If we did our Xmas shop on Christmas Eve, at what time do they discount everything?

[SpiderWilliam]

For the first time ever it's just DH and I plus 2 small DCs for Christmas. It occurred to me that as we don't have to have a big turkey etc we could leave it until the last minute and take pot luck on the bargains tomorrow afternoon. There is also an element of not having got organised sooner because the baby is 6 weeks .

Has anyone else ever done this? What time and which supermarket did you go to? We have a choice of Tescos, M&S and Waitrose.

I used to work for M&S over the Christmas holidays as a student so a few years ago now, and nothing got reduced for the public, but put in the staff shop. That may well have changed though.

Good luck! I think that approach actually sounds like fun- if it was just DH and me I may well do the same!

It can be risky to wait. I have been in a sains/tesco on Chrismtas eve afternoon and the shelves have been totally bare.

I would pick up a "small" turkey from tesco (they call it small, but I think it easily serves 4-6) and they are very reasonably priced and ours was delicious last year. Do this before all the discounting starts so that you def get one.

I should think that they really vary when they discount and you would need to ask staff in the actual store for a clue.

Thanks. Yes hopefully it will be fun and we will end up eating something nice rather than having to get a pizza out of the freezer.

Orange thanks, we have a gammon joint in the fridge which we will cook for Christmas Eve and have plenty left over, so if we end up without a turkey it won't be a disaster (plus the pizza of course ).

2 years ago Waitrose reduced ALL their turkeys to half price around 10am on Christmas Eve. They didn't do it last year in the morning, don't know about the afternoon.

Excellent plan if you're not fussy.

Just as a note of (potential) interest, my grandparents used to get ALL their Christmas fruit, veg, nuts and other bits and bobs (not sure about the meat) from the market at 5pm on Christmas Eve when it was shutting up and selling stuff off cheap!

Seems a lifetime ago since we used to have Christmas with them (it's over 20 years since they died) and it would have been I guess 30 or maybe even 40 years before that when they would be bargain hunting at the market!

Depends entirely on local supermarkets. My mum's local waitrose is well worth the gamble and she has, many times, gone in lunchtime on 24th and left with less than half price turkey, stuffings, cakes, puddings, yummy stuff etc. I tried this once (different branch and we did have most stuff) and there was sod-all.

If you can cope with a degree of uncertainty - a nice joint of lamb or beef rather than a bird - then dooo it. YOu will get something. Local knowledge helps, though.Can you ask at local supermarkets and see if anyone will tip you the wink?

Congrats on baby! Mine was born on monday, so I bet we're even less organised than you are!

I bet they will discount this year as Christmas falls on the weekend and then there are 2 bank hols when no-one goes food shopping.

Takes some nerve though! Friends of ours got stuff like fresh lobsters for £1 from the Kew Sainsbos one year and stocked their freezer up. We looked in our Sainsbos the following year and ..... nothing

I was going to take that risk but when I popped into M&S and Waitrose today was suprised at how little stock there was so bought 2 chicken for £7. I have all of the bascis I need and will go again tommorow ro see if I can get any reduced treats and meat for the freezer.

I'm planning to go when I finish work tomorrow, so about 2pm.

Even though I don't really need anything other than some more onions

Our local Waitrose does it between 2 - 3.00pm

Good luck!

I always go on christmas eve. I go to asda about 2pm

Not that I need anything this year as were away from xmas day till the 28th but will be nice to get lot's of reduced bits for the freezer etc.

Thanks for your thoughts ladies.

We will give it a whirl and let you know how we get on

At our local M&S the leftovers go to staff shop and anything over and above that gets picked up and goes out as food parcels for the poorer families in the area.

Ok...quite a good result:

11am got a pudding from Lakeland for £2.50 reduced from £6. Got various other confectionary inlcuding a small cake reduced from £16 to £9.

Went to Waitrose at 4pm. All the parent and child places were empty, and the store was pleasantly busy. All the turkeys were half price so got a 10lb free range one for £21 rather than £42.

We then blew it by splurging on smoked salmon and whisky!

Wooo, well done! Congratulations on your new baby, have a wonderful Christmas!

Thank-you. Have a good Christmas too.

Sainsburys - 4.30, closing at six. Hundreds of turkeys left, but only reduced 10%. Clementines feduced from £2 for 2 to 99p per pack!
Tesco - 5.30, closing at seven. Only 4 turkeys left - all with sell by dates well after the 26th, and not reduced, so any reeductions must have been earlier in the day. Got a duck crown for £3.50, and two boned ducks with cherry and port stuffing reduced from £15 to £3.75 each. Lots of deli carvery ham etc at 75% off too.

My local asda were selling most of the fruit and veg off for 10p a bag at lunchtime, also got a trifle reduced from £9 to £2..