To think that Xmas food shopping isn't a sodding family day out?

[loveawineloveacrisp]

Just been to M&S for final food shop and the bloody place was over run with entire families shopping together. Just why? If the kids are old enough to be left then they shouldn't be traipsing around and getting in the way when the place is crowded as it is at this time of year.

And as for people who can't drive the right way round a one way car park: kindly fuck off and don't drive if you can't follow road signs.

That's all. Now can someone please pass the 🍷

Each time I read one of these threads, I make a mental note to incorporate more whole-family shopping trips into the following week to annoy the chronically miserable

I popped in to tesco and it was clearly a family day out. Its not a place to bring the kids, and certainly Barbara should not hog the aisle when chatting to Peggy about her ailing health.

fuck off😂

As is Ireland. Most supermarkets here will either open 24hrs or 7am until 12am up to 6pm Christmas Eve

YABVU

When working for the supermarket, had a few customers who bought things like they have absolutely nothing in! Including salt, pepper etc!

If people planned what they eat right to the veg, write a list based on what they do have and write a list what they need to buy. People will realise that they don’t need to spend as much money.

This was the discussion earlier. Don't fancy unstacked shelves, although we only really want veg/salad, milk. I'll do breakfast/dog walk first.

Not necessarily! You run the risk too that they won't have some things and you will have to dash out to get them! I've already got my online orders - I was too slow off the mark to get later dates but 24th is too risky to me!

Maybe it's not child-friendly because standards expected of children seem to have dropped over the past 2-3 decades. I'm British but currently spending a lot of time in the States for work. The US children are overall better behaved than British children. At home, when I go to a supermarket or garden centre, there are always children screaming absolute blue murder. They sound as if they're having their heads cut off. There is no way that kids in the US run as wild and make as much noise in public as British children do. When I've been out and taken calls from US friends, they even comment on how every time we talk if I happen to be out when they ring, there's a child screaming its head off in the background.

I have no idea why there's such a difference, and the only thing I can think of is that smacking is banned in the UK but not in many parts of the US. I'm NOT pro-smacking; I think it has to be banned or some parents take it too far, I only bring it up because it's the only thing I can think of that might explain the difference. I do think that there's a lot more wild behaviour from children than from when I was a child in the eighties. We knew that we might get a smack from Mum if we misbehaved! I'm glad it was banned though, because my own dad took it too far.

I don't mean to open a debate on smacking - I think it's wrong - but I'm just trying to put forward a reason why the UK isn't child-friendly.

There's a time for family shopping, if you must, but the last few days before Xmas isn't it. Ditto people who struggle to drive/ Park in supermarket car parks.

Dh came with me today. I'd have been much happier without him.

I hunt alone.

YABU and weird

Ocado has a great stock control system so you don’t get many goods missing.
I might be eating my words on Christmas Eve 😀

We like doing it as a family. It gives our teenagers plenty of time to practice reverse parking, it helps the toddlers get there zoomies out with so many people to run past and it kills the few hours we have before we take them all to an adult oriented restaurant so they can play on their tablets loudly,

I sent DH who wanted us all to 'nip in' I said no chance as my DC can't cope with a supermarket on any given day let alone this close to Xmas. He was gone hours and complained about the queues, he said the people genuinely seemed to enjoy being stuck in the same spot and not even trying to move, I do think some people think it's part of the Christmas experience and atmosphere - that complete rushing around Xmas buzz!

Planning to bring not one but two toddlers to the supermarket tomorrow morning. I wonder how many misery guts I will wind up 😂

What a weird thing to get annoyed about. Maybe they run out of salt and pepper at a similar time so they need it again at the same time.
If someone was buying salt and pepper why would you even assume they have loads at home?
Planning every meal for the week right down to the veg with no space for change sounds like a miserable way to live with no flexibility left for life!

@Auburngal

When working for the supermarket, had a few customers who bought things like they have absolutely nothing in! Including salt, pepper etc!

This would be me if I was hosting, I don't have salt or pepper in the house so would need to add it to my shop. Why are you bothered about what people are buying though?

Maybe they were taking DC to choose gifts for people. They have as much right in the shop as any other customer.

"I hunt alone" - LMAO! I'm exactly the same. I've never food-shopped with someone who doesn't want to interfere with what I'm getting.

But why should we? There’s no law that says we can’t have our children in the supermarket.

DCs sit in the trolley so they’re not causing any trouble. Most people we’ve come across love seeing babies when they’re shopping. But then we do usually go to sainsburys and not Waitrose!

This.

Your statement is on the same lines as people who say pensioners should not be allowed to shop at lunchtime (or in the morning, or in the afternoon, or whatever time the poster normally shops).

In an M&S food hall? Were they perhaps buying gifts of pigs in blankets or stuffing balls?

I have no idea why there's such a difference, and the only thing I can think of is that smacking is banned in the UK but not in many parts of the US. I'm NOT pro-smacking; I think it has to be banned or some parents take it too far, I only bring it up because it's the only thing I can think of that might explain the difference. I do think that there's a lot more wild behaviour from children than from when I was a child in the eighties. We knew that we might get a smack from Mum if we misbehaved! I'm glad it was banned though, because my own dad took it too far. I think it’s because we’ve emerged from a period where children were expected to fit in around adult lives, and we’ve overshot into a position where it’s regarded as Victorian parenting to suggest that there’s any behaviour which should be disapproved of because it makes life worse for adults.

You're just being stupid now. M&S football sells several gifts. Fancy biscuits/chocolates, flowers, cards etc.

Cakes? Chocolates? Fancy olive oil? Lots of giftable stuff in M&S foodhalls

I can’t see anybody buying a light up tea caddy for themselves, can you?