Stupid things customers ask on Xmas Eve Eve

I used to work in my parents' bookshop and it was surprising how many times you could actually work out what book they were talking about if you could be bothered and they weren't being an arsehole

One year in M&S I saw a woman throw a Christmas cake down in a fit of temper because there was a hold up at the till while the till rolled changed.

Watched two old dears arguing and tussling with the same turkey... even though there plenty of others.

M&S were selling toilet bags with a selection of toiletries inside The items were on display in a perspex case so shoppers could see what they were buying. More than one gentleman carted it off to the till in a effort to pay

...And gnocchi, asked a teenager who had never heard of it

There are probably some people without Internet access. They probably have signs saying "no free papers, no flyers, no junk mail" as well, so thry will have no idea.

The only time I’ve had to go into a supermarket on Christmas Eve was when my Sainsburys delivery on the 23rd substituted half the things I’d ‘pre ordered’ weeks in advance (what is the point of that if they just get it off the shelves and don’t actually pre order what’s needed??)

Loads of things were missing or substituted, worst were a bag of frozen chicken breasts instead of the turkey, chocolate cake mix instead of Christmas pudding, rose instead of prosecco, and best of all my ds has a Christmas birthday so I’d ordered a 1 and a 3 candle, substituted with a number 2!?

Went in on the 24th had tons of turkeys and all of the other missing items except the candles. There were 6 bottles of Prosecco on the shelf which is what I’d ‘preordered’. As I was walking off with them a member of staff came running up saying it was for the online orders it shouldn’t be on the shelf so I just said it’s mine then as my six bottles were substituted yesterday in my online order.

Have never bothered ordering online since, just go in on 22nd or 23rd.

Well according to my local Sainsburys they belong at the back corner of the shop between Argos, seasonal and the fresh meat fridges. They used to be near the baking aisle, then moved to the stuffing and gravy aisle before relocating to their current home.

I've worked in retail and it's often been the rush to find a card for mum or wife and wrapping paper. The last minute card also occurs on valentines day. Even if we had any left there were complaints about the lack of choice and that all the nice ones were gone.

No, all ours get shifted, to account for the ones who will be missed, so it's all different from Christmas week until the end of the second week of January. But they do print lists in the freebie local newspaper, and you can check online with your own postcode, so while it's reasonable to be confused, it's not reasonable to stay confused.

My Dad helps at one.

So my eggs comment has seemed to have caused a bit of bother 🙈
I can't read through all the replies on here, and haven't been able to catch up today as I was busy directing everyone to the eggs (and of course I was lovely to everyone, since it's my job, as I saw someone remind me earlier).
Eggs are almost always near the bread in my experience. Never with dairy, they aren't chilled and they aren't, well, dairy.
I also spent a lot of my time today breaking the unfortunate news that we have no more turkey gravy, and yes I am really really sure I'm afraid.
All in all for the busiest day of the year for supermarkets, my customers were a dream today, proper lovely!!

They do. Walked past our local FB this afternoon and it was heaving.

I was going to say at the end of the veg aisle!

Supermarkets have got a lot better at this and they work a lot more with food banks.

You'd be surprised at how much less food waste there is now.

forget eggs - I was looking for chocolate brazil nuts in asda.
Were they in the snack aisle with all the rest of the nuts - favoured, crispy, selection, chocolate/yoghurt/magic fairy dust flavoured? No.
Were they in the chocolate/sweets aisle? No.
Were they in the 'miscellaneous christmas crap' aisle? Nah.
I even checked the baking aisle where they sometimes have nuts that for some reason are excluded from the normal nuts section. Nope.

Eventually found them on a 'special fancy festive nuts' mini section of their own at the end of the veg aisle! The only relevance I can see is that is technically the area where they sell whole coconuts but come on!

I worked in a small women's clothes shop that also sold jewellery. Without fail we would have a stream of men on Xmas eve making a beeline for the jewellery cabinet. We would also have several come in on Xmas eve asking if we'd still got the jumper/dress/whatever that his wife had seen 2 months ago. Every. single. bloody. year.

As I said I always show them where they are not tell them and most of the people asking are regular customers and our eggs haven’t moved in the 8 years I’ve worked there! They’ve walked the aisles nearly as many times as I have

At mine there are eggs near the baking aisle (they're in the aisle next door by the jam), but also there's a special table of them RIGHT by the entrance. I always thought it was odd, but now I wonder if it's to avoid the constant questions about where they are!

So many shops seem to hide the eggs!

Wondering if we share a supermarket as they're next to pasta in my local too!

Not Christmas specific, but working in WHSmtih at the end of the year - "can I have a free diary for next year because this one is so battered it obviously wasn't fit for use" no, it's getting like that because you've been carrying it round in your handbag and using it for a year!

This afternoon I asked a Tesco staff member where the brandy butter was. He said there was none left, just brandy cream. I thanked him for answering my question when he was busy. I don't think he thought it was a stupid question.

Really? I mean, I know I am in my 50s, but I wouldn't have thought of brillo pads as something only older people ask for. Interesting.

Mistake

Ha ha, at least I can find my bread and beans together when I'm living off beans on toast for the duration of the 57 days of January.