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Shoppers waiting at the Iceland store in the Kennedy Centre, Belfast, to open early for a dedicated shopping session for older people Liam McBurney/PA

Older people enjoy dedicated shopping sessions at supermarkets

Iceland, Tesco and Lidl introduced the initiative amid incidents of stockpiling as the nation grapples with the coronavirus outbreak

OLDER PEOPLE HAVE been enjoying dedicated shopping sessions at some supermarkets in Ireland.

Pensioners were able to shop at Iceland and Lidl stores before general admittance to the public. Tesco is also set to follow suit.

The moves come amid reports of stockpiling leaving shelves empty of essentials such as toilet rolls due to concern over the impact of Covid-19.

‘People were respectful’

At the Kennedy Centre in west Belfast, the local Iceland store opened its doors only for older people at 8am.

Kennedy Centre manager John Jones said it had been a chink of light in difficult times.

“It went very, very well, people were very respectful of it, there were no issues with people trying to get into the store that didn’t need it. It was a superb morning and it is going to continue on for the foreseeable future,” he said.

“It’s a tough experience [coronavirus], it is unprecedented and for us we’re taking a chink of light in the bit of darkness that there is at the moment.”

Jones said the staff at the store came up with the idea themselves and it quickly went viral.

“It’s an initiative that the staff on the floor and the manager of that particular Iceland came up with themselves,” he said.

“I was asked by one of the Iceland workers would I mind putting a post up on our Facebook and our Twitter, and it went viral on Sunday evening.”

He added that a number of other stores at the Kennedy Centre were considering similar initiatives.

Iceland Ireland is opening 27 stores between 8am and 9am to customers who are over 65.

It added: “The supermarket retailer will continue to operate as normal as possible over the coming days and weeks while following government guidelines, and ask their other customers where possible to respect this hour and help to give time to this customer group so they can shop in comfort and safety.”

Shopping sessions

Lidl stores in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also offered dedicated shopping sessions for the elderly.

Starting on Tuesday, they will run from 9am to 11am every day and include prioritised queuing and additional assistance.

A Lidl statement said: “The retailer asks that the public respect this time period to allow more vulnerable customers to pick up the food and supplies they need.”

Managing director for Ireland and Northern Ireland JP Scally said: “We’re confident in our robust and agile supply chain, and all of our stores are continuing to receive daily deliveries as planned.

“However, we have seen stronger customer numbers in recent days and as members of the public it’s our responsibility to look after the more vulnerable in society in these challenging times.”

Meanwhile, Tesco Ireland is to offer over 65s and family carers a dedicated shopping time at its 151 stores in the Irish Republic.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, starting from tomorrow, 18 March, these customers will have dedicated access to all Tesco stores up to 9am. Tesco stores open at 7am or 8am, every morning, depending on location.

Kari Daniels, chief executive, Tesco Ireland, said: “While these customers can obviously shop with us at any time, we hope that offering this dedicated time will give these customers some peace of mind during their shopping trip with us.”

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    Mute Mac Muinteoir
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    Nov 12th 2021, 5:34 PM

    The day is coming when Ireland joins countries like Canada, Uruguay, Mexico, South Africa, and 18 US states in legalising cannabis for recreational use, simply because it is becoming ever more obvious that prohibition is a failed and harmful model.

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    Mute Alan Byrne
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    Nov 12th 2021, 6:47 PM

    @Mac Muinteoir: Hopefully so Mac, I wish it would happen sooner.

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    Mute Supes Kz
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    Nov 12th 2021, 9:45 PM

    @Mac Muinteoir: It’s now decriminalised for recreational use in the Spain (EU) with some qualifications.
    Spain allows its citizens to purchase cultivation equipment and allows the cultivation of a limited number of plants for personal use.

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    Mute Daniel Curtin
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    Nov 13th 2021, 9:58 AM

    @Mac Muinteoir: looks like Germany will be making it fully legal for recreational use soon, which will be a big game changer for Europe

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    Mute Mary Ryan
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    Nov 12th 2021, 4:41 PM

    Would love a cup of herbal tea right now….

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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Nov 12th 2021, 4:51 PM

    @Mary Ryan: “Green” tea it makes you feel ecstatic :-)

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Nov 12th 2021, 8:32 PM

    If they caught nearly 8kg you can be SURE they missed 800kg recently. Boring.

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    Mute Dean Stown
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    Nov 12th 2021, 8:03 PM

    Destined for people in high places!

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    Mute Thomas Claffey
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    Nov 13th 2021, 11:43 AM

    Was it Barry’s tea or was he just holding it for a friend. I don’t believe they found the loyns share of it yet.

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