(no subject)

[girlofprey]

The clocks went forward last night, so that's one less hour in lockdown, but time means nothing so who cares?

My mum got some sort of message from her NHS friends yesterday that now was the time for the serious lockdown, 'don't even go out for a loaf of bread', and the news briefing yesterday seemed to be saying a similar thing, so we went out for a walk in the cold thinking it would be the last one for a while. But things don't particularly seem to have stepped up in the news or anywhere - it's hard to tell. The companies I buy things online from certainly haven't emailed me to say they can't deliver anymore, and selfishly, I still want to buy a couple of perfumes while I can in case the companies go bust during lockdown. Perfume seems to be the one thing I can't get over, I think because I spent so long going round testing different ones, trying to find out what I really liked before spending money, so I have a couple of particular ones in mind - and I know the perfume industry, generally, will continue on after this and probably I will too, and I just feel like I'll spend the rest of my life trying to find something similar to the scents that got lost, which I can't even remember properly anymore because it was so long ago. It's a minor problem, I know - I'm blessed with a situation where I only really have minor problems to worry about - but it's bothering me. It's only little businesses that I'm thinking about, and if I knew they were all run from home or something, I'd be a lot more tempted - the recent stories about how things were in the Next distribution warehouses were very unpleasant. But even if they were, it's nowhere near essential, and if I think Royal Mail workers shouldn't even go out to buy a loaf of bread if they don't need to, I wouldn't ask them to go out delivering me perfume. So I will probably not buy perfume. I sort of wish I could place an order and just say 'please don't deliver this until lockdown is over, you can have the money but don't make anyone go out to deliver it'. But that wouldn't actually help me if the companies went bust during the lockdown either. It's a real shame to think of all the companies that might go bust. I don't know enough about finances and the economy to know how much the government's care package will actually help people.

On the other hand, a BBC article about receiving packages said that if you're really worried about contamination, just leave your parcels for 72 hours before opening them (or wash them with personally prepared weak bleach, but I ain't doing that). So from today I can start opening the packages that have come for me this week. It'll be like very slow Christmas.

Comments

[breyzyyin]

This whole situation just keeps being so surreal...and I know what you mean about it being a shame to think about all of the businesses and companies that might be impacted and shut down as a result of what is happening. Hopefully the government's care package will actually help people in the long run. *crosses fingers*

Ah, that is helpful information to have on the waiting period for opening packages though!

[girlofprey]

It's hard to know how to balance the economy, people's financial wellbeing, and people's/the country's health. I keep going back and forth on it. I'm confident (enough) that I can keep myself safe with it now, but I don't want to put anyone else at risk. And you can't ask the company if they're happy to do it, because without fail I think the bosses will say yes even if the workers would say no. I feel more comfortable buying from smaller independent businesses that probably have a small, close team, but. It is a conundrum.

[morganmuffle]

I know what you mean about wanting to order but not receive things - I found some stuff I want from America and I'm definitely not happy about ordering internationally right now but I also don't want to miss out.

We'll see how long I can resist the temptation.

[girlofprey]

I'm hoping to resist it until we're no longer allowed to do it. And then I can just get on with getting over it, or waiting to see if it's still available when all this is over.

[slemslempike]

very slow Christmas sounds like fun.

[girlofprey]

It's very slow though.