Hattons store closure

[RailwayRobbo]

We are talking with suppliers & traditional competitors about an industry-wide “1 out, all out” decision to suspend all despatch operations. We will be making a decision at 10am tomorrow and an announcement will follow very shortly after.

This is part of Hattons latest newsletter sent out yesterday.

Not seen any announcement so far on this.
Rails keep sending me their 'Deal of the Day' emails. Had another this morning.

[Bufferstop]

I can see that they don't want to suspend dispatches if others don't. It would help the smaller model shops, who live on-site and can still take and process orders to keep going. Don't want this to be another nail in their coffin, we've lost too many already.

[End2end]

I've seen couriers up and down my road all day delivering items plus the postie with 2 packages and a few items of junk mail for us (yes that's still getting through. ) plus a Post Office van so the delivery end seems ok.
Thanks
End2end

[Bufferstop]

Since we aren't supposed to be visiting relatives and friends the parcel post is most useful. We have a box by the front door, anything arriving goes in it for 24 hours then gets opened wearing gloves.

[BorderShed]

Best make it 70+ hrs if it is plastic covered, less if paper or cardboard, just to be sure.

Very similar precautions here : mail is collected from our box (which is outside down the driveway) and brought to a garden table where it is opened remotely, gloves with grip in one hand and scissors in the other ! Contents are dumped in to a box and left awhile
Sort of a bit like remote handling of radioactive waste !
Probably a bit over the top but hey- what else to amuse ourselves with

But the main reason for this post is to say : the good news is that China is coming back on-stream :-
An order of hobby electronics made via ebay back in Jan arrived today, only about a month more than would have been usual.

I felt a bit like Noah receiving a good omen from his Dove.

[alex3410]

We have a box by the front door, anything arriving goes in it for 24 hours then gets opened wearing gloves.

Thats not a bad idea, we are due something today, my plan was to open it outside with gloves and put box etc right into the bin.

There was a chap on the news suggesting people leave food shopping outside for 3 days before bringing it into the house, just hope he had not ordered fresh meat or dairy etc

I have to venture out today for a supply run which should be fun, planning on leaving it until late in the hopes it's quieter - just less chance of them having bits in stock I guess but will have to live with that.



It would be really interesting to see the sales figures for Hatton's etc over the last month or so, I wonder if they are all holding on due to an influx of orders for people stuck at home with nothing else to do? Not from me, as I am working from home in the garden shed! which thankfully sill has its insulation in from when the railway was in here, still rather cold until mid-morning

[boxbrownie]

Best make it 70+ hrs if it is plastic covered, less if paper or cardboard, just to be sure.

Good advice but don’t forget also most if not all cardboard boxes are sealed with plastic tape of some sort, this being non absorbent falls into the same category as a hard surface at 72 hour (present guidelines) safety margin, we have been doing much the same, parcels and letters left out under the porch (well sheltered) for a day or two and then transferred to the utility room where they are opened with gloves and contents wiped with alcohol wipes especially so if plastic wrapped/bagged items (like plastic kits ).

It does sound like overkill and some may laugh, but three of us here fall into the vulnerable (with one very vulnerable) so while we have the time, why not?

[BorderShed]

Humm ,, well I dont know if there is any useful purpose* to posting this cos it is way-off-orig-topic,
but by way of conversation and mods please move or delete!

this evening I think I heard a 'talking head' on TV who was commenting that some new research has shown that no significant[?] levels of [live?]virus were found to remain on dry paper after 1hr !
I didnt find any follow-up, but then, news that isnt all doom&disaster seems to not merrit ?


*apart from,, we could do with a bit of maybe interesting news?

[Bufferstop]

If you intend to leave food outside, find a metal box for it. The wildlife around here will have anything wrapped or not. We have a cat who prefers living outside to sharing a house with our other cat. Last night something cleaned up every scrap of food from his bowls two feet away from where he was sleeping. Probably it was a fox.