Empty supermarkets!!

[girlcrushonvillanelle]

Been to 3 different supermarkets this morning, had to pick to various bits.

All eerily quiet.

9am on Xmas eve I was fully expecting to queue for hours.

Car parks half empty, picked from 5 empty check outs.

Wow!!

There will be some serious bargains later tonight or Boxing Day. A lot of the turkeys/ ham/ Christmas food has labels on it that look like they were part of an order but now cancelled. I’ve never seen such an amount of meat left on Christmas Eve

It's weird isn't it?

I drove past 4 large supermarkets on my home from work about an hour ago, all the car parks were quiet to say the least, and no queues at all to get in.

Very strange indeed.

the end of the world is nigh

I work in a big supermarket (the pocket tap one) and Christmas Eve is always pretty chilled out compared to the few days before it. As a rule of thumb it’s always the day before Christmas Eve that’s hellishly busy.

This year Monday was the absolute worst day. It was heaving.

The only thing we’ve sold out of is Celebrations and Quality Street. They went ages ago though. At least a week.

Christmas Eve is always quiet IME. The only things I buy beforehand are things I really want that might run out.

Not surprising especially if many people are part of a smaller and shorter gathering than usual. I expect also many went earlier given Covid 19 and the issues at Dover.

If people are not overindulging it is not a bad thing, unless they have been forced by economic circumstances.

I always do my Christmas Shopping on Christmas Eve.

Normally I am wandering around a virtually empty shopping mall. It is very relaxing.

Going to get food shop later.

It is a well kept secret that it is empty.
Why are you telling everyone?

I went to Morrisons yesterday morning and it was so busy with cars everywhere- no spaces so l went home. Went back 6pm the same. finally went back at 9pm and got what l needed.
Not going near shops today just in case

We went to asda on the off chance on the way home from a Christmas eve walk about 1230 expecting it to be chokka and not being able to go in but there was loads of spaces it was quite odd to be honest.

@notangelinajolie

Supermarkets are always quiet on Christmas Eve.

Hahahaha no there not usually

Hahahaha no there not usually

They are quiet on Christmas Eve (having worked in logistics for one of the largest for many years)

It does depend slightly on which day of the week Christmas falls on, but typically the 22nd and 23rd are the days the food needs to be in the shops- not the 24th.

DH went to Morrison’s early this morning, expecting crowds, never seen it so quiet.

Our local Morrison’s is ridiculously busy today. I only wanted a gift bag that I’d forgotten so I didn’t bother, I’ve got plenty of wrapping paper which will do. I passed Tesco on the way home and that looked just as busy.

Aldi went straight to an empty checkout

We’re in Tier 4 so not much open, so drove to the local garden centre expecting it to be full of last-minute shoppers (it sells toys, clothes etc as well). Literally deserted!

It's usually a bit quieter Christmas Eve and maybe the news about the lorries etc made people shop earlier this week or just were organized enough to have it all delivered etc?
Many started weekly deliveries over lockdowns and just carried on with that?
Or people just not bothering with much this year?

I think everyone went crazy on Sunday / Monday after the tier change announcements. Me and my family did - one of us had all the booze, someone had the Turkey - we split (what could be split) what we had and then went shopping for what else was now needed. Today (for once) the rush is done.
I’m in a support bubble and between us we had enough potatoes for the village and a stack of food for Boxing Day but no meat for Christmas Day and no crackers......we now have 12 crackers for 2 of us and I’ll be eating Turkey till February.....

People appeared to have planned ahead more this year.

I went to Tesco at 6.15 this morning, to get the few bits I had forgotten. It was quiet but the car park was filling up.

The shelves were full, no gaps, and there was even the obligatory family of older woman plus five young adults shopping together, no masks, spread across an aisle forcing others to turn around and walk away to socially distance. Selfish ignorant morons.

Turns out they are busy where I am, queuing at tesco

I live on a main road to a retail park and it's been busy all day. Only started to get quieter around 3:30

@bananaskinsnomnom

I think everyone went crazy on Sunday / Monday after the tier change announcements. Me and my family did - one of us had all the booze, someone had the Turkey - we split (what could be split) what we had and then went shopping for what else was now needed. Today (for once) the rush is done. I’m in a support bubble and between us we had enough potatoes for the village and a stack of food for Boxing Day but no meat for Christmas Day and no crackers......we now have 12 crackers for 2 of us and I’ll be eating Turkey till February.....

I hope you're exaggerating. Sounds a bit silly, otherwise.