Standing in line for shopping has become the norm

Grocery shopping has become a problem for me during lockdown. One needs to stand in long queues outside shopping centres to buy essentials. The queues are extremely long because only a certain number of people are allowed to go inside the supermarket at any given time.

What I have learnt is that grocery shopping during lockdown can take a day if you do not get there really early to avoid the long lines.

I usually do my grocery shopping in the afternoon, trying to avoid the morning lines. It is a problem on my side because I end up finishing late. When I finish doing my grocery shopping late, I do not get the chance to cook on time, meaning that I will have to prepare a sandwich for dinner.

I have been grocery shopping three times since lockdown started at Shoprite in Ikageng Gate and I waited for about an hour in line every time.

The first time I went grocery shopping, I did not understand why I had to stand outside the store. When it was my turn, a security lady by the name of Tsholo Molefe sanitised my hands and explained to me that they only allowed 60 people inside the store.

As I was putting my essentials in the shopping basket, I discovered that certain products like toilet paper, body spray, toothpaste, bread and milk were sold out. When I was waiting to pay, I saw a one-meter distance line in front of me that I had to stand on. This was something really interesting to see.

The reason for the one-metre lines is to separate the customers from each other and to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus. While I was waiting for my turn, I spoke to a customer, Keaobaka Leburu, (26) , an entrepreneur, told me that the one-meter line did not make sense to him in the beginning but once I explained it, he understood the reason behind it. The cashiers wear masks and they sanitise their hands whenever they assist clients.