Does everyone wait till last minute to do their Christmas food shop?

[Diedre44]

Over the years I've gone to do my food shop at different times and days before and on a few occasions I've turned the car around and went back home as cars were queuing for miles (not literally but sure you know what I mean) like 30 plus cars waiting to get into car park. I've tried going at ridiculous times like 3am, 5am and even attempted a 2pm trip one year and each and every time has been ram packed everywhere. The only one year was semi stress free we went and stood in a queue from about 8.45am Christmas eve in 2017 waiting for shop to open at 9.30 we done a scan and shop and were home by 10.45 was bliss.
I really don't like doing an online shop at all, I never seem to get any decent dates on fresh items.
Just interested when does everyone else do their "BIG" shop if like me don't do online?

I need to do an actual normal food shop as I'm working 28th onwards
Debating if the evening of the 23rd or going on the 24th is best...

christmas eve for a turkey?

No because I’d be gutted if they had run out of certain things I associate with Christmas. I order a click and collect or online shop, just makes my life easier and I’m not arsed about shelf life because it arrives on the 23rd and we eat it all within 3 days.

There are always tons!

This year, I will have to brave local shop near MIL on 24th as I know she won't have everything in but DH won't ask the right questions in advance. Or else I'll have to do it here before I travel and assume I don't buy too much milk or other stuff that will fit in her fridge.

Which reminds me- I need to put my 2 large freezer blocks into the freezer ready for my coolbox for travelling.

We don’t have turkey, we order a rib of beef from the farm shop, but whenever we’ve been to the supermarket on Christmas Eve they’ve had thousands of the bloody things.

last year, i couldnt get a turkey in lidl, i had to get a turkey in a bag from waitrose
and that wasnt even chriistmas eve, never to be forgotten i dont think

there might be turkeys on chirstmas eve but doubtless they will be the huge ones that no one wants

I go to the shop on 22nd of Dec for last bits. Already have some stuff (that could be stored in freezer or cupboards), but I need to go to the shop to buy fresh food. Not much, some carrots, parsnips, potatoes, fruit, bread etc. I think this year I will send my husband, I don't know if I can cope. I'm 10 weeks pregnant and not feeling my best, I'm either too faint, too nauseous, too hot etc.

I plan to do mine first thing Thursday morning. Getting there for 8am.

Haha, you do know that the veggies you buy on Friday have been picked and in warehouses for the same time as the ones on the shelf on Tuesday. They harvest all in one go, and definitely don't do it day by day on Christmas week. I highly doubt supermarkets have daily deliveries of veggies fresh from the field that morning.

Save yourself the stress of Christmas eve shopping and get it earlier.

Before we had delivery we always went around 22nd. Then if there’s anything we couldn’t get or had forgotten we have the 23td to go and get it. No way would I waste Christmas Eve in a supermarket.

I am taking a much more relaxed approach this year but usually I'd be at M&S at 7am on the 23rd for all the fresh food.

We have a food shop scheduled for the Friday instead and I'll nip out for whatever is missing. No-one cares for turkey so we are just getting a small crown.

Tree is up. Most of the food that keeps has already been bought and I'll put it out once I finish work in a few days.

I have a few more gifts to buy but I have been doing it all in dribs and drabs for a month now (all wrapped too). It helps that we don't swap gifts with family at Xmas. We both have enormous families and it's just unrealistic for us to do gifts for everyone [18 nieces and nephews over both sides] so we have agreed amongst ourselves that we only do Birthdays. My brother with one DC is very relieved he doesn't have to buy for his 12 nieces and nephews. We do a hamper each for our parents but that's already sorted.

We don't have any plans this year other than a local family party on 30th. I am working the Xmas period but the train strikes have made a few visits we would make impossible.

We may well make some impromptu plans and there is an open invite to in-laws and my siblings but it's all so low on the stress radar.

I do a midnight shop on the 23rd. It's great, barely any people, full (ish) shelves, no fights over parsnips 😂

We go for opening before work a couple days before Christmas. This year we are planning to go on 22nd. We then have a couple days to source anything we couldn't get or forgot.

I've been picking things up over the last 2 weeks so it hasn't felt particularly stressful. Some things can go in the freezer and this week I'll buy veg etc. We're having a frozen Turkey which I bought early December and I picked up a beef joint this morning from Aldi.

Did main food shop on Friday past. Was heaving then.

Yep. There are usually loads reduced in the freezer at Aldi. We got a few last Christmas Eve.

I did mine this morning meat is in the freezer.

Did mine today. Will get top up fruit/ veg on Saturday from Tesco express.

I don’t do a ‘big shop’. I get frozen smoked haddock for our traditional Christmas Eve supper the week before and the roast is a packaged one from M&S so can be bought a few weeks ahead.

I do a ‘normal’ shop a couple of days before Christmas for fruit/veg/cake and that’s it. I eat a fair amount of crisps and chocolate all year round and that doesn’t change much at Christmas. DH buys his own mince pies/stollen/gingerbread throughout December because I don’t like that kind of thing.

It would obviously be different if it wasn’t just the two of us.

A lot of fresh stuff has to be brought this week, and a lot of stuff has short dates.
And some people also have limited fridge/freezer space, so I suppose thats a factor
(plus we'd all eat the treats anyway so the later the better!)

Everybody I know does bits and pieces from November and then a big top up shop this week.

We have a click and collect booked for Friday morning and can pop to the shops that night if anything’s missing. Butcher, deli and bakery orders all set for collection on Christmas Eve morning.

I’m laughing to myself @OooScotland, I can picture the families faces if I told them to pick up certain things themselves as I’m not into them (might try it 🤣).

On a positive note I have an account with next and everything I’m ordering from them is arriving either next day or 2 days

Wrong thread soz 🙄😁

Did our yesterday! Will go today to get the bits that we forgot.