How to time that visit to your local supermarket
Remember when going to the supermarket could actually be a nice way to while away a bit of child-free time? You could peruse the aisles at leisure, comparing nutrition information and specials before settling on the same brand of chopped tomatoes you always bought.
Visiting the supermarket in lockdown is an entirely different beast, more military operation than Sunday stroll.
There are guards at the door and hordes of shell-shocked shoppers doing their best not to trigger an explosion from the wild-eyed guy using a cut-down bra for a facemask in aisle seven.
But before you can hitch up your handbag and step into the grocery gauntlet, you must survive . . . the queue.
At some supermarkets, shoppers have faced lengthy waits in queues snaking out of the carpark and up to a kilometre down the road.
That doesn’t have to be your fate – you wouldn’t go into battle unprepared, nor should you go to the supermarket without getting the lay of the land.
Here’s how to arm yourself with the info to cut your queueing time.
Google Maps
If you’ve got a smartphone, chances are you’ve got Google Maps installed and, while nobody needs it to plot a route at the moment, there’s another feature worth checking out.
The app’s ‘‘Popular times’’ graph shows when shops, businesses, parks and other facilities are typically at their busiest.
But where it really comes into its own during lockdown is with its live reporting.
Using anonymous location data from Google users, the app analyses how busy a store is in real-time compared with historical trends.
Categories range from ‘‘Less busy than usual’’ to ‘‘As busy as it gets’’ and, if you’re seeing the latter, you might as well put the jug on and grab a book because it’s not worth leaving the house.
The feature is easy to use – just run a search for your local supermarket, click for more information, and scroll down to the graph. Fast, simple and accurate, it’s hard to beat.
Avoid Wednesday and Thursday
With the majority of benefits paid on Wednesday and Thursday, there are about 300,000 Kiwis who have their shopping days dictated by those payments.
Ordinarily not too much of an issue, it’s become more obvious during lockdown, with midweek crowds and busy roads sparking public outrage.
If you don’t need to shop on a Wednesday or Thursday, consider planning your trip for another day.
Think outside the pre-lockdown box
Some of the times that used to be busiest for supermarkets are now much quieter, according to Google.
With all schools and most workplaces closed, there’s a more steady flow of customers throughout the day and the traditional after-school and work rushes appear to have become a thing of the past.
If you don’t have a family to dish up dinner for, many stores are seeing a lull around teatime.
Supermarkets with longer opening hours can also be much quieter after 8pm and, let’s be honest, you’re unlikely to be judged too harshly if you venture out in your PJs at this point, so why not go a little later?
Facebook groups
If there’s one thing lockdown has reinforced for Kiwis, it’s that the vast majority of us are good buggers, keen to help each other out.
That extends to keeping the neighbours posted on what supermarket queues are like via social media.
If you’re not in at least one community Facebook group in your area, consider joining up – if there are no recent posts on supermarket wait times, most people (most, because it’s Facebook, after all) are happy to let others know how things are looking if they have shopped recently.
Howlongistheline
Set up by Dunedin-based software developer Gareth Hayes, howlongistheline.org is in its infancy but has the potential to spare many people the pain of arriving to a line snaking down the street.
The site automatically detects a user’s location and lists nearby supermarkets, assigning them a status of ‘No lines’, ‘A wee wait’ or ‘Busy – stay at home’.
Users can add stores to the site and update the status of a line when they arrive at the supermarket.
Even in a global pandemic, our No 8-wire mentality prevails.