Shoppers heading out to supermarkets across Gedling borough today are still facing a long wait to get into the stores, with long queues forming outside as people continue to stock up before the Easter shutdown .
With opening hours altered over the bank holiday weekend, many customers have braved the huge queues just to get into local stores so they can fill up their fridges and freezers at home
In recent weeks supermarkets across the borough have introduced new measures to help shoppers stay two metres apart in a bid to tackle the spread of coronavirus, including limiting the amount of people allowed inside at any one time, which has caused delays.
Shoppers waiting outside Tesco on Carlton Hill at 5.30am this morning still faced a lengthy wait to get into the store when the doors opened at 6am..
Peter Oakley from Carlton said “I was here just as the sun was coming out, but I wasn’t alone. Many local people had the same idea. There was a long wait and then when the doors doors opened at 6am we had to wait quite a while then.”






Queues were still lengthly this later in the morning outside Tesco in Carlton, Asda at Arnold, Wilkinsons in Carlton Square, Morrisons and B&M Bargains at Victoria Retail Park and Co-op in Netherfield.
Linda Smalls described the wait outside Asda in Arnold as ‘ridiculous’.
She said: I’m a key worker so this has been my first chance to go shopping. Some of these people have had all week and I bet they’ve just come out for something to do. It’s disgraceful.”
Shoppers reported being turned away for a short while earlier this morning at Morrisons due to the lengthy queues.
Mark Samson arrived at Morrisons just before eleven and said he was “shocked” to see the size of the queue outside the store.
He said: “I was shocked. We are in a lockdown yet so many people from around the local area was there in one place. It’s madness.
Despite the long waits, one member of staff at Morrisons who didn’t wish to be named told us that yesterday (Friday) had been ‘a lot worse’.
He said: “There was a wait of an hour and a half to get into the store. It was crazy. It’s not as bad today, but it’s still ridiculously busy.”
Supermarkets will close tomorrow to mark Easter Sunday, although many people had called for them to be allowed to remain open due to the current crisis.
- What was your shopping experience like? Share your stories and pictures with us by emailing news@gedlingeye.co.uk
Peopel from Nevo no doubt, this will just be them getting stuff in for brekfast! HA!