Just abandoned trolley in supermarket.......

[Milssofadoesntreallyfit]

Shops always busy at Christmas, I've just stupidly tried to pop in for a few things, first aisle got jammed in and couldn't move trolley round with out bumping someone, everywhere I turned trolleys and people darting around. Put my apples back, decided to go back later but still struggled to navigate round people. Get near doors decide to keep walking at this point as a man walk down my right side trying to cut across in front and because I decided to keep going, got called a F**king nut case and he kept calling me to the man behind me.

As I left I stated to the man behind that I'd spend a good while trying to stay out of people way that I didnt actually get anywhere and he was being a bit harsh, he replied well I never f**king said anything did I.
I need stuff but I'm I the only one to find the shops today so unbearable that I left and Im prepared to just get whats left later rather than deal with crowds like that.
Christ it had me dizzy and demented.

Sorry, just feel calmer already just typing my stress out!!!

Sounds awful.
I was in M&S yesterday because its always quieter than Tesco etc.
It was ok apart from their most recent 'best before' and 'use by' dates being the 25th Dec. Why do they do that for Christmas food!!!

It was in my local shopping centre and I was in there for approx 1.5 hours which felt an hour too long. I hope not to go back anytime soon. At this stage, whats got is going to have to be enough. I am so anxious in the shops now. For some reason there were about thirty people queuing outside Boots - absolutely no social distancing in the queue. Scary.

Being one of the many who made the shops crowded & then complaining about all the others who made the shops crowded...

yeOldeTrout
There is quite a difference between being in the supermarket to buy food for the days ahead and queuing to go into McDonalds or Tiger etc.

I did Asda at 2am. Nobody there, it was great - definitely recommend!

I've just checked and my local Waitrose is open till 11pm and M&S until midnight so I'm going to go later on after the kids are in bed.

And in case people are wondering why so late, other people were supposed to be joining us and bringing food and can't make it now - so we have far too much of some things (cheese!!!) but not enough of others (red cabbage, fizz, smoked salmon). Also, the kids ate all the pigs in blankets for breakfast today!

Just came back from M&S Food. Smugly found a parking space and there was no queue to get in. Thought it might be OK - was fully prepared to not go and as someone said - no one died from not having a luxury mince pie. However once in there were at least 50% of people who werent on their own and it was much more crowded that normal. Four to five families with kids one of whom was hanging off the trolley so it meant, trolley, Mum and Dad trying to decide together what to buy was completely blocking the aisle so it meant no one could get round them. In end someone asked them to move and they looked confused!

How can people hear the news and the fact its getting worse and then think "I know what - why dont we go to M&S in the middle of the day en masse with the family and have bit of a break from being at home"

IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC!

I am coming off these sorts of threads because you get the usual people stating they can do what they like, wont be following any sensible policies and sod everyone else, the cashier said in M&S that they tried to ask people earlier today to not come in as a group but one women told her they couldnt enforce it because its not the law!

Dont blame you OP, I am anxious about my click and collect order from M&S tomorrow. I wish I could just collect and pay but the way it is engineered you have to go with your trolley through the store and pay. It is only £60 pounds worth but includes the gammon that is the only item that we really all enjoy at Christmas otherwise I would also abort my mission.

My local waitrose, Tesco and Aldi are all still doing the drip feed/traffic light system.

Thank God that we have Riverford and Milk and More. It's amazing how long we can survive without going to the shops (about 3 weeks). Every 3-4 weeks we stock the store cupboards up with dried food and fill the freezer. Then we get our fresh produce delivered weekly by them (twice a week with Milk and More). And of course they do lots of extra Xmas goods and add ons. I would Google your local veg box scheme and milk man.

What YeOlde said
I work in retail (not supermarket) and we have to stay behind late to put all the abandoned items back (we call them 'loose hands'). We don't get paid for staying to do this...

Have you got a local coop or similar? I find the last half hour before they close good for popping in and picking up a basket of items. Only a handful of people there.

@TheYearOfSmallThings

Just go in the evening - I've been doing this at Christmas for a few years. Instead of a pitched battle with all the type A early birds, you get to mooch around with a handful of students and single people.

It's great! And the shelves are fully stocked.

Sounds very sensible. That’s what I’ll be doing 🙂

Go at 7am. Quite pleasant at that time, and all the shelves freshly stocked.

Just be glad you don’t work there. If anyone does get to a point of abandoning a trolley please tell a member of staff as when your trolley is finally found nobody has a clue how long it’s been there and every chilled/frozen item has to be put to waste as it cant be risked.
It’s honestly disgusting the amount of food that gets wasted on a daily basis.

Hope you manage to get your items later today OP as others have said maybe go late if possible xx

I have just been to the big Tesco because the little one nearest our house doesn't do fuel. I was going to get the final bits for the next few days but they were queuing to get in. So as soon as I'd bought petrol I got straight back into the car and went to asda, which I hate as I don't know where anything is kept.

DH will have Christmas Eve off and after 10 days of 4am shift starts (ironically for M&S food warehouse) his body clock will be such that he'll be unable to sleep and can get bread and milk at stupid o'clock.

There were three people in the queue for Tesco when I went past this morning.DD said she'd been in earlier but it was not as busy as she expected.

Just come back from Tesco, it was fine. Busy but not ridiculous, traffic light system in operation, staff on the door.

No shortages, except for Christmas pud. Found that in my local Nisa. God bless Nisa! My shopping is done.

I went to Waitrose at 11:30 this morning, braced for battle, and while there was about a 10 minute queue outside, it was a lot shorter than it had been at the height of spring. Once I got in the shelves had most everything I needed (all I couldn’t get was frozen spinach) and it was extremely civilised. I think the shops were much more prepared for this than they would have been at any other time of the year - they always expect a Christmas rush, plus the possibility/probability of a no-deal Brexit gave them extra reason to be ready.

I am extremely amused by the posters bewildered at the need to go to a supermarket and suggesting the butcher/farm shop etc.

Look, some of us are peasants and need the 1kg of carrots for only 19p, all right?

I was in our 24 hour Tesco just before 9 this morning which was later than I'd planned. It wasn't too bad. Bit of a queue to get in but like any other busy Saturday. Only one person in front of me on the tills so not bad at all.

I normally go in the evening around 9pm and it's lovely usually. Calm and relaxed. Blood pressure stays low! But thought I'd chance it this morning and was fine, as I said. I was prepared to come back if it looked too busy but we're having to pick our turkey up from a city centre M&S at 8pm as I left it too late to get a delivery slot in the one nearest to us. I have no idea what it's going to be like in the city centre shop at that time.

I went to town a couple of hours ago for B&M prepared for it to be packed, not looking forward to it at all.
It was empty, straight in and out, got everything we still needed.
If this is an option for anyone, the towns seem quieter than supermarkets.

@PhatPhanny

Friend who works in essential orange shop said she had never seen the shops so empty last night.

Assuming this is a typo, but 'essential orange' shop?!

Been ridiculously full here for 2 days supermarket wise. Went to large shopping centre for bits and bobs for last of xmas stuff and it was totally empty though. So here, seems only the supermarkets being swamped, when I was genuinely expecting the shopping centre to be worse.

@alltoomuchrightnow

What YeOlde said I work in retail (not supermarket) and we have to stay behind late to put all the abandoned items back (we call them 'loose hands'). We don't get paid for staying to do this...

Quite clearly that is your company being completely unreasonable, though?

Are you and your colleagues in a union?

Ditto - please do tell a member of staff if you have had enough - they will understand I promise and be able to put back everything you have already put in the trolley.

Imagine if you just left it there with £500 worth of food. As turkeys in Waitrose are £50 plus its easily done. Waitrose would have to have chucked this into waste because their rule is over 20 mins and it goes in the bin!

I saw today that there was no rush on toilet rolls this time.

Um - I know it sounds nice to clock off at say 2100 when you work at a supermarket but its the customers that delay you from leaving on time although a strict supervisor will try and sort out.

Please let this NOT be anyone on this thread but are you the person who goes into supermarkets 10 mins before closing time every single sodding Saturday night and on the way in you grab your large trolley. You are the only one in there and you smugly think - I have the store to myself - how lucky am I. You are actually a complete arsehole who delay the staff every single week with your method of shopping. You take at least 15-20 minutes wandering around the store. You get to the till after closing time but that's OK (for you!). You wonder whether you have everything you need. The staff are circiling around dying to go home but NO - you wont be rushed.

Grey haired man about 55 - IS THIS YOU??