To do a Christmas food shop in person on 23rd?

Monday is a working day for many (I realise there are people who don’t work/retired/booked leave), but plenty will surely be working and not fighting over some dry turkey!

Will be fine, I've bought turkey reduced to £5 on Christmas Eve several times. To be sure of getting what you want i would go today or tomorrow for all the longer life food though

I do this most years. I order a turkey from a farm shop but just go to the supermarket early in the morning on 22/23 for everything else. It's totally fine- I've always managed to get what I need.

A few years ago I went very, very early on Christmas Eve and parked up before the shop opened. What I liked was that the car park was full of women also sitting in their cars, drinking coffee, and clearly enjoying some peace and quiet before the onslaught of the next few days.

This too. I'd do this if we didn't have a traditional Christmas Eve walk every year. I have friends who pick up a reduced Turkey and one to freeze every year.

No idea what this obsession is about. Think over 3 days, milk consumption for me and my parents is the lowest over the year. That’s just for 5-6 cups of tea and coffee.

Ha ha, unless you own teenagers. In which case we have 20 pints of milk in the fridge at all times 😂

I shop late on the 23rd. Stock is constantly replenished and between two supermarkets on the same retail park, I've never come home with gaps, and if I did there's still the 24th.

I've gradually built up longer life foods/ treats through December so it's mainly veg that I need by this stage. I also shop between Christmas and New Year so it's no more daunting than a food shop.

I hear far more fretting about people queuing in virtual queues to get their delivery slots, putting random stuff in to secure it, having to go back to actually input the shopping then errors/ subsititions etc. It sounds like a hideous drawn out process to me, but I'm a "monkey walk round shop, monkey sees what she likes, monkey puts what she sees into trolley" kind of gal rather than dredging my brain to work it all out type

There will be plenty. I’m away this weekend too and will need to buy veg and other fresh stuff on Monday night or Tuesday morning. It’s absolutely fine. The shelves start to get bare from midday on Xmas eve as they’re not restocking then. I’ve always shopped in person as I prefer it.

We do this every year and we are usually cooking for 8 or more. And we also live somewhere with a dodgy supply chain, if the ferry doesn't go there can be empty shelves. I've never not been able to get everything we need.

But the back up plan is we'd find something to cook and have a Christmas meal another day when the turkeys arrived.

There will be plenty of food left! I'm sure there will be chicken and probably mince pies. If not fresh chicken there will be frozen. People panic like it's the end of the world but we are so lucky in this country that even if there isn't exactly what you want there will be other things.

In our city two ladies went to the store late Christmas Eve one year and there was only one turkey left. So they physically fought over it! The police were called and they were in the cells overnight! Can you imagine?

OP you will be fine!!! The shelves will be groaning with everything you need.

These things don't run out anymore. I mean if there's a specific cheese you HAVE to have then maybe go on Saturday, but otherwise you will be great.

We're going on 23rd in the early afternoon. It's the only time we have available without the kids so we just have to go then. It will be busy but I'm sure fully stocked.

Have a physical list you can tick off and scan/pack as you go if possible.

I always do a click and collect early on 23rd so that if anything is unavailable then I have all day and the 24th to go elsewhere. I’ve (touch wood) never had anything unavailable.
Your usual delivery will be picked in the same shop anyway so no less likely to have it available in store than for home delivery.

This is the reason that I never risk an online delivery in Christmas week - if there were any subs and there's no time to fix it. I've been buying the 'dry' stuff already but for the meat, veg, cream etc we go to Aldi or Lidl early as the shops are smaller and less overwhelming.

You’ll be absolutely fine, don’t stress! I cater for 12-14 for 2-3 days and although I get all the booze and non-perishables ahead of time, I always do my big food shop very early on the 23rd.

It’s generally very civilised - the shops aren’t crowded & everything has been restocked overnight. It might be worth checking with the supermarket that they’re planning to put out more turkeys that morning (I’ve noticed a lot of shops are not pre-stocking them this year which may mean they’re carrying fewer).

7am Christmas Eve - always dead and always well stocked

that is what i plan

I always go about 6am on the 23rd. Never been able to not get anything, it’s quiet(ish) and you can still be a bit impulsive on your shop

My DM will be buying the last minute stuff, which is all fresh stuff - cream, some veg on Monday. Then on XE, pick up turkey crown ordered at butchers.

She bought the long life foods - cranberry sauce, mixers weeks ago. Already made the stuffings, pigs in blankets, mince pies, hm brandy butter, cake etc. All in the freezers. Anyone who cooks these from scratch on CD are mad!

Booze is bought all year round, taking advantage of buy 6 get 25% and offers around the time of the Euros. I will be bringing my own drinks as parents aren’t much of spirits drinkers.

From working 17 Christmases in a supermarket, some customers shop like they have absolutely nothing - food and drink wise, at home.

Plan what you need per meal over the 3-4 days. You then realise that you don’t need 15 loaves of bread and 36 pints of milk. No idea what this obsession is about. Think over 3 days, milk consumption for me and my parents is the lowest over the year. That’s just for 5-6 cups of tea and coffee.

My pay date is the 24th, so every single year I get our xmas dinner stuff on the 24th, I've never had a problem getting the things I need

What do people think about going to a 24 hour supermarket in the early hours of the morning. Say 3 or 4 am? I hate big crowds they really stress me out. Everytime I go to our big Asda I think I've picked a quiet time and it's heaving, always come out traumatised 😂

I think it will be fine, the times I’ve popped into supermarkets on 23/24 I have always been surprised at the amount of turkeys etc and always make a note to myself that all the pre-ordering is OTT!

I shopped for Christmas at the weekend, I will pick up more milk but will get that locally on Friday when I pop to my butchers.
Won't catch me in a shop that close to Christmas. All the veg is fine if kept somewhere cool (I stash it in our shed).

The panic merchants on this thread are hilarious! We'll be going to a big supermarket on the 23rd at some point. We live in a city. It will be fine. We've all had flu, there's literally not a thing in the house, it will be totally fine.

23rd is the busiest day for shopping. Everything will be in stock.