Stupid things customers ask on Xmas Eve Eve

[Mokel]

I have done enough years in supermarkets at Christmas.

I remember one question raised by a few customers when putting out bread.
”do you have any bread dated after 28th”
I said if you go to a supermarket on any other 23rd, the latest date on loaves is 28th. As the bakeries always put the date as X days ahead, regardless of the time of year. I remember seeing one of these customers on Jan 23rd and asked them could they find a date longer than 28th. They couldn’t. Retail worker 1 customer 0.

”Is it possible to collect my turkey on Xmas Day?” Erm no.

They do. Walked past our local FB this afternoon and it was heaving.

So my eggs comment has seemed to have caused a bit of bother 🙈
I can't read through all the replies on here, and haven't been able to catch up today as I was busy directing everyone to the eggs (and of course I was lovely to everyone, since it's my job, as I saw someone remind me earlier).
Eggs are almost always near the bread in my experience. Never with dairy, they aren't chilled and they aren't, well, dairy.
I also spent a lot of my time today breaking the unfortunate news that we have no more turkey gravy, and yes I am really really sure I'm afraid.
All in all for the busiest day of the year for supermarkets, my customers were a dream today, proper lovely!!

My Dad helps at one.

No, all ours get shifted, to account for the ones who will be missed, so it's all different from Christmas week until the end of the second week of January. But they do print lists in the freebie local newspaper, and you can check online with your own postcode, so while it's reasonable to be confused, it's not reasonable to stay confused.

Well according to my local Sainsburys they belong at the back corner of the shop between Argos, seasonal and the fresh meat fridges. They used to be near the baking aisle, then moved to the stuffing and gravy aisle before relocating to their current home.

I've worked in retail and it's often been the rush to find a card for mum or wife and wrapping paper. The last minute card also occurs on valentines day. Even if we had any left there were complaints about the lack of choice and that all the nice ones were gone.

Why not go on the council website and check?

The only time I’ve had to go into a supermarket on Christmas Eve was when my Sainsburys delivery on the 23rd substituted half the things I’d ‘pre ordered’ weeks in advance (what is the point of that if they just get it off the shelves and don’t actually pre order what’s needed??)

Loads of things were missing or substituted, worst were a bag of frozen chicken breasts instead of the turkey, chocolate cake mix instead of Christmas pudding, rose instead of prosecco, and best of all my ds has a Christmas birthday so I’d ordered a 1 and a 3 candle, substituted with a number 2!?

Went in on the 24th had tons of turkeys and all of the other missing items except the candles. There were 6 bottles of Prosecco on the shelf which is what I’d ‘preordered’. As I was walking off with them a member of staff came running up saying it was for the online orders it shouldn’t be on the shelf so I just said it’s mine then as my six bottles were substituted yesterday in my online order.

Have never bothered ordering online since, just go in on 22nd or 23rd.

There are probably some people without Internet access. They probably have signs saying "no free papers, no flyers, no junk mail" as well, so thry will have no idea.

...And gnocchi, asked a teenager who had never heard of it

One year in M&S I saw a woman throw a Christmas cake down in a fit of temper because there was a hold up at the till while the till rolled changed.

Watched two old dears arguing and tussling with the same turkey... even though there plenty of others.

M&S were selling toilet bags with a selection of toiletries inside The items were on display in a perspex case so shoppers could see what they were buying. More than one gentleman carted it off to the till in a effort to pay

I used to work in my parents' bookshop and it was surprising how many times you could actually work out what book they were talking about if you could be bothered and they weren't being an arsehole

That'll be me.

What can't you ask customers to pay for an item they have deliberately broken in a fight?

Speaking from a slightly different perspective, a number of supermarket provide items on same the day BB or Use By dates to food distributors who make available the food for free for collection to save it going to landfill (eg OLIO). Of course charities etc have first dibs. And supermarkets are then able to disclose and promote the amount of food they have saved from landfill.

There may (or may not) be an element of supermarkets not wanting to reduce items by massive margins as it may disincentivise purchase of items at more modest reductions - but that would be speculation on my part

My Sainsbury's Local doesn't sell eggs 🤣 . I only found out after systematically going round every aisle in the quest for eggs until a member of staff put me out of my baffled misery

mine today , In the country I live in now, xmas eve is the actual day they celebrate. So, today I was out picking up some things that I prefer fresh, and I was standing at the fridge section that has cream, butter , cheeses. I am an english speaker in a spanish speaking country, and right now in the area that I live in, all airbnbs (and there are LOTS) are fully booked. Someone spanish speaking bumped into me and said oh i am sorry in spanish. I replied in english with a smile, no problem. A couple was shopping beside me in the same fridge and the woman said...omg you speak english. I cannot find velveeta , do you know what fridge it is in? well as it is an american process orange lump of goop, I told them that it was def not in this store, but that a store about 10 min away sells alot of american product. Told them to expect to pay at least 3x price from US, and they went off on one about this bloody country, can't get half of what we want... ffs this is Dominican Republic. Fresh fish and veg and fruit is soooo cheap, even chicken and pork are cheaper. Just stay in United states if you cannot live over xmas without velveeta.

In my borough, the bin days change over the Christmas/NY period, irrespective of whether Bin Day falls on a public holiday. IT IS NOT THE SAME AS USUAL.

TBF to my council, they usually put leaflets through the door as this catches people out and there's usually a lot more waste to be disposed of round this period

Including perhaps some soft skills training?

Drunk man screaming and crying at the (locked and closed) door of a jewellery store at 4pm on December 24th. We’d ruined Christmas as now his wife didn’t have a present 🤷‍♀️

On another note stupid things shop workers say!
I work in a deli and a man asked for freshly sliced ham, he asked how long it would last? I answered it depends how many people are eating it! I was being completely serious and tried to answer what I thought was a stupid question in a polite manner. It went completely over my head he meant the use by date 😂😂

Only the ones laid by cows are in the dairy section….

You said you like to start in September in response to people saying Christmas stuff is out too early. The alternative to that is not diving under closing shutters.