Money Moral Dilemma: Should I be shopping online during the coronavirus lockdown?

Waxy666

devoncourier said:

I’ve noticed a few people on here are mentioning the government Guidelines.  They say don’t travel unless essential, stay at home, protect the NHS. Others on here have said it’s helping the economy. Make your mind up.

There is no making up your mind, the government guidelines are perfectly clear.  If you go to the government website https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus the very first thing it says at the top of the page is:

Stay at home

• Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
• If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
• Wash your hands as soon as you get home

All the stuff about essential travel only etc is for non-work related purposes.  If you have to leave the house to work then that is very clear in the government guidelines that it's allowed, but you should be observing social distancing whilst you do.

PennyForThem_2

So I ordered a packet of game dice online which was delivered by courier.  This is a 'non-essential' item.  
However....a group of us via skype and internet havefound a way to play a fantasy game (Dungeons & Dragons) which we usually play by meeting together.  Out of 6 over 70s 1 has had a letter from NHS saying MUST stay confined to house for 12 weeks, 1 has just had heart surgery and another has diabetes.  So to play this game the die are (to me) essential.  It also means the group is not broken up (we usually meet every quarter to play face to face) and I retain some social contact.

That is why couriers must be applauded and are essential to the mental well being of the confined --- and yes, plant delivery may be just as essential to another 70+ year old so that they can get outside into their garden and do their thing and retain their mental helath while confined.

devoncourier

I’m quite happy in my job thank you, would just like the choice of isolating with my son or not that’s all. I understand that others in different jobs are in the same position and feel for them. I also understand the dilemma between people’s health and the economy is a very fine one but in my position, a bias one I agree, health will always come first. Are people really ordering goods thinking ‘I’m doing this to help the economy’ or ‘it’s something I really need’ or are they just ordering it because it’s just something they want?  It’s ok saying follow the guidelines, most people do, but as frustrating as it is, not everyone adhere’s to them. That said, I’m glad to be delivering items that will aid in anyway peoples mental health in the current situation. I would just ask that everyone think before they order, stay safe

Takmon

devoncourier said:

I’m quite happy in my job thank you, would just like the choice of isolating with my son or not that’s all. I understand that others in different jobs are in the same position and feel for them. I also understand the dilemma between people’s health and the economy is a very fine one but in my position, a bias one I agree, health will always come first. Are people really ordering goods thinking ‘I’m doing this to help the economy’ or ‘it’s something I really need’ or are they just ordering it because it’s just something they want?  It’s ok saying follow the guidelines, most people do, but as frustrating as it is, not everyone adhere’s to them. That said, I’m glad to be delivering items that will aid in anyway peoples mental health in the current situation. I would just ask that everyone think before they order, stay safe

But even though you say you will put health first your actually making a decision to go to work each day and slightly increase the risk to your health because you have decided the increase in risk is worth it to earn money from your job. In reality you could refuse to go to work which would mean you would end up losing your job and if you don't have any savings also ruining your finances by not being able to pay any bills. 
Obviously the right choice for you is to continue going to work, just like the right choice for the government is to let people to go work. 

staggered

I've bought a couple of things online (for the garden).  They weren't essential items like food or medicine but getting out into the garden will help me deal with being stuck at home.

I'm conscious of the risks to the people sending and delivering the items.  I thought it best to buy from a small, independent business (like the ones trading on eBay) rather than from a business with a large warehouse, where a lot of workers will be mixing together.  I also tried to stick to items that will fit through the letterbox, and those that don't require a signature, to minimise contact with the person delivering.  I think that, with smaller items, ebay sellers can pre-pay postage and then post into a letterbox without having to go to the Post Offce?

It's not perfect, I know that there's a certain degree of selfishness to what I'm doing, but I've tried to minimise risks.

To be honest, I think that buying clothes online would be a bit of a waste of money at the moment as you've nowhere to wear them.

Pollycat

staggered said:

I've bought a couple of things online (for the garden).  They weren't essential items like food or medicine but getting out into the garden will help me deal with being stuck at home.

I'm conscious of the risks to the people sending and delivering the items.  I thought it best to buy from a small, independent business (like the ones trading on eBay) rather than from a business with a large warehouse, where a lot of workers will be mixing together.  I also tried to stick to items that will fit through the letterbox, and those that don't require a signature, to minimise contact with the person delivering.  I think that, with smaller items, ebay sellers can pre-pay postage and then post into a letterbox without having to go to the Post Offce?

It's not perfect, I know that there's a certain degree of selfishness to what I'm doing, but I've tried to minimise risks.

To be honest, I think that buying clothes online would be a bit of a waste of money at the moment as you've nowhere to wear them.

I think you'll find that lots of courier companies are now operating a 'no contact' policy.

On the previous page I've posted an extract from Hermes' website.

You won't have contact with the person delivering.

I'd asked for my parcel to be left outside my garage door - no risk of it being stolen as I'm in all day.

In my case, I was upstairs when the delivery arrived. I knocked on the window, put my thumb up and he left the parcel for me to deal with after he drove off.

tralla

Pollycat said:

devoncourier said:

I’m a courier who is apparently a ‘key’ worker for a big national company. I’ve noticed a fair few comments regarding keeping the economy going by ordering non-essentials online. My life and those of my colleagues is worth more than your lawn mowers/plants/cakes/kettle drums/plants/clothes/diy items/gallons of paint etc etc, the list is endless. Think on......actually think of others you selfish *******

But your employer is still selling stuff online...

If they chose to close, people wouldn't be able to buy online.

If the Government forced these companies to stop selling online, people wouldn't be able to buy online.

I think you're directing your ire at the wrong set of people.

We all need to take responsibility. You may have noticed that the Government gets it wrong over an over again. Just because they allow you to keep buying stuff it doesn't mean you should. Doctors and nurses are risking and losing their lives, there aren't going to be enough ventilators for everyone who will need one. Surely all non-essential work should stop if this may help prevent infections. Amazon is on the news for all the wrong reasons. Let's learn from other countries and stop before it is too late.

[Deleted User]

I work as a postman for Royal Mail.   Parcel volumes have gone through the roof, it's almost like Xmas! 
While there are now safer procedures for parcel delivery, we spend 2 hours in the delivery office each morning before going out and this is where the main concern is.  While certain work processes and shift patterns have been changed to mitigate risks it is impossible to fully adhere to the safe distancing guidelines due to the nature of the work and the size of the offices.  Similar issues exist in the main mail centres/sorting offices.  It is a very difficult time and sickness levels have started to soar which is putting an ever increasing burden on people.  On one hand I feel lucky to still have a job in these uncertain times but I worry each day that I could potentially be putting myself and my family at risk. 

Mrs_Ryan

Deleted_User said:

I work as a postman for Royal Mail.   Parcel volumes have gone through the roof, it's almost like Xmas! 
While there are now safer procedures for parcel delivery, we spend 2 hours in the delivery office each morning before going out and this is where the main concern is.  While certain work processes and shift patterns have been changed to mitigate risks it is impossible to fully adhere to the safe distancing guidelines due to the nature of the work and the size of the offices.  Similar issues exist in the main mail centres/sorting offices.  It is a very difficult time and sickness levels have started to soar which is putting an ever increasing burden on people.  On one hand I feel lucky to still have a job in these uncertain times but I worry each day that I could potentially be putting myself and my family at risk. 

Hubby works in a mail centre, predominantly on parcels. He works in one of the ‘super’ mail centres where there’s loads of room and says he is easily 2m away from everyone at all times. He has said that he’s been working predominantly with casuals because Norovirus has been going round as well as Coronavirus! 

Pollycat

tralla said:

Pollycat said:

devoncourier said:

I’m a courier who is apparently a ‘key’ worker for a big national company. I’ve noticed a fair few comments regarding keeping the economy going by ordering non-essentials online. My life and those of my colleagues is worth more than your lawn mowers/plants/cakes/kettle drums/plants/clothes/diy items/gallons of paint etc etc, the list is endless. Think on......actually think of others you selfish *******

But your employer is still selling stuff online...

If they chose to close, people wouldn't be able to buy online.

If the Government forced these companies to stop selling online, people wouldn't be able to buy online.

I think you're directing your ire at the wrong set of people.

We all need to take responsibility. You may have noticed that the Government gets it wrong over an over again. Just because they allow you to keep buying stuff it doesn't mean you should. Doctors and nurses are risking and losing their lives, there aren't going to be enough ventilators for everyone who will need one. Surely all non-essential work should stop if this may help prevent infections. Amazon is on the news for all the wrong reasons. Let's learn from other countries and stop before it is too late.

Then the Government should step in and stop all companies from selling non-essential goods online.