WIBU to do Christmas food shop on Christmas Eve?

[LuckyAmy1986]

We are away until the 23rd when I think we will be too tired to do the food shop. WIBU to do it on Christmas Eve or will a lot of things be sold out? It's only me, DH and DC at home so only have ourselves to cook for but we would like all the good Xmas stuff! Not planning on getting a turkey as we will have chicken and beef but worried about things like all the veg and sides and dessert. TIA

Depends how fussy you are and I'd have backups in the freezer.
I have a tradition of collecting meat from the butcher on 23rd and go to at least two supermarkets on 24th bargain-hunting, as I can walk to them with a trolley. Sometimes manage to get in and out and see the same cars still queuing for the car park!

Christmas Eve is a Sunday, I wonder if it is normal Sunday hours? If so no need to be up at 7 am.

Personally I wouldn't. Shops will be mega busy.
We try to do ours before then

And finally ... if we don't have what you want, we as retail staff have not ruined your/your family's/your DCs Christmas, your lack of preparation has.

OH MY GOD THIS

I wouldn't want to rely on a Christmas Eve shop, partly for stock reasons and partly in case we couldn't be arsed to go for some reason (e.g. knackered after being away). So I'd buy in advance anything we couldn't do without, and only go in store for the nice extras / see what there is / ooh look at that bargain stuff.

Or the weather could be bad MrsHathaway.

Imagine the disaster that would unfold if it snowed heavily on the Friday/Saturday before Christmas?

Deliveries might not arrive so the shops would run out of things and people couldn't get to the shops at the weekend and then Christmas would be ruined and the Daily Mail would be full of sad faced people who couldn't get a turkey or sprouts and were forced to feed their entire extended family with a tin of beans, a pot noodle and that mystery gloop that has been lurking at the back of the freezer since 2013.

I would definitely not blame staff or shops for not having want I want if I do a last minute shop on Xmas Eve! Seriously.

Can I just say though, DH and DC are non pork eaters so.....no pig in blankets here :(

I've done this the last 2 years, made sure to get there at opening time and it was absolutely fine. All the shelves piled high, particularly the veg, got the turkey etc. in fact everything on my list (definitely bring a list OP!) and I flew around, no bother. By the time I was leaving it was getting busier and I heard in the afternoon that there wasn't a single parnsip to be got I'll be doing the same again this year.

YANBU we’ve done this most years and the present shopping

The last couple of years I did mine at about midnight on the 23rd, and would be back in bed by 2am of the 24th. No crowds or queues and generally the shelves were in the process of being restocked so most things were available. The only thing I wouldn’t leave to chance is the turkey - we’d already bought that elsewhere.

My Mam used to go and do her Christmas food shop for veg and fresh stuff at 7am on Christmas Eve, up until about 5 years ago when online delivery became available in their area. She would be up at 6.30 and outside the shop at 7am for when it opened. Several of her friends did the same.

Although, I wouldn't think you'd be able to do that this year as Christmas Eve is a Sunday, so probably would only need to be there as the doors open at 10 or 10.30.

I did a 7am shop on Christmas eve, no issue but I couldn't buy booze, not sure if there is still restrictions on that.

I brought a frozen goose this morning, all veg is on a Morrison's pick up in store order for the 23rd. I will probably pick up a leg of lamb incase I bugger up my first attempt at goose.

My Nan does all her food shopping Xmas eve. I know it would probably be fine but it makes me twitch thinking about it! I would get there for when it opens, head straight for the veg and then wing it for the rest if needs be.

Pre order online OP if you can. You can't guarantee they'll have what you need and the shops will be hell on wheels!

I start to get any non perishables with my regular shopping in the weeks leading up to Christmas, meat ordered from the butcher and then brave the shops for veg and fridge bits on Christmas Eve morning.

The car park is always a nightmare, but have never had a problem with availability of the things on my list.

I did a 7am shop on Christmas eve, no issue but I couldn't buy booze, not sure if there is still restrictions on that.

Can't do it at that time this year anyway because of Sunday trading laws

i ended up in Sainsburys on Xmas eve late afternoon-ish, we were passing and I remembered I'd not bought any cream. Anyway, went in, there were people literally staking out the guy with the reduced gun. The fresh stuff was pennies including meats/ turkeys.

We are contemplating getting a piece of beef this year in advance of Xmas eve and bunging it in the freezer if we go to play discount bingo and 'win' I can't really justify £50 on a turkey.
We said we'd make sure we had essentials and make do with whatever the kids are happy with jelly and icecream and Xmas dinner can be as elaborate (or not) as you like. We bought almost all ours from M and S last year and it was great to have no prep etc.

We did it last year. There was a bizarre lack of aubergine in Tesco and two other shops- it was a vegetarian Christmas so one of the mains needed the aubergine, but other than that it was fine and quite fun.

I work for one of the big four supermarket chains, we are not allowed extra opening hours for xmas eve, so we will be open 10-16, but instead of opening for browsing at 9:30 we will be opening at 8:30 or 9 (still to be decided in our case)