To remind people that the shops are only shut for one fucking day?!

[GlitteryHair]

Please, give me strength. Why do so many people panic buy, pile their trollies Sky high and get rude and stroppy with retail staff at this time of year? No, Armageddon isn't coming, it's Christmas! The shops are shut for a grand of one day, 24 hours later they will open again on the morning of Boxing Day. Please consider this when you are filling you're trollies with about 17 pints of milk and 20 loaves of bread or having a go at a sales assistant for ruining your Xmas. I wonder how people coped back in the days when the shops shut for several days?!

My Facebook feed is full of stories of people fighting over sprouts and having fights in car parks because they are so busy. I went passed my local Morrisons earlier and the traffic was backed up around the car park and onto the road.

Quite frankly if you leave it all until the last minute to do your shopping you are a knob who needs to be more organised next year, and honestly the sky will not fall in if you don't have sprouts on your plate come xmas day.

People need to getting a sodding grip!

I think its just because you cant do the fresh shopping weeks in advance. its the same every year! I went to a small local shop for a few bits today, nice and quiet and nobody fighting over anything. The big shop, on the other hand, was a complete nightmare, once I got parked.. and actually found a trolley. not a trolley to be had at 8.30 am..
oh well, enough for a few days food, then back out again for new year stock up! ( I do feel sorry for retail staff, the young lad in the BP garage near me is working till 10pm Christmas day, poor thing)
world has gone mad.

Turkey mousse???? Would far rather have chips.

Some people a) like fresh stuff and b) don't have big freezers.

It was v civilised in Sainsbo's this morning.

They'll be shut for 4 days where I live - and I am not 100% sure that they will be open tomorrow either. They'll almost certainly be shut tomorrow afternoon.

My fridge is crammed to bursting .

I have been buying bits for a couple of weeks, but I waited for today to get things that need to be fresh.

I forgot a couple of things today , so looks like I will have to head back again. It's not been particularly busy in there though - obviously everyone else is more organised than I am.

I don't think this is something that should be concerning you OP, just relax.

"if you leave it all until the last minute to do your shopping you are a knob who needs to be more organised next year" - Thanks.

What about those of us who have little or no extra cash each month and have to wait for Christmas bonuses/wage advances to get the last few fresh items for their Christmas dinner? Or those of us who can't afford childcare or aren't able to foist their kids off onto the grandparents, and have had to strike a part home/part night shift deal with their boss who insists hours are made up regardless (I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas Eve in a dark, cold warehouse on a deserted industrial estate )??

I'm not buying my fresh cream and vegetables in October, as they would no longer be fresh come December, y'see.

I agree that there more than one trolley is unnecessary. And there is absolutely no need for accusing harassed retail staff of 'ruining' Christmas due to the shops being busy/selling out quickly. I also agree that there is only so much milk and bread one family needs for a few days, even with house guests. I'd like to think though, that going when I have the only opportunity to get a modest amount of fresh food doesn't make me a knob...I'm a knob for lots of other reasons

I'm a knob for lots of other reasons grin

me too

I did a big shop today as I got asked to do a cheeseboard last night and also decided I had to get wine for all the
Neighbours as they are always keeping packages for us. I bought a few perishables like milk and stuff for breakfast Christmas Day too. Unfortunately I don't think the bread will be nice so if I get chance I will prob nip and get some more bread tomorrow. It was extremely busy but generally friendly and jovial. Everyone wants fresh stuff Christmas Day. I don't see what's so bad about that.

Perhaps they have a lot of people staying, and none of the supermarkets near them will be open on Boxing Day? None are here. Perhaps there won't be enough turkey left on Boxing Day to feed a houseful.

As supermarket shopping before Christmas is not a pleasant experience, I'd assume people have a good reason for doing it.

But why do you care OP? The shops are open, so people can shop if they want to.

You're all finished, so don't need to go to shops. Why do you give a shit?

Are we all means to be impressed at your oh so superior Christmas organisation?

In our case Tesco will deliver tomrrow. If not I shall have to shoot pigeon in the local woods for the lunch. I was just out to buy one item and went to 4 shops including the local Tesco where there was no space to park so gave up on that. It is chaos out there.

The reason people buy a lot is in stead of just feeding our family of in our case 5 children a load of relatives are coming too so we need more food than usual. Also we fly abroad on 26th so won't have access to normal shops until after NY.

Don't most people just have cold left ofter Turkey and chips on Boxing Day?

No, many people have a second dinner with family coming over. I don't eat meat so I won't have turkey or any left overs. I'm having a friend over in the afternoon so I'm doing a buffet tea.
FWIW I did all my shopping online.

YABU, because the shops being closed one day isn't the reason they are busy, they are busy because loads of families are hosting/getting stuff in so they dont need to go to the shops during the holidays! and would rather spend it with their families.

I'm here all week

I might resort to abusing the overdraft (again) and popping to the supermarket tonight. But only if I get away from work in time to make the 10pm cut off point for buying booze - of which we currently have not one drop in the house. On the 20-fricking-third of December...

at the fighting over sprouts

YANBU - so much stuff gets wasted/never eaten and the bills roll in after Christmas
Personally I blame the TV ads for food and the trimmings and the fact that some people actually believe the sell by dates on vegetables mean that sprouts and other vegs have to be bought at the last minute

I nipped into Aldi, round the corner from work because I forgot lemons from my online shop which arrived night. People had full trolleys of all manor if stuff, plenty of things that could be bought in advance but if they want to punish themselves by getting it all at the last minute, then who am I to judge it was the man behind me at the butchers who made me smile. Went to pick up my order, man panicking that there was only one large pork pie left. He lent past me pointing at the pie saying it was his because he'd ordered one. The butcher told him that it wasn't his. This bloke got really snotty and said yes it's mine it's the only one! Off went the butcher into the back and came back with a pie twice the size and told him this is yours, this is the size you ordered unless you want me to swap it for the small one?

Quite frankly if you leave it all until the last minute to do your shopping you are a knob who needs to be more organised next year, and honestly the sky will not fall in if you don't have sprouts on your plate come xmas day.

Quite frankly you are rude.

The sky won't fall in on you if you are actually less condescending and more polite.

We buy mounds and mounds of food.

But nothing is ever wasted. We feed a lot of people for 3/4 days. Then I like to feed just us until NYE without shopping.

I don't need reminding that the shops are only shut for one day but don't intend to buy anything for at least 7 days. It'll be bliss to not have to think about meal planning or shopping and just relax and enjoy the holiday with friends and family.

In Germany the shops shut at 2:00 tomorrow and stay closed the 25th, 26th and 27th.

Mollie It's not about 'believing' 'sell-by dates' - I did a food shop on Saturday but will go tomorrow morning for vegetables because I know that green beans etc bought on Saturday won't be nice on Friday. I have bought vegetables before! Some of them last better than others. There's a time for popping brown lettuce leaves in the blender with lentils and calling it soup, a la Hugh FW, and it's not Christmas Day - or not in this house.

YANBU at all, I've witnessed it all myself today in Tesco. People storming round with their HUGE filled trolled barging past people to get to the veg and chocolates, it's pathetic. Me personally I've bought everything I would on my usual shop and just a few extra buffet bits, desserts and chocolates, and whisky I realise everyone is different no one needs to fill their cupboard with eight loves of bread, like I seen someone with today.

what are the queues like in germany?

I don't understand why anyone would go to the trouble of cooking another big meal on Boxing Day? What a faff when you could have Turkey sandwiches, Turkey curry, Turkey salad etc instead.

Each to their own of course, it's not something thats ever been done in my family.

BTW, I'm not sure whats so "rude" about calling people who panic buy like the world is about to end, knobs?