Who has done the Christmas Big Shop? Any dispatches from the trenches?

[LaChienneDesFromages]

I haven’t been to the supermarket for the legendary Christmas Big Shop. This year was supposed to be no exception and I had a plum delivery slot booked (surely there’s no beating 10am on 23rd?) But we cancelled it yesterday morning for the very good reason of visiting our new cousin/niece who is finally coming home today after surgery and a spell in NICU.

So, it was decided that DD15 and I, being the ones who couldn’t think of an excuse quickly enough went to Waitrose at 9am. We briefly considered the giant Tesco but they were queuing around the corner for the car park by that time.

This was the biggest Big Shop in years for us. We were buying for ourselves (2 adults, 2 teens, Labradors with greed issues, a ravenous 12 year old) plus various guests (most invited, plus a few girl/boy friends and a couple of friends of guests at a loose end coming along for the ride) everyday from Saturday-Boxing Day.

DH had helpfully added to my A4 tabulated shopping list with illegible scrawls (we bought him 4 frozen petit pains instead of what was apparently a pork pie.) We hauled around a big trolley and a small ‘booze and eggs’ trolley trying not to flatten Barbour-clad chaps trying to remember if Liz said halibut or monkfish. It was moderately busy, the shop staff had headsets, like government bodyguards.

At one point we were unable to manoeuvre the primary trolley and I called out foodstuffs while DD ran about retrieving them, Challenge Anneka (the reference was lost on her) style. She obviously also brought back multiple items from
the baby section which were very much not on the list.

Finally we got to the checkout and realised we’d forgotten Disaronno (for DD14’s experimental syllabub tonight) and potted shrimps (for Grandpa) so we did a short round two before hauling a million bags into the boot/back seat of my Mini and heading off in search of tea and a mince pie.

We forgot the Christmas pudding so it’s Quality Street for Christmas Day pudding unless anyone else goes to get one. DH headed to the farm shop to collect the Christmas meat at 8am this morning, DC’s are cooking dinner for 10 this evening. Today, I’m unavailable for any activities other than baby worship.

I’d love to hear any other Big Shop observations. Actually, I’d most like to find your shopping list.

Just got my delivery confirmation for today & they're not bringing any potatoes to roast or any easy peelers. That's helpful. And I've just realised that what with Christmas being on a Monday I've forgotten to plan Sunday night's dinner (usually a roast). Thankfully, in case of just this scenario, I booked another delivery tomorrow from a different store - but what if they don't have spuds or satsumas, either?

Oh dear, lash up. I was certain I put back-up potatoes on the order yesterday, but apparently not.

Went to Asda early doors yesterday(we have a 24hr Asda near us) then onto Aldi for things I couldn't get in Asda and hat to wait for them to open.
Collected our turkey and stuffing from M&S this morning.
Don't think I'll need to go near a shop until the end of next week.

I walked past my nearest Sainsburys (not a massive one) at 8.10 this morning, car park was about half full but it also serves the rest of the high street, all tills seemed to be staffed, barely anyone in there and I only saw one person walk in as I passed. Looked like a good time to be doing a big shop. I was then in an M&S food at about 8.30 - about 20 customers in there and I was the only person at the self check out.

I swing between Doing The Big Shop and getting an online delivery year to year.

Had an Ocado delivery last night. 4 decent subs, 4 items missing.

DH went to M&S this morning at 8am to get a few last bits (amateur…on years I’ve done it I’ve been there before opening). He said it was carnage. He parked a few streets away as there were cars queuing into the car park.

Turkeys and big joints of meat were sparse and the cheese aisle had been ransacked.

He was only there for wine and cauliflower cheese, so escaped lightly.

Asda order was missing a few bits so I went to Tesco and it was busy but fine. Got all I needed and now back on the sofa watching the crown.

I wonder if the big supermarkets are getting hit worse. In my area there's only two small supermarkets and they've both been quiet and fully stocked all week (I've been in them both nearly every day this week picking up bits...)

I did mine yesterday and people were cheerful and it was fine. The cheese aisle was heaving and a woman said to me “good luck down there” but in a “we’re all in this together” way. Husband then went in the evening at about 7.00 as I had left off sausages (how?) and he wanted a few extra bits and he said it was fine too.

I’ve got to go in a minute, forgot bloody amaretti biscuits for my torte 😭 that’s all I need… I think I might park elsewhere and walk the mile or so in from there as the queues will be insane just getting in 🫠
I will report back if I make it out alive!

Just been to Aldi for our big shop, they seem to have cleared out so much of their Christmas stock! Didn’t have a single mince pie in stock, nor crackers for cheese selection boxes, chocolate logs, panettone etc. The middle aisles were pretty much empty. Didn’t think it would be a problem getting that sort of stuff now but I guess I should have stocked up beforehand!

I’ve been doing accidental big shops all week, forgetting essentials and going back for one thing but leaving with yet another big shop…
Ive just organised my fridge and it’s looking worryingly empty even though I’ve spent close to the annual budget of a small country. I’m still waiting on my beef and the veg drawers are creaking away and the cheese section is full but I’m sure I’ve forgotten something (and not the Parmesan I’m about to go out for…)

Their cheese selection was very bare too! 😥

It's was chaos at the supermarket that sounds like Tiesto yesterday...me and my adult daughter went and everyone was in fab spirits and we made lots of friends in the aisles 😂

Waitrose delivery this morning. A massive pork pie sub, will keep us going until New Year.

Unfortunately they subbed high quality pigs in blankets for cheap jobs, which I declined, and same for the stuffing, also declined.

Pretty pissed off now need to do a guerilla shop for the pigs in blankets and stuffing. I mean, who the fuck runs out if those two days before Xmas! Our closest branch is a different, and bigger, branch of our delivery Waitrose, so fingers crossed. (No idea why we have this anomaly, it's bizarre).

went to tesco yesterday teatime (about 5.30pm) and it was surprisingly fine.
mid sized tesco, busier than normal on a Friday (this is the time I usually do my weekend beer/vino trip) but not rammed and they had pretty much everything on my long list, although I will have to live without panko breadcrumbs
Just have to do M&S at 7 tonight for the turkey, and the farm shop for naice cheeses...

Chatting to a couple of ladies in our small local Tesco, I had dispatches from the front line.
One lady was in Asda at 6.30 am car park was crazy, the store was even crazier and absolutely rammed. No single cream, and she got the last lot of brandy butter and promptly dropped it.🙁
The other lady said her son was in Morrison's and that was the same but a lot of the shelves were empty.

The small Co op in the village wasn't busy, but the fruit and veg were very sparse, and they had no single cream either, ( I only needed breadcakes, so no big deal)

We have our Christmas Lunch at a local restaurant, so we don't need a traditional 'big shop' as such but I have done. What we haven't got now, we don't need.

We're not at home for Christmas this year although I am cooking and taking the turkey! That was ordered, but I did make the mistake of popping into our local big Tesco yesterday for a few things, toilet paper etc, it was like the hunger games, shelves ransacked, queuing down aisles for the check outs blocking shelves, boiling hot, Tesco workers with giant here to help signs and the opposite expression on their faces.... I'd walked there from work at lunchtime but the carpark was gridlocked. I walked straight back out again.

I don't do big shops anymore , it's not fun anymore (I'm older than I used to be 😅) . So I've been buying for months and this week I've just been buying bits of fresh food all week . Just got the turkey to collect tomorrow morning . Good luck .

Our Home Bargains appears to have been hit by a plague of locusts.

We went for veg 6:30 am yesterday. There was a delivery arriving and one staff member was advising another member of staff to "do your shop now, there'll be nothing left by teatime in here".

We're going out for tea today and will then nip (hopefully) to a big Tesco to get some snacky stuff for Christmas day night and icing sugar for my cheesecake. DH Also ate all my special cereal so we need to hope the fre from aisle hasn't been decimated.

I did something smart this year, I re-wrote my list in BIG LETTERS before heading off so I didn't have to play the glasses on / off game whilst going round 😎

I started the beginning of this week with my 'big shop' list, it's taken 3 trips to complete it. That pesky double cream kept me on tenterhooks - checking every couple of days for a long enough use by date.
Went to Morissons yesterday for the spuds & veg - they'd run out of brussels😱 my son said don't worry mother, I hate them anyway...
Dropped him home then whizzed to the local waitrose who luckily had sprouts and got my free latte (which I may or may not have topped up with a shot of baileys when I got home)

Got my Waitrose order. Everything there but the pink fizz that I’d asked them not to substitute so fair enough. Realised I forgot pork pie and sliced bread but will go to M&S tomorrow when I pick up my Cook order.

I thought I was being clever by getting to our local Asda at 6am this morning. Turns out several hundred other people had the same bright idea. 😂🤦🏻‍♀️
Busy in store but managed to get everything on the list and it was definitely less stressful than the idea of going during the day with two young children when I'm sure it will be bedlam. This might become my new Christmas tradition!

Empty and out of stock is what I can report

Really pissed off

And its not just food bits, trousers in Marks that I want, of a variety of styles havent been in stock in my size for yonks

Our big Tesco had a full carpark at 6:10 this morning.

The veg, cheese, meat and crisp aisles were heaving! Gridlock.

However, I had got all of these provisions in previous days. I needed bread, fresh cream and alcohol, and was armed with a gift card!

I was the lone shopper in the spirits aisle. They had sadly sold out of Tia Maria, and I scooped up the final bottle of Kalahua. The cognac, sherry, port, amaretto and prosecco were all in stock 😄

I chinked out of store at about 6:30, to see the cars queuing to get into the carpark.

Meat came from the butchers yesterday. Vegetables from Lidl and Sainsburys, earlier in the week. Mince pies from Waitrose, naice ham and crisps from M&S yesterday.

A truly ecumenical Christmas!!