Got stuck in ASDA

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My partner needed an urgent prescription but the only pharmacy available on a Sunday was in ASDA (ASDA is a supermarket in the UK). So I had to go in there and pick the prescription up. That went OK...but the problem was that once I was in the store it wasn't easy to come back out unless I bought something.
I was going to buy some lunch while I was in there but the crowds and the lines for the checkouts (even the self-service checkouts) were horrendous, and I didn't want to be in there too long because I'm trying to avoid catching COVID. I know people were wearing masks but there must have been about 500 people in there so it was impossible to stand 6 feet away from anyone, and I wanted my personal space.
It's obvious that ASDA no longer does social restrictions. There were stickers on the floor telling people to be distant from each other but it was impossible to obey because of the amount of people there was.

So I decided to go to a smaller and quieter store to buy our lunch, but it was such a challenge to actually get out of ASDA without buying anything, unless you're willing to queue up for ages with only one or two items, among crowds of people with piles of shopping and unruly kids (COVID-carriers) running around and laying on the floor.
I couldn't get out of the entrance because there were barriers that only allowed you to enter, and to get out you had to go through the checkout area, but I couldn't fit between all the people who were paying as the checkouts were too near each other, and the checkouts that were closed had barriers down so you couldn't go through.

So I ended up quickly walking out of one of the entrances before the barriers closed, which set off an alarm. I stopped and prepared myself for a search from a security guard or to be yelled at for going out through there but nobody did, and the alarm stopped, so I just shrugged and carried on walking out into freedom.

I only went in there to pick up my partner's prescription. But they make it so hard, and awkward, to come back out again if you haven't bought anything!

You did well. Even my Mum has had to avoid supermarkets. I am keeping to just one or two small shops and waiting until no one is in there.

Know just what you mean, Joe. I use scan and go when I shop fortnightly in Asda. It’s always nice getting out through that door to freedom !

Clearly that store is not taking the Covid thing seriously. I wonder if they are Covid deniers. Here in the US, we have stores that will only limit customers in the store and people have to wait outside. Once a person leaves, they let another person in.

Luckily here where I live, many people have not been out shopping so we have not had this problem where there are long lines.

All supermarkets did have limited customers, including ASDA, and some still have limited customers (although the capacity is a bit higher now). I think all stores should at least have a customer limit if it is getting too busy, like at weekends.

I think in the UK a lot of people don't want to end up as screen slaves and prefer to physically get out to do their errands, but I still think all supermarkets should have some consideration and limit any crowds. I might as well have been at a concert in there.

There are now four types of 'checkout' in our local ASDA. First you have a handful of traditional cashier-operated tills, with the moving conveyor belts. Then you have a smallish 'corral' type area for the new 'Scan and Go' system - this looks as if it could get very congested, though I've never used it. Thirdly there are a few self-scan checkouts for people using trolleys, similar to the cashier-operated ones but with no cashier, then finally another smallish self-scan area for people with just a few items in a basket. It's the third section that would give the best chance of getting out, as the 'aisles' (or whatever they're called) are wide enough to let you slip past the person using the scanner, but I'm assuming the place was so busy that you couldn't even get near them.

Our ASDA also seems to have abandoned the queueing system, and I've never seen it particularly packed out, though I do tend to visit at quieter times (such as 9pm or later). The queueing was really awful, you sometimes spent 30-40 minutes outside. The worst supermarkets for making it difficult to get out are places like Aldi, Lidl and Iceland, I've found.

Doesn't sound right, Joe. We don't have ASDA but there's a pharmacy inside Checkers supermarket (Medirite) and you can certainly buy something there and go out without having to buy anything from the general section or go through the grocery / general tills or queues. As with all stores here, regulations are taken fairly seriously and you would not feel crowded in our supermarkets, even when they are full. Many of our regular pharmacies are open (for limited hours) on Sundays.