Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to NOT UNDERSTAND why supermarkets are always rammed at all times in the run up to christmas??

75 replies

bebbeau · 23/12/2013 22:00

dh has just "nipped" to the local 24 hour asda as i have a horrible ear ache and he has gone to get me something for it. (bless him)

town centres being crazy busy, yes, i get that. people buying last minute christmas presents for whatever reason

but food shops / supermarkets ??

do people not know that the shops are only closed for one sodding measly day!?? and in fact where i live there are a few little local shops opening for a few hours on christmas day itself (although i appreciate not everywhere will have these)

but FFS people you are not going to starve

disclaimer: i am in pain and tetchy and it annoys me that he has gone out for medicine and he will be ages because of the above. grrr.

OP posts:
SantanaLopez · 23/12/2013 22:03

I don't understand it either. I had to run to Tesco for tampons earlier and you'd have thought that everyone had just found out Christmas was the 25th. Madness.

LindyHemming · 23/12/2013 22:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
bebbeau · 23/12/2013 22:15

People are tired, the weather's miserable and they don't want to venture out again for several days.

Hmm. I would like to think thats the reason, but i would bet good money that most of these people manically shopping in asda tonight will be back in the shops boxing day.......

and yep this is the problem santana you can't just nip anywhere quick just for one or 2 essentials (eg, tampax), because of all the hordes behaving as if the shops are all shutting for a year not one bleedin day Hmm

OP posts:
purrforamincepie · 23/12/2013 22:17

The woman who served me today whilst I was buying lovely meat pies that have a short shelf life, and other fresh produce with a similar shelf life, moaned the same thing. Ohhh the shops are open all year! Think it's a bloody surprise to some people! Ffs. I want fresh produce that will still be fresh on Christmas Day, so I'm buying it now, from you, because you're open and apparently happy to serve me. Quit whining. And op, quit judging. I didn't want mouldy veg and I don't want frozen. What did you want me to do? Sit down with a piece of toast?

DeckTheHallsWithBoughsOfHorry · 23/12/2013 22:18

Many people eat a week's worth of food and drink a year month fortnight's worth of alcohol on 25 December though.

BlingBang · 23/12/2013 22:19

Well to buy fresh good and veg for Christmas Day you usually have to buy it just a few days before Christmas. Was at Sainsburys today and though it was quite busy the checkouts had no queues, breezed right through.

MammaTJ · 23/12/2013 22:22

Our local Tesco was ok when I went in this afternoon. I breezed round, hardly getting the rage with anyone, then there was only one person in front of me at the till.

I am done now.

PurpleJellyDisc · 23/12/2013 22:22

Tis the twitching.

whois · 23/12/2013 22:22

Clearly it's because most people are buying a shit load more food than normal, aren't interested in going shopping for a while and want to go as late as possible before Xmas to get fresh stuff? Also storage space is a bit of a problem in a lot of small modern flats so it's annoying to have your Xmas supplies spilling out everywhere.

Upcycled · 23/12/2013 22:24

Well I am having 6 adults to feed for 3 days and I don't drive so I don't want to be nipping to the shops in this weather to buy few missing bits. I have a small fridge and a small freezer. I work full time so does my husband. We went food shopping this afternoon after we finished our morning shifts. Tomorrow we will clean the house, and wait for guests.
Does it answer your question?

SuburbanRhonda · 23/12/2013 22:25

Every time I went into the supermarket to get the vegetarian main course for Christmas Day, the use by date was before the 25th.

So I had to go today otherwise I would not have got my food fresh enough to eat on the 25th.

That alright by you, OP?

Hope you're feeling better, and a little more charitable, very soon Xmas Wink

stickysausages · 23/12/2013 22:30

As above, want fresh on Xmas day. Went to Sainsbury, it was like a normal weekend, didn't have to wake son at 3am to drag him to supermarkets

ZeViteVitchofCwismas · 23/12/2013 22:32

I wonder where all the people come from, where they shop the rest of the year.

HOwver we went to Waitrose this pm at 9pm EMPTY EMPTY EMPTY

Xmas Smile
givemeaboost · 23/12/2013 22:34

tbh, I don't understand either, I don't know why people put themselves through the stress. I bought the veg Saturday evening and its currently being chilled in the shed- when chilled most veggies will last weeks and weeks, the turkey crown I bought today, its dated the 27th so don't need to freeze it. I genuinely don't understand that people need to go mad on shopping/shop the two days previous to xmas! I bought the main shopping for this week sat evening when I bought the veg, so dont need to go to supermarket now till after boxing day, if I have forgotten anything Im not too worried, ill just nip in and go through the self service tills, simples!!

WhispersOfWickedness · 23/12/2013 22:34

Well, I often do the weekly shop on a Monday, so went to do that today as we were away at the weekend and didn't need to go before the weekend.
A few people huffing when I/DC got in the way and all I could think was 'grr, this is my normal shopping day, I'm not buying Christmas stuff, why don't you bugger off back to work?!' Grin

givemeaboost · 23/12/2013 22:34

does no one own a fridge or freezer?! Xmas Grin

Pancakeflipper · 23/12/2013 22:36

Fresh produce means people shop in the last couple of days.
but I order fruit and veg from the grocer and stuff from the farm shop so can neatly avoid trollies If I get my arse into gear for the bitter lemon panic buying

FudgefaceMcZ · 23/12/2013 22:41

Some of us only finished work today so it's the only available time to shop for fresh foods that don't keep more than a week. HTH. I'll be there tomorrow as well actually as forgot things so maybe you should stay in. Grin

EdithWeston · 23/12/2013 22:41

A bit of extra catering puts an extra 20 minutes or more on your shopping time. Maybe that's 5 minutes longer atthe till.

Multiply that by normal amount of shoppers, and it's considerably more congestion.

Then add in extra visits to replace unsuitable substitutions and missing items from online shop, plus a few with last minute change of plans (which might be many in this weather) and the place is rammed.

choccyp1g · 23/12/2013 22:43

But Upcycled I ssume you don't feed 6 adults every day, so your extra purchased should be cancelled out by them not having to buy the food you are serving them.

CeliaLytton · 23/12/2013 22:43

People want fresh food.
People don't have room in their freezer/fridge to store stuff for weeks.
People are cooking for loads more bodies than at a normal Sunday dinner.
People drink loads over Christmas.
People don't want to have to food shop again until they have recovered.
People get ill and need to 'nip out' for last minute essentials adding to the queues

YWBU to not understand, but you do now I have explained it so clearly Wink

ilovesooty · 23/12/2013 22:44

I went to Morrisons at 7pm and it was absolutely dead. They're only shut for one day over the holidays as the OP said.

Mintyy · 23/12/2013 22:46

It wasn't at all busy in my local supermarket at 6.30pm. Definitely quieter than a Sunday afternoon.

A lot of people (me included) will NOT go to any shops on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day because I don't think they should be open on principle.

So if you combine that thinking with all the extra catering that has to be done at Christmas, all the extra fripperies and alcohol that we all consume, and even the presents we buy from supermarkets, then that accounts for the extra traffic.

Its not all that difficult to work out.

firesafety · 23/12/2013 22:47

YABU, but I do hope you're feeling better soon.

I want my fresh food to be bought as late as possible to last as long as possible so that I don't have to go again. I've not gone OTT, but whilst it might only be one day I don't want to be shopping whilst I'm off.

I went to the market and supermarket (plus Argos) this morning on my way to work, and it was ok tbh.

MrsMook · 23/12/2013 23:01

It's still the same number of people that need catering for. Some housholds will have larger shops if they are hosting. Some will be visiting so don't need as much as usual in. Shops are open longer so people can spread out.

We did our usual week shop on Fri night and it was fairly civilised. There will still be fresh food for us to eat on the 27th.

We hosted last year and there wasn't any need to go crazy. A bit more veg than normal and a few extra treats but no need for total glutony. There's a limit to how much you can eat and drink.