Tesco has announced a number of major changes in stores across the UK as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues.
Jason Tarry – CEO of Tesco – formally revealed the changes in an email to shoppers.
The supermarket chain stated that these new measures are “in line with current government guidance” and also confirmed that it has made sure that the safety measures introduced at the start of the pandemic remain in place going forward.
The updated changes are said to be “to help protect our customers and colleagues” and “ensure that everyone can get the food they need in a safe environment.”
Speaking on the changes, Jason Tarry said: “Wecontinue to prioritise making our stores as safe as we can, and we are continually looking at new ways to do so, as well as monitoring government guidance to make sure we respond to any changes straightaway.”
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So, what can you expect from your next trip to Tesco then? What do you need to be aware of?
Here’s all the major changes you need to know.
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Opening Hours
Tesco has confirmed it will be extended opening hours in many of its branches to help safely manage the flow of people in and out of stores for the benefit of customers and staff.
The majority of stores however will remain closed overnight.
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To find the latest opening hours for your local branch, you can use the Tesco store locater here.
New ‘Traffic Light’ System
Several months after Aldi rolled out its ‘red and green’ traffic light system, Tesco has announced it will be doing the same in larger stores.
Customers can expect to see this take effect “over the coming weeks”.
The supermarket chain also confirmed that larger stores will now have staff based at the entrances to help everyone follow the safety measures and answer any questions that shoppers have.
Jason Tarry stated in the email to shoppers: “When you visit our stores, please follow the legal guidance on wearing a face covering. If you forget to bring one, we have packs available to buy at the front of our stores, which you can open immediately and pay for with your shopping later.
“As a reminder, the police are able to issue fines for not wearing a face covering, unless you are exempt.”
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Hand Sanitiser and Cleaning Stations
Hand sanitiser and cleaning stations will remain available to use around all stores.
Tesco also confirmed that it will continue to have social distancing guidelines and signage in place at clear and visible points around every store.
No Need to ‘Panic Buy’
Tesco has issued a statement of reassurance for shoppers with regards to stock availability.
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Jason Tarry said: “We have good stock levels, so please shop as you normally would so that everyone is able to get what they need [and] we may apply buying limits to some essential products to help with that too.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have more than doubled the number of home delivery and Click+Collect slots to 1.5 million each week [and] this is to help anyone who is unable to shop in-store – especially our most vulnerable customers – to access our online service.
“Last week, we delivered more orders than ever before, and we will continue to increase the number of online slots available [but] there is still high demand for our online service,
“We would encourage people who are able to shop in-store to do so.”
On the topic of ‘panic buying’, Andrew Opie – Director of Food & Sustainability at The British Retail Consortium – added: “Retailers have done an excellent job in ensuring customers have access to food and necessities throughout this pandemic.
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“Since March, retail businesses have strengthened their supply chains, as well as investing hundreds of millions to make stores safe and secure for customers [and] this includes perspex screens, social distancing measures and additional hygiene measures [so] as such, retail remains a safe space for consumers, even under future lockdowns.
“Supply chains are stronger than ever before and we do not anticipate any issues in the availability of food or other goods under a future lockdown.
“Nonetheless, we urge consumers to be considerate of others and shop as they normally would.”
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Oldham mansion that starred in an iconic pop music video is up for sale
Thomas Melia
A Greater Manchester mansion that’s featured in one of the most famous music videos of the past decade is now up for sale.
Situated in the picturesque village of Uppermill, Oldham, Ashcroft House is currently listed at £2,350,000 accepting offers in the region of this figure.
The property has six bedrooms, six baths and five reception rooms – this mansion is a party host’s dream.
Ashcroft House has four storeys with the lower ground floor currently set up as a gym space and the ground floor boasting an eye-catching grand entrance hall.
This isn’t everything the lower ground floor has to offer. There are a number of breakout rooms such as a wine store, cinema room and your own personal steam room.
When going up another flight of stairs, the first floor’s main selling point besides the very large balcony is the matched walk in wardrobes paired with each of the six sleeping quarters, yes please!
The girls styling themselves in one of the many walk in wardrobes at Ashcroft House.The bold statement front door in the Oldham mansion.Credit: Youtube (@littlemix)
Finally, if that wasn’t enough to draw you in, there is another flight of stairs leading to the second floor which is currently acting as the house’s ever-impressive storage area.
With the rolling hills of Saddleworth nearby and a local pub a ten minute walk away, how could life possibly get any better?
Oh wait it does! In 2016 one of the UK’s best selling girl groups of all time shot a music video for their worldwide hit right here in these very four walls.
X Factor prodigies and three time BRIT award winning girl group Little Mix perched up with their film crew to spend 21 hours recording the video for their groundbreaking single ‘Hair’.
The video itself has amassed nearly 500 million views on social media platform Youtube since being released eight years ago.
The grand staircase that greets you as you enter this Greater Manchester property.The Little Mix girls having a bite to eat in Ashcroft House.Credit: Youtube (@littlemix)
The previous owner of the house even revealed that once the music video shoot wrapped up, the girls stayed with the family to share a slice of pizza or two.
If you’re interested in owning a piece of pop culture history or just as nosey as we are you can take a virtual tour of this mansion in Oldham here.
People are finally discovering this super easy money-saving food hack
Danny Jones
These days, pinching the pennies and protecting the pounds wherever you can is more important than ever, so we have no intention of gatekeeping this game-changing itsu food hack.
For the longest time, we’ll admit that we thought itsu was just another good place to grab some fresh sushi, Asian-inspired meals and groceries, but after learning of this clever little loophole, it’s probably up there with one of our very favourite chains.
Starting out in London back in the late 90s, itsu has gone on to become a huge franchise with nearly 80 locations nationwide and, naturally, the risk that comes with a food brand getting this big is the almost unavoidable problem of waste.
However, what was once just a conveyor belt in Chelsea has turned into a super-efficient restaurant and fully established food brand that has also come up with a great way to not only help stop food from going to waste but save you money in the process too.
itsu Manchester on 1 Hardman Blvd, Spinningfields.itsu prices aren’t pretty decent to start with given the quality.We’re all about food hacks and cutting back the budget wherever we can. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Put quite simply, because itsu would quite rightly rather see food go in your gob than in the bin, they have a discount policy on their products that are about to go out of date.
Think Too Good To Go only more specific and with even more money off guaranteed.
Once the clock hits a certain time towards the end of trading hours, sushi, salad boxes and other cold food items can be purchased at 50% off their usual price to help save money and on food spoiling.
No, we’re not having you on: each and EVERY single day you can get highly-quality itsu sushi selection platters, rice and salad boxes, poke bowls and more at literally half-price. You can see the full details in their FAQs.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a random work night or a peckish walk home from the pub on the weekend, provided you go after 8:30pm and get there before they shut, you can grab some of your favourites at essentially a two-for-one rate. Sensational stuff.
You don’t even have to download an app, go up to the counter and have any kind of awkward conversation or anything like that: the digital pay screens will automatically update once the click strikes cha-ching and you can saunter out of the gaff with your scran.
Half price itsu? Don’t mind if we do.50% off itsu every night.Always leave looking this happy.Get your hands on half-price itsu whenever you can with this simple hack. (Credit: The Manc Group)
We’ll be honest, we often end up getting double the amount we came for but who can blame us with a value-for-money offer like that? There’s also a 15% discount for students and NHS workers, by the way.
We know that might sound counter-intuitive when we’ve pitched this as a money-saving life hack, but it’s actually come in handy when grabbing not just a last-minute tea for ourselves but hungry flatmates too; plus we go home knowing we’ve done our little bit to help reduce waste.
Eating out can get super expensive, especially in Manchester city centre during a cost of living crisis, but let’s face it, we all fancy a treat sometimes and the thought of cooking is too tiring to even think about – that’s what makes stumbling upon little happy discoveries like these makes so great.
Now, we’re not going to pretend you’re the first people to know about this: the ‘secret’ is out and is gradually getting more and more popular, so you’ll almost certainly find a fair few people queuing up with the same idea come 8:30pm, but that’s kind of the idea. The more we spread the news, the less waste.
itsu Spinningfields is currently the only branch in Manchester (the first-ever Northern site to be opened by the brand back in 2016) but if you need some discounted food whilst you’re travelling around, you can find your nearest location HERE. Enjoy!
The Manc -
5th October 2020 
