aibu to think Xmas food shopping is panic buying?

[DragonMama3]

In Asda. people buying food like the world was ending! WHy?

Shops reopen in 12 hours?

I tried to get my final bits today, I dont want to go shopping tomorrow. But the shops are useless, my combination of Waitrose, Marks, Lidl and Aldi let me down, nearly everything I wanted wasnt in

So back I go tomorrow, not looking forward to it, wanted to relax

No Baileys 😱

I bought 2 bottles of the fake stuff from Aldi but I would be gutted if the shops were out

I remember last year struggling to find a whole duck so this year I bought one a couple of weeks ago and froze it together with my half leg of lamb. I do not want to be scrabbling round this weekend looking for stuff. I hope there will be croissants in Morrisons on Sunday although you can't panic buy those, they go stale quickly.

Just tried the Extra Thick Baileys Cream with a couple of Mince Pies. Very nice too - but I could just eat the cream - it's so yummy!!

It’s not panic-buying because the shops are shut. It’s just that people are often feeding lots of people over lots of days with specific recipes to make, have traditional things that they want to pick up for Christmas, and don’t particularly want to spend the days between Christmas popping to the supermarket. They’re not panicking, they’re just quite reasonably shopping for a lengthy period of indulgent eating and drinking. It’s not like people in the supermarket today were stockpiling pasta and toilet roll. If you need fresh stuff like meat, fish, cream etc for Christmas, it’s perfectly normal to buy that as close to Christmas Day as possible.

Oh and a lot of people get paid just before Christmas too, so today’s the first day for a lot of people when they can afford to spend £££s in one go.

Fresh food only lasts so long, nothing panicky about people trying to get the most of it before the shops shut. I’ve done my shop online but it was stressful as I was expecting half to be near expiry leaving me with a need to go out again. I usually shop online and have delivery and thankfully the dates extended for Christmas where they usually don’t. My aim is for o have everything sorted before Christmas Eve, so I don’t need to bother retail staff longer than necessary. I’m surprised this is an issue

Are you one of these tedious people who goes food shopping close to Christmas, but also judges others for doing the exact same thing? You’re different because you’re only getting a few bits, therefore you’re morally superior to the plebs with their trolleys? Get a life.

Why are you so exercised about the shopping habits of strangers? Shops are busy at Christmas and water is wet. Shocking.

I think what you mean, though, is that Christmas itself is madness. And it is. But people like it. You don’t have to go the whole hog (turkey) with it. Just buy what you want / need.

Spied below on ‘Very British problems’ on Twitter- made me snort with laughter ,so so true and I think way more common in women. In my case I now have cupboards full of nice stuff ‘that’s for Xmas’’ - but nothing to actually make meals of till Xmas Eve- so just need to get a few bits and bobs
————

For the next week, everyone has “a few bits left to get”. Just a few bits. Few bits left to get. Bits and bobs. Nearly there. Just a few bits and bobs to go. Getting there. Few bits left to get. Just a few bits. And bobs. Few bits and bobs. Few bits left to get. Just a few bits. Slowly but surely. Few bits and you’ll be done. Just a few bits left to get…

You're right! Standing in m and s today I was definitely panic buying - I even recognised it in myself that I was doing it and I don't know why! I couldn't stop myself - it's mad!

I can remember my Saturday job at Fine Fare as a teenager and the queues that went down the aisles at Christmas time!!
They used to shut the doors half an hour before closing and people still dived in the exit doors to get into the store. It was manic and unlike todays' stores - we did used to run out of stuff like Turkeys, Dairy products, Fruit and Veg - it was a wonder that the last few customers could actually buy anything!!

I'm not sure it's panic to want to have all the items you'll need to make your Christmas food and host people.

I've got my shopping coming tomorrow. I hope it's all there because I've several things I need to make for my family that's all coming for Christmas.
Is it panic buying if I send my husband to find whatever ingredients inevitably don't get delivered?

What takes it out of planning and preparation and into panic? Do you have to run round Tesco screaming for help then beat someone to death with a baguette over the last tub of pringles?

@10HailMarys Yes. It’s not anything like panic buying. Not least because loads of people are shopping with a list based on the planning they’ve done about what they’ll be cooking and what snacks and drinks everyone likes.

I wonder if the people who are so keen to sneer about all these idiots panic buying simply have never catered for a house full of people over Christmas and into new year.

No one wants to run out of loo roll over Christmas

oh i had somebdy on my FB was posting from Asda today apparently it was madness!

Well, the reason I was out with a massive grocery shop yesterday is threefold.

1. We have a small refrigerator, so I couldn’t have shopped more of the fresh/perishable stuff even for our usual groceries AND maintained perishable bits of Christmas earlier in the week.
2. We’re Lord willing bringing fruit trays to two separate parties tomorrow, involving fruit for about 24 people. That’s a lot of fruit and a lot I couldn’t exactly have slowly stocked up on.
3. We hope to be gone all day tomorrow at family gatherings, promptly followed by church Sunday morning, and I had no desire to be out shopping Christmas Eve evening.

Throw in the fact that one of our cars needed repair over the previous weekend, and I wound up with both a planned appointment AND an unplanned medical appointment this week plus bloodwork… I was playing catch-up with even our regular grocery shop.

And we’re not even the ones throwing dinner for 24 people tomorrow. I’m sure my MiL’s cart looked like she was hoarding whenever she shopped… especially in contrast to her usual shop for a household of two!

For us it’s more that we don’t really want to leave the house again untill we really really have to.

having said that, Morrisons delivery has forgot some important bits so I’m gonna have to go out again anyways!

Are you able to read the replies? You'll find they explain things quite comprehensively.

I dunno what happens but we all lose the run of ourselves at Christmas. I normally keep a big bag of carrots in the fridge that can last up to two weeks. But the Christmas carrots? They simply MUST be bought on the 23rd at the earliest 😂Same with cheese. Rest of the year quite happy to cut the moldy bits off but the CHRISTMAS CHEESE?

Don't look at my online shop then! I'm certainly not panic buying but it comes tomorrow and its 3x what it usually is. But, it usually comes on a Saturday and I don't usually have to go to the shops the remainder of the week. And we have a get together of 15 people Xmas eve, our turn to host. One set of parents Xmas day, so double the adults in the house. The other set arrive boxing day and are staying a few days, so again, double the adults in the house. We're both off work and DC are at home the whole week too. I have increased my shop to accommodate this and not have to go shopping again, as I wouldn't have to in any normal week. Its not a normal week though, so it's not a normal shop.

It's the school holidays. The quantity of food consumed in this house goes through the roof during any break from school, and we have one, small child.

Plus, nobody is panicking. I was in 'the big Morrisons' this morning. Other than the maniacs on the road who seem to have decided to burn the Highway Code over their breakfast today, it was perfectly calm in the supermarket. Barely busier than a normal Friday morning, and actually quite a lot more sedate than a Friday morning near the beginning of the school holidays normally is.

I’m cooking for 23 people and it was three trolley loads. Nothing will be wasted either.

I worked in Sainsbury's during the Pandemic. The run up to lockdown was the worst as everyone who came through my till complained about all the other people shopping and how ridiculous it all was. Every single person! Of course they were only getting 'a few bits' (it was never just a few bits)

Yes that's how it is for us, we're hosting this year and in total there will be 8 adults and 4 children, they're going to be here for 5 days starting on Christmas Eve, so that is a great deal of food and drink to get in the house, bearing in mind that people tend to eat and drink more over the festive period, but panic buying? No it's just that big quantities are needed!

I don’t understand what’s so hard to grasp, most families are entertaining for the next 4 days at least, so you need food and drink to cater for different tastes for the next few days, you don’t want to be nipping out every day. I never buy stuff like Coke, Tonic, cheeses, chutney, pickled onions, but bought all of that today just in case they’re required.

Same with beer, cider, gin. You never know who’s going to rock up. But this is nothing new. I’m 43 and do this, so does my Mum, so did my Granny etc.

This is really funny, and the thought struck me recently, too.

I'm going to use my 3 week old carrots this year for Christmas day. Of course I've still ordered some of the 15p ones. They will do for late January 😁