To think that Xmas food shopping isn't a sodding family day out?

What a stupid thing to say.

Does that mean I should leave my kids outside next time I tuck myself into bed? Wait till they’re 18 so they can contribute to the mortgage??

We love a family Christmas shop. It’s the only time of year when we let the kids put what they want in the trolley. We end up with some strange dinner options over the Christmas period.

I've seen toddlers out shopping late at night, usually with very young parents. Their lives don't seem to change when they become a parent, mine where at home and in bed by 7pm.
Found the same when I worked for the NHS, families all come along for an outpatient appointment or visit to A&E. It was a day out!

Problem is with the Christmas food shop is that fresh stuff needs to be bought especially if you are hosting and need to drive

In the past we have tried to buy most of it in advance then just walk to get a few last bits. We are fortunate to have a supermarket within walking distance

Hi op,

I am by all mean not thrilled with the level of noise coming from trillions of families together shopping. But if I choose to go last minute…I don’t also get to make the choice for others to not come 🤣

If you want to be shopping alone. Go 2 weeks in advance. Then it is calm.

If you are disorganized…there…these people are your crowd. Be happy to have found your people and cheer to the mess and noise 🫣

100% agree with OP. Selfish entitled behaviour, blocking aisles, kids messing around and as for kids in trollies. How dangerous and such a stupid thing to do. Rant over..

Same here. I want to get into the shop, belt through my list and be back in the car before the heating cools down.

Definitely
Majority of shops where I am in the UK are closed this year on Boxing Day which is great for the staff, unfortunately in the healthcare sector where I work, it never closes and people don’t get a lot of time off over Christmas and new year

We have always gone together, we do not bother anyone and we can choose what we fancy. As she has been shopping since tiny, she knows how to behave.
Children need to learn about every day life, including the Christmas shopping.

Completely agree but extend it to any shopping trip! So many times I’ve been at the supermarket with two parents dragging their so obviously bored children around, absolutely miserable or running around. I’m not talking about single parents who don’t have a choice but if there’s two of you, one should be entertaining the children away from a busy shop.

Shop assistants want to have time to shop, too. And they deserve Christmas Eve with their families.

At least you won't be in the way?

Bloody hell!
wish it was like this elsewhere, I’d go at midnight 🤣🤣🤣

It’s probably because people are busy, and shopping is done en route to or from something else which involves the family. I also quite like to bring a small person shopping with me, especially if we haven’t spent much time together in the week. We have chats in the car and enjoy choosing food together. OP, I’m afraid you sound a but miserable! If you find it all so stressful then it’s better to shop very early or late in the day, or shop online. There are too many intolerant people around these days.

Yes, Christmas shopping should be done fast by scowling, serious people, one per family, like in lockdown, and in Oceania.

Some people see shopping as a "family day out" instead of taking their children to the park, or a museum or nature sanctuary.

The lack of tolerance is caused by a lack of thought, which is getting worse each year in the UK and has got a lot worse since people forgot how to be civilised when locked down. If you want people to be more tolerant, people have to start thinking and showing basic situational awareness, otherwise what you end up with is everyone on top of each other, antagonising each other, and in everyone's way, and the quality of life goes down down down.

"couples shopping together, stroking avocados..." Sounds like the opening scene to a porn film. 😆

I've just been to my local supermarket and it is fairly rammed, but I expect that two days before Christmas. My bugbear is not people bringing their whole family along, it is thoughtless gormless people with a phone glued to their ear not paying attention to their surroundings, or people apparently cooperating in parking trolleys and themselves in the optimal position to block the aisle (blockerheads), or people walking three abreast at a quarter of my walking pace, or when the one item I want on a quiet aisle is behind one person dithering about trying to choose between three different brands of something or other. I tend to avoid using supermarkets during peak rush day in my town, I am lucky I can shop late evening when it is much quieter.

I think it's bizarre. I can understand if you're a single parent but most of the people I see with kids are couples. Baffling.

No-one is questioning anyone's human rights. The OP is ranting about people who feel the need to take the entire family to the supermarket at what is a very busy time of year and in doing so making conditions worse for everyone.

Or maybe, like myself and others in medical professions etc, who don't have time off at convenient times, might wish to hell grandma had thought to do her shopping a month ago, or you had left your kids at home, so those who have to work right up to the last minute and beyond, can actually get in and out without being part of your fun family outing or teenager budget training session....time and place dude !!!

Honestly it's so dangerous they usually end up in hospital for it 1 of them did today as its a solid floor and the sound when they smack their head is horrific

Have witnessed kids standing in the trolley which they fell backwards onto their heads at my last job. Both kids were screaming then threw up about ten minutes later. That is concussion. Paramedics were called. I don’t remember what happened for one of them as happened 30 minutes before my shift ended. The other went to hospital

Have said to parents whose kids stand in trolleys “do you want to waste the rest of the day in hospital?”

Erugh imagine how it feels for the personal
shoppers going around with a giant trolley trying to negotiate the Walton’s with all 7 kids having a chit chat to the Brady bunch while they kids run riot round the aisles.