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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

mrsjay · 24/12/2013 08:30

I was in the supermarket yesterday getting bread and milk it was chaos but i guess folk want to get stuff in so they don't need to go back out over Christmas and stay home I wouldnt want to be running to a supermarket on the 27th if i could help it, saying that i noticed the supermarkets ARE open boxing day no need for that

southeastastra · 24/12/2013 08:35

fgs bully for you op, how smug of you.

purrforamincepie · 24/12/2013 08:36

I dont understand why people are getting so puffed up about this, it's so pompous and unimportant. So the shops get busy, a lot of folk buy more food than they could ever possibly consume, so what. It's all so unnecessarily judgey.

jammiedonut · 24/12/2013 08:40

Unfortunately I've been trying to discretely but odd bits and ends (alcohol/sweets/biscuits) with weekly shop to avoid the queues now. Unfortunately dh and dn can sniff the good stuff out and have been raiding the 'Xmas' cupboard for weeks. They've been sent out to find what they can (to feed 10 tomorrow), so I guess I have still managed to avoid the chaos!

ouryve · 24/12/2013 08:40

People but a few extra things for Christmas and go when it suits them, don't they.

The big shops around here are hellish any time after mid morning on a typical weekend, too.

LtEveDallas · 24/12/2013 08:40

I went to Tesco at 0530 this morning - it's the only time of year when my stupid 'waking early' gene actually comes in handy (oh, and for bagging sunbeds on holidays!)

There were about 10 people in there and lots of staff. It was lovely - the only thing I didn't manage to get were lemons, apparently they are coming in on the 0800 delivery. I've decided to do without.

I had no choice but to shop though. MIL sprung it on me that actually I'm cooking for 11, not 6 on Xmas Day and she wants to hold a 'nibbles and drinks' party on Boxing Day - I hadn't planned for that, so needed extra grub.

ThinkAboutItTomorrow · 24/12/2013 08:44

I will go out again because i want stuff fresh boxing day or the day after and not to have to start shopping. That and MIL drinks about 3 pints of milk a day and i need to top up as i am out of fridge space.

WholeLottaRosie · 24/12/2013 08:49

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

purrforamincepie · 24/12/2013 08:54

[Fgrin] Rosie

purrforamincepie · 24/12/2013 08:55

Wow, great emoticon there

mrsjay · 24/12/2013 08:55

well there is that Rosie how dare these people go shopping when i am in are they mad

Farrowandbawlbauls · 24/12/2013 09:38

It doesn't help that most of the pouplation of this entire country are all shopping in the same few days.

Any other time it doesn't happen but because it's Christmas, there's more to feed, no-one wants to go back out and everyone else has the same idea.

mrsjay · 24/12/2013 09:40

and people will have finished work on friday so they need to go and do their food shop,

higgle · 24/12/2013 09:42

Yesterday M&S at Cribbs Causeway Bristol was packed out at 6.30am, with "elves" directing the queues. Today at 8.30a. Sainsbury's in Stroud was nearly empty and had full stocks of everything. Next year I think I'll forgo the very fancy breadsticks and the wasabi dip and make life a bit easier for myself.

Gladvent · 24/12/2013 09:49

OP you could argue that people should keep stocks of pain killers and tampons, so they are not cluttering up the shops when people want to go and buy fresh stuff ;)

LittleprincessinGOLDrocks · 24/12/2013 10:22

DH has braved not one, but 6 shops in the last 2 days, and said most were really busy.
Apparently there is a shortage of Bucks fizz in our area. We tried to get some on Saturday, we left it late as normally the shops round here have tons of it on the shelves right in to the new year. We started in the shop we usually buy it - all sold out, so tried Aldi (who's staff said they had filled a whole shelf with bucks fizz at 8am, by 4pm it had all gone!) to no avail. So DH tried Tesco yesterday morning, then today tried Sainsbury's local, Tesco local, Co-op, local shop, and finally a different Tesco - who had just 2 bottles left!
So my question is, who is bathing in Bucks Fizz this Christmas?
Or filling their Olympic sized swimming pool with festive cheer?

purrforamincepie · 24/12/2013 10:28

But you can make bucks fizz. How can there be a shortage?

MerryFuckingChristmas · 24/12/2013 10:38

Iceland was empty yesterday. Try Iceland.

ouryve · 24/12/2013 10:50

Bottle of cheap bubbly + carton of orange juice = Bucks Fizz!

Sainsburys were selling bottles of "pink fizz" in a pink sequinned bag. People were buying it. Not my thing, but each to their own.

DoYouLikeMyBaubles · 24/12/2013 10:55

Well they might all just be 'nipping' like your DH?

It's doing my head in how people are complaining about it on facebook, when the irony is theyre just another shopper adding to it.

LittleprincessinGOLDrocks · 24/12/2013 11:36

I know you can make bucks fizz, but DH is particular about it, so it is just easier to buy it. Iceland was the first place we tried - that is our usual shop for bucks fizz, but thanks. We got some at the last Tesco he tried, we bought the last bottle. We only have one bottle to drink on Christmas day, as neither of us are big drinkers (unlikely to have any guests tomorrow, hosting a Christmas dinner on Friday for my Granddad but he drinks tea or lemonade).
It just surprised me how all the shops had totally sold out.
Next year I will buy it in August and start a Bucks Fizz cellar!

CiderBomb · 24/12/2013 11:53

I was thinking this as well. ASDA and Tesco are open at 24/7, Sainsburys and Morrsions open at 7am til late evening. There is absolutely no need to be rushing all at once during the day when shops have flexible opening hours, people just need to engage their brains a more. My neighbours went to ASDA and did their food shop at 4am yesterday, don't blame them at all.

Tailtwister · 24/12/2013 12:03

I suppose it depends on when you can do your shopping. 4am is fine if you don't have children, but there's no way I would be dragging my 5 and 3yo around the supermarket at that time. Lots of people I know aren't finishing work until today, so the only time they could realistically shop was over the weekend.

It's like this every year. There's no point in getting antsy about it, especially when you yourself are adding to the numbers.

kungfupannda · 24/12/2013 12:37

SuburbanRhonda Mon 23-Dec-13 22:25:21
Every time I went into the supermarket to get the vegetarian main course for Christmas Day, the use by date was before the 25th.

Ha! I knew I couldn't be the only one having this problem! This is what led to my early morning trip to M&S this morning, with 2 small children in tow, one still in his pyjamas.

EBearhug · 24/12/2013 16:04

4am is not fine if you don't have children. 4am is for sleeping, not shopping.

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