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.

I worked in a supermarket when I was much younger and absolutely loved Christmas time. The chaos and extra interactions with people were a welcome change from the norm. I loved trying to help people with their last minute shopping or making suggestions for replacements when something was sold out. I’m a bit of a problem solver anyway so found it incredibly satisfying. We had lots of regulars and I knew many had demanding jobs or complex caring duties so I would never judge anyone for being disorganised. Sometimes people don’t actually care all that much about crackers etc and have a last minute panic or guilt about making Christmas perfect for others.

This is usually me. I think having an organised mind helps.
Dh always asks me.
Although we did both laugh in Morrisons on the world food bit and someone had put the Pepto Bismol on there complete with a label so they obviously thought that's where it should be. I hope no one needed any they'd never find it.

Dd and I once walked into an independent store planning to see if they has the new lottie brooks. As we walked in, dd said something like, "the cover is really cool" and the owner looked up and said, "are you looking for lottie brooks? We just got a stock in, they're over there". We were suitably dazzled. Less so by the price which was full when I knew amazon and was smith were selling it cheaper, but we bought it anyway we were in such awe!

I was in a big shopping centre yesterday. There was a queue of anxious men outside Pandora......🤣

I popped in yesterday morning for a few non-Christmas specific bits. Didn't need any help but observed there were staff members in Christmas jumpers holding paddles up stating they were 'here to help'. Our local Sainsbury's has obviously recognised this is a time of year when people might be looking for things they don't usually buy, and when the shop is crowded it's easy to get overwhelmed.

I thought it was a great idea. Me, I was in and out like a whippet and won't be anywhere near the supermarket now until next week.

I was looking for baked beans in the canned food aisle of my local Tesco, none to be found - not Heinz, own brand or anything. Asked a passing worker if they had any “yes, they’re in the bread aisle”. 🤷‍♀️

Why’s this a daft question ? Stores put them in such random places, so if you are visiting a different supermarket from the norm, which people often do at Christmas (whether searching out bargains or treats) then they can be impossible to find.

The fact you get asked this so often suggests that your store ought to put them somewhere more obvious.

I got a loaf of Seed Sensations dated 29th December in Waitrose yesterday! A Christmas miracle!

In my Tesco eggs are IN the frozen section (well, opposite on same aisle)! Totally bonkers

One year MIL was tasked with bringing the pudding for Christmas dinner. She went to buy it on Christmas Eve and couldn't understand why the freezers in Tesco were empty of puddings. I could have understood if she was wanting to buy a fresh pudding that she left it that late. It wouldn't even have been the case that she didn't have freezer space to buy it earlier because her freezer is always virtually empty because she is afraid to freeze anything.

How long a bag of ice would last in the boot of their car until it melted?

Probably not an unreasonable question but how on earth was I meant to know to the answer?

THANK YOU!

Tesco and beans - what is it with them being unable to put them in the correct aisle labelled 'beans'?

I feel my year has been validated

And in our.store, SOME beans and pulses, not all, are in the aisle for curries/indian/thai/Mexican food. I assume because often used in those cuisines. Sooooo irritating.

That said, I got very angry at the kidney beans in Tesco the other week. They have a whole aisle named 'tinned beans'. They were not in the tinned bean aisle or the tinned food aisle. Nope. World foods aisle? Nope. They were in the sauces aisle close to the ketchup. This is wrong. This angers me. This should not be allowed. There should be laws for misrepresentation of aisles

I go out of my way not to ask where things might be in the supermarket (must be part man, not liking to ask directions) but neither ds2 nor I were able to locate the bottled water in Sainsbury's the other day. We walked up and down the several aisles of wines/fizzy drinks/squashes/tonic waters/long-life juices and drew a blank, so were forced to ask the (frankly and understandably rather harassed-looking) assistant.

They were at the OTHER END of the store, at the front, the farthest away from the doors and at the end of the frozen foods aisle. Why, Sainsbury's? WHY??

Not in the store I was in yesterday. Nor the one I’ll be visiting today, but I do know where they are there.

Lots of these just seem to be perfectly normal requests for information. "Where are the XYZ" or "Do you have any ABC" are pretty much what you'd expect to be asked in a shop. Fair enough if the customer then gets abusive, but OP and lots of PP examples just seem to be desperate to make the old "aren't customers stupid" point, and trying to find something that fits.

I recognise that the individual retail worker has no power to change this, but if you're being asked where the same things are over and over again then they either aren't in a logical place or they're not well signposted, no matter how it might seem to you as someone who works there. People aren't asking where they are for fun.

And what if they are in stock? And the shop could make some extra money by selling them to the customer? Would you still call the customer stupid for asking the question?

My DH went to the supermarket this morning, 2 days before because today is payday for him... I'm not sure if its been pointed out yet that money factors into when people can do "the big shop" before Christmas.

And agree it's not stupid to simply ask if things are in stock, it's unreasonable to take it out on staff though if the answer is no.

I worked in an old-fashioned chemist's, the sort that sold everything. I lost count of the number of panicked men who rushed in late on Christmas Eve, looked around and said "I'll take that". No thought process involved. Someone once tried to buy the large display bottle of perfume, which was filled with coloured water!

I used to live next door to a big Waitrose. It became a game every year to watch the steady stream of cars trying to get into the car park on days they were shut over the festive period. And every Xmas eve there would be at least 5 cars locked into the car park which closed at a certain time. Despite the signs everywhere people just ignored them. People would try to break the steel barriers to get their car out and then get very cross when they had to abandon their cars.

Christmas brings out the crazy in so many people.

No it isn't. What is stupid, and what is being criticised here, is complaining when told there are none left. I hope you and your strawman have a very happy Christmas.

When I was a single mum (7 years), I used to hope the greengrocer had one left on Christmas Eve, because he’d usually let me have it for £1. I couldn’t afford the earlier ones. One year they’d sold out, so I put the fairy lights on my plant.
Decorating the tree (or plant) was our Christmas Eve tradition, after the christingle service.

One year, my son’s main present was a pair of goalie gloves. He remembers that year so fondly!!

Your're too late - bags of mini eggs and galaxy mini eggs were in Iceland when I took my NDN shopping yesterday!!

On Christmas Eve.

"I ordered something online yesterday have you got it?"
"My parcel is coming by Evri/DHL etc have you got it?" - standing by big red Royal Mail van
"Are you a postman?" - wearing bizarre red outfit

"Have you got a parcel for 45 Smith Street?"
"That's not on my round, that will be Claire she is delivering now, so she may have it."
"Has she got my parcel?"
"Sorry I don't know."

"It's dark tonight isn't it." Me at the front door them in their hall, not turning any lights on.

"Could you bring this back Christmas Day, the kids are here and I've nowhere to hide it?"

Delivering at 8pm this week, van straining with parcels. "Why are you working so late?"