Or am I just one of the lucky ones

[Helbel82]

Am I just lucky or is sprout armageddon a myth? In my 10+ years of cooking Christmas dinner I am yet to come across the carnage that the big christmas shop supposedly brings.
I have lived in a big city and now a smaller one and not once have I had to tussle someone to the ground for the last bag of carrots or wait at the checkout for 5 hours like mumsnet and the media have us believe.
As usual I happily sailed in to the car park of my local big supermarket at 10am his morning and found a parking space near the front. I happily milled around collecting all of the stuff I need for tomorrow and the next few days with very little hassle. The only thing I couldn't get was a chocolate yule log. If only I had gone out at 3am yesterday morning, then just maybe I would have been able to get one. Oh well, christmas isn't ruined!

Not lucky just smug.

I e just been to town to take dd to a medical appointment. It was dead!

Also couldn't get a Yule log though so plumped for some festive bakewells instead.

MurrayTheMonk. That's what I did as well!

We did the same OP, I won't say it wasn't busy but the shelves were still well stocked and we had no trouble getting anything, queues weren't too bad either. There is always a particular mood to our last minute shopping though, neither of us get stressy but it's definitely a bit manic and mission-like, DH is funny with it though so I genuinely don't mind going, it's almost fun tbh

I went yesterday to our local medium sized Sainsbury's. It took me over 20 mins of circling the (very poorly laid out) car park before I found a space. Unusually, they did have everything I wanted, although the section for 4 pint semi skimmed milk was empty. I eventually tracked down an assistant to see if there was any more out the back and was asked if I wanted 1 or 2 - no more allowed! I then queued at the checkout from halfway down the alcohol aisle for nearly 20 minutes before actually reaching the till. Not quite Armageddon, but could have been better.

It hasn’t been that bad here, queues but not massively long waiting times. We popped into Lidl yesterday for something and it was dead.

I remember Christmas food shopping with my mum years ago and it was crazy then but that was pre internet ordering!

I had to pop to my local co op this morning, it was very busy with a long queue but everyone was polite and no carnage!

We are really fortunate in that we live nearish both a 24hr petrol station and a lovely little shop open most of the holidays including all morning on Christmas Day that does really nice fresh bread.

Also, most of our neighbours are at home for Christmas so we have all agreed if we need anything / run out we should ask each other first!

I've just been to Sainsbury's for bread, milk, eggs, cream and orange juice. Not bad there at all - queues for tills but not self-service checkouts.

I have seen a few gaps on shelves, but not this year.

So hope everyone has been lucky!

And our supermarkets had tons of fresh and frozen turkeys yesterday as well.... sausagemeat not so much 😑

I had bother getting a Yule log this year too; my friend eventually got me a luxury one at Asda yesterday after trying several other supermarkets

It's not the mad fighting frenzy it used to be since online shopping became a thing.

Years ago you'd often have to queue to get in to the supermarket and whether you could get most of what was on your shopping list, was potluck.

Then there was the battling home in the heavy traffic.

My local medium sized Sainsburys - self service queue and normal tills queued 10+ deep. Self scan? Empty. WHY don't people use them - I LOVE them, keep a track on how much you're spending, bag it as you go and in and out in a flash. I KNOW they are doing people out of a job but that ship has well and truly sailed - they are here to stay, so use them!! (Actually scrap that, don't use them, or I might have to queue next time)

The carnage will start later when the yellow reduced stickers come out.

I don't get it either. I only bought my turkey yesterday and there were plenty on the shelves!

My local Lidl had no parsnips or carrots left last night. Asda hardly had anything and my local, big Tesco was starting to run out by 11 this morning.

They were running out of bread as well.

The Christmas themed sponges and logs were sold out everywhere local to me, last week. My DD had delayed making up her mind and we've ended up with a £10 one from M&S, but I wanted the Woodland cake.

I was in Tesco yesterday afternoon, got everything I wanted, got a parking space no problem and they had enough sprouts and carrots to feed a small country. The checkouts were quieter than I've ever seen them too, everyone must have gone at 6am!

There is something utterly soul destroying about shops on Xmas Eve. It's like some pre-warned natural disaster is about take place. People were losing their minds in the booze aisle. One couple were having an angry hushed row over whether to get two bottles of whatever or one.

Also couldn't get a Yule log though so plumped for some festive bakewells instead

They sound yum, I am going to try and find them when I venture out after Christmas!

done my food shopping in Saturday (like any other week), shelves full shop empty

It seems we have a national yule log shortage!

Your lucky. My local Sainsbury's is absolutely rammed. I drove past and there were about 20 cars circling waiting for a spot. No idea what it's like inside as I definitely didn't go in! We have a local village Co-op though that has almost everything and isn't insanely busy. If I lived in a big town I'd be tempted to drive out to a village (our village is 10 minutes from the big town with the crazy Sainsbury's) and go to Co-op to get my last minute sprouts.

Seeing as every shop near me is shut for 1 day, I don't get why everyone goes so mad! I went to Tesco at 6pm (after work) yesterday, it was bonkers. Not a prawn to be found, no snack items, no cheese....I'm not exaggerating, half the shop was empty. Damn bizarre. Anyway, went to Sainsbury's at 7am (not on purpose, just was awake), and was lovely. Quieter than a Sunday, super chilled. Still, not doing Christmas really, as I'm on my own.

The butchers has a crazy queue & M&S food collections had a bad queue. Love the fact the roads are dead though as so many people leave London.