1,000 people waiting outside waiting to go in!” I was stunned.

I have kept in touch with to people, who have been ‘forced’ to self-isolate and have checked up on them via texts, yesterday and this morning. I asked them both, “Do you need me to get you anything? I will bring it to you this morning before I go to work tonight.” Both replied, “I am fine.”

Walking up my street to my door, I noticed that the old lady’s house that had been sold very quickly by Purple Bricks was now for sale again, the money was to help with her care. Now her daughter will be back to square one.