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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:
Lovecat · 23/12/2013 23:18

Some of us have stupid built in fridges and freezers that have the storage capacity of a thimble so we need to get our fresh stuff closer to the date.

I was in Morrisons this morning, queues not too bad at all - although everyone did look like they were preparing for a month-long siege rather than long weekend...

hedwiggywiggerson · 23/12/2013 23:20

I went to Tesco this afternoon and it was no busier than normal, no pushing and shoving and no queues, was quite a pleasant surprise!

YouTheCat · 23/12/2013 23:23

I went to Sainsbury today. It was moderately busy. I bought stuff for Christmas and spent all my nectar points.

I expect if we need anything else on Boxing Day, I'll pop up again. I have bought one loaf of bread and the usual amount of milk etc. I didn't see anyone panic buying and loading up with loaves and loaves of bread and stuff - just normal stuff and things for Christmas dinner.

I would usually do an online shop if it was going to be busy but I like picking out my own meat.

EBearhug · 23/12/2013 23:30

I did most of my shopping for this week on Thursday evening, and it wasn't particularly busy. I popped in on the way home from work to get some milk and lentils and flour, and though the carpark seemed busy, I've seen it that bad at other times, and in the actual supermarket, it was fine.

Buzzardisnotina4birdroast · 23/12/2013 23:39

Didl was a dodl! Grin

littleducks · 23/12/2013 23:57

"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. "

In theory that is true but in reality it doesn't work, with it being a feasty season, more and better food expected and having to provide a good spread as a host. For example family x consist of mum, dad and two kids who on a normal day have cereal/coffee for breakfast mum and dad pick up a sandwich at work and kids have school dinners then simple teas like pasta/jacket potatoes. For xmas they need to have pancakes for breakfast (so need to buy eggs/milk/flour) then a roast dinner (lots of ingredients) and then cakes and cheese around as family y are coming.

So family y don't need to buy any roast dinner ingredients but still need to go shopping for eggs, smoked salmon and bagels for breakfast a trifle to take to family x's house and a whole load of party food nibbles for in the evening when they invite over the neighbours.

MaryzBoychildCheeszuzCrizpz · 24/12/2013 00:04

It's because the shops are going to be closed for a whole 24 hours and so everyone has to buy at least a year's supply of food.

Obvs.

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 24/12/2013 00:05

Because my children are off school for 2 weeks and I cba to drag them around. Got a good cheap green grocer 5 minutes away which also sells fresh milk and a Gregg's who sell fresh bread.

Mil kindly looked after the DC while DH and I did the shop, because there is no way DS would have coped with the supermarket ( ASD)

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 24/12/2013 00:11

I do the same for 1/2 term, Easter holidays and the summer holidays.

notquitenormal · 24/12/2013 00:13

I went shopping today for the things Missed out of the online shop. If you just accept the chaos around you it can be quite a serene experience. I had a pleasant enough time bobbing about sainbury's singing along to the Christmas songs.

A lot calmer than when I was a teenager and my mum would send me out on Christmas Eve with a shopping trolley and orders to buy 15 loaves and a fuck load of sprouts.

Zucker · 24/12/2013 00:14

Maybe a lot of those annoying people have also just "nipped" to the shops.

Preciousbane · 24/12/2013 00:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ukatlast · 24/12/2013 00:16

I remember circa 1987 when my massive Tescos had queues out the car park and ran out of eggs on Christmas Eve. To make it worse the shops were going to be completely shut for 2-3 days....10 years later my local Sainsburys had the brilliant idea of staying open all night in the run up to Christmas (including opening their cafe to serve to serve hot chocolate and mince pies) and we happily went at midnight for a stressfree shop...twas fun.
Thesedays it is so much easier now supermarkets are open 24 hours and they are only closing for a single day...so this aspect of Christmas stress has gone effectively for me.
Sunday was 4 times busier than normal in Asda but understandable as was last chance for those who work to easily do their major Christmas shop....there were still no queues to speak of really...there were just more bodies on the ground lol.
So I suppose YANBU but equally desiring fresh food/small fridges etc are valid reasons for last minute visits so on that score YABU.

Financeprincess · 24/12/2013 00:19

It's because people (well, me anyway) want nice, fresh bread rolls and salad to serve with the Christmas Day starter!

M&S was very quiet this evening when I dropped in to get my turkey crown and fancy puddings. Although the ladies at the 'collect your order here' desk looked astounded that I had actually turned up at my allotted collection time!

legoplayingmumsunite · 24/12/2013 00:41

I didn't think Sainsbury's was any busier than normal when I went this afternoon. Certain times can be really busy (mainly in the morning when they've just opened when the 'organised' people are there trying to avoid the rush, you go an hour later and it's much quieter) but if you avoid those it's no problem.

threestars · 24/12/2013 00:53

You see, I EXPECT the shops to be busy today/tomorrow. When I buy food for a roast lunch, I buy it one day in advance. Just because it's Christmas, I'm not going to change that. I just have to scrunch up my fists and hold my nerve
What I was surprised about was the supermarket being jam-packed last Wednesday with sprouts in every trolley.

Freddiefrog · 24/12/2013 01:06

My friend was was waiting outside Sainsbury's at 6am ready for when it opened and said it was rammed, people were queuing for the already full carpark at that time.

I went at about 6, and it was a lot quieter. The shop had been laid to waste, but I got everything I wanted, and quite a lot of stuff that I didn't.

A lot of people looked like they were preparing for a siege rather than the shops being closed for just 1 day, but it was quite nice just mooching around.

I don't plan on leaving the house tomorrow though

Freddiefrog · 24/12/2013 01:07

sorry, I went at about 6pm

ScrambledSmegs · 24/12/2013 01:13

I went to local supermarket today and it was rammed. So far, so normal. What I didn't understand was that the shelves were full of turkeys every which-way, but practically no eggs. I got the last pack.

Is everyone having omelettes for Christmas lunch this year?

TyneTeas · 24/12/2013 01:16

You know those square puzzles where one tile is missing and you swap the tiles around to make the picture?

That is what the supermarket felt like today. Everyoe in the store with one free trolley space to make a giant moving puzzle : (

To be fair, although only shut one day, everyone gets what, at least half as much again as usual in the run up. And with one day closed you have four days worth of people packed into two or three all buying extra.

MerryFuckingChristmas · 24/12/2013 01:20

well, I dunno

my usual day off work is Monday

I didn't want to buy my fresh foodstuffs last Monday as they would taste quite shit by xmas day

so I went today, did my usual weekly shop with a bit of extra stuff for xmas period so I don't have to spend my annual leave fucking shopping

and tbh, it's the people "nipping in" that are creating the problem, so tell your bloke to nip right off

does that answer your question at all ?

FredFredGeorge · 24/12/2013 08:08

MrsMook and others it's not the same number of people who need catering for from supermarkets though, and the number of people who need to shop for an individual meal doesn't change either.

Few people eat out over Christmas, and those that do will not do so for every meal (unlike say a family who has their cereal for breakfast then heads off for a day of activities who won't have any home meals)

And if I invite "George and the family" for Christmas dinner, sure they'll be eating my food, but I'll need to spend longer shopping, but they'll also need to go shopping for wine, chocolates, flowers etc. to bring as polite guests.

One day is also 14% of the week, combine that with the fact most people won't want to shop on boxing day either and that's 28% of the normal time taken away, the people who'd normally shop on those 2 days will need to bring it forward.

It's not surprising it's busy - although anywhere with very high home delivery rates seems to not be at all busy now.

Joysmum · 24/12/2013 08:13

For those of you that do t understand it, I admire your willpower.

I will need to go the shops yet again to replace the goodies I bought for over Christmas and we have scoffed because it's there! Xmas Smile

GodRestTEEMerryGenTEEmen · 24/12/2013 08:15

No ones veg is going to go mouldy in 4 days, FFS.

The only thing we're picking up today is our meat from the butcher, and that's a storage space issue.

My veg was delivered on Saturday and will be just fine tomorrow.

What a lot of tosh. I think people like the drama and stress. They get off on it in some way.

CrohnicallySick · 24/12/2013 08:24

Tyneteas- I remember when I worked at Morrisons and got the Christmas Eve shift- this was in the days before 24 hour opening (not that Morrisons do anyway) and I think the shop was shut for 2 days due to one of the festive days falling on a Sunday. Anyway, it was absolutely rammed. You came in the door, joined the queue for the tills and picked your shopping up as you wound your way through the shop to the tills.

None of us staff could actually get to do our job- one cheerful chap informed me he'd been paid £20 or so to take his trolley from the end of one aisle to the next (as it had taken him so long!). At one point our manager told all the grocery staff to go and have our lunch as there was no point us being on the shop floor at all.

My local Asda yesterday looked like it was going the same way, the car park was like the puzzle where you get the red car out, so I went to Lidl. Which was bliss. Except that on the 23rd December they had already packed away all the festive food! (Not just sold out, but the whole section that had been there since September had been removed). Luckily I had already bought chocs and biscuits etc, I was doing a normal weekly shop yesterday.