Luton curate's concern after Asda axes elderly hour

A Luton Curate has criticised changes to the elderly shopping hour at Asda, with worries that vulnerable residents in Wigmore may struggle in the coming weeks.

Sarah Hancock, curate of St Francis's Church in Carteret Road, says she was disappointed to discover Asda had dropped its daily shopping hour for the elderly earlier this month.

The supermarket branch has instead organised a designated hour for key workers, which the elderly may also shop if they wish.

When Rev Hancock contacted the supermarket's head office, she says she was abruptly told about the policy before being hung up upon.

Rev Hancock said: "I am severely disappointed in ASDA, especially as the store on Wigmore Lane is the only supermarket in the area for people to get to.

"We can try our best to support those in our community but now, older and vulnerable people will be expected to wait in the queue - sometimes up to an hour, which was the case for an 80 year old - along with the rest of the public.

"I think that if the elderly have to shop with with everyone else and queue outside Asda it is putting them more at risk.

"I think they should be prioritising an hour for them in the mornings, like other supermarkets have.

"They could do it on the other days that they don't have a designated hour for the NHS workers.

"I have spoken to some of the elderly in my church and they have told me they are having to travel across town to Morrisons or Sainsbury's, where they do have an hour for the elderly, so they feel safer. At a time where we should be protecting the elderly it is disappointing."

An Asda spokesperson: ‘’Due to the government advice for the elderly and vulnerable to stay at home during this pandemic we decided to re-purpose this hour in stores to become a priority hour for NHS workers.

"Where possible we are asking those customers for whom it is safe to visit stores to free up online delivery slots for those who have been told to stay at home.’’

Asda has created a special Volunteer Shopping Card for those shopping for the elderly and vulnerable.

This card is for those who might be self-isolating, older or medically vulnerable, the Volunteer Shopping Card provides contactless, safe and secure way to allow others to shop for them.

The Volunteer Shopping Card can be bought online, emailed to the volunteer or printed out and left in a safe place for the volunteer to pick up.

The volunteer then shops using the cars, makes the payment using the barcode in store and then leaves the shopping in safe place.

Sarah added: "The Volunteer Shopping Card is a really good idea by Asda but the problem is that a lot of the older people in Wigmore, do not have access to a computer or do not even know how to use the internet."

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