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A study by parenting website ChannelMum.com found the pandemic has left almost a quarter of parents frightened of leaving their local area. As a result, two in five families have swapped to doing all their shopping locally, and 60% believe more people will shop online.
The poll shows that just one in 20 families are venturing out to shop more than once a week and the numbers doing a single weekly grocery shop is up by a third.
Parents point to fears about germs on the high street, with 23% admitting they are now more ‘scared of dirt and disease’, almost a half still worry they could catch Covid-19, and three quarters are concerned there will be a second wave.
The research found that one in five parents said their child is ‘frightened’ by people wearing PPE, making shopping trips difficult, while 27% said they will not feel comfortable using cash ever again. Two in four are not confident eating out in a café, the research found.
Only 11% of the parents polled plan to dine out regularly, citing worries about cleanliness and the risk of infection. However, 64% said they will try chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ‘Eat Out To Help Out Initiative’ in August, as the deal represents good value for families.
The polled parents recommend a six-point plan to be followed to tempt families back: Hand sanitizer in-store (74%), properly managed queues with social distancing (73%), limits on the number of people in the store (71%), staff wearing masks/PPE (52%), shopping hours for young families only (30%), and contactless card payments as 27% not comfortable using cash again.
Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com, said: “Shops are the lifeblood of communities both locally and in inner cities and a day out at the shops is part of UK culture. Most families want to be able to return to the high street but need significant added reassurance about safety.
“Initiatives like ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ are a good start as they allow families to venture out at an affordable cost and get used to the ‘new normal’. We need more programmes like this to help Brits ‘reset’ and get used to life after lockdown.”
In addition, the research found that families are also preparing for a second wave of the virus, with a quarter of households building up a permanent stock of basics like loo roll, washing powder, tinned foods, and dry pasta.
