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Original poster

Tesco at 6.30am and I still had to queue!

71 replies

snowydelight · 23/12/2006 08:40

I set my alarm for six and when it went off DH said it was far too early "we'll go later". Knowing that would be a mistake I left him snoring and got there to find the car park already full. Thank goodness that's out of the way! Has everyone else done their main shop/had their deliveries?

OP posts:
FrostyTheSnowMarsLady · 23/12/2006 10:32

I always pop up to Sainsburys last thing on Christmas Eve. I go about 10 mins before it is due to shut. I go alone and on a mission. I go to fill my freezer with lots of cheap goodies. I nearly always get a large salmon for a couple of quid.

My main food shop has been delivered. The turkey is being delivered tomorrow morning (thank you Craig the Fishman). I ordered it back in November (in fact Craig just calls and asks if I want the same again this year )

wickedwinterwitch · 23/12/2006 10:32

lol murder in Asda. Issymum should take note, I think she's doing her Christmas food shop today and she was sniggering at all of us who had online shopped a week ago

ediemcreedie · 23/12/2006 10:32

Waitrose yesterday at 8am was queuing and semi hysteria at the meat aisle.

JackieNoHoHo · 23/12/2006 10:33

FrostytheSnowMarsLady, turkey from the 'Fishman'? Branching out a bit, isn't he?.

FrostyTheSnowMarsLady · 23/12/2006 10:38

I love my fishman! He gets the turkeys from his local farm. Nicest turkeys I've ever had! lol

What I love is the fact that he brings it to my door! Along with smoked salmon, eggs, whole salmon etc.

JackieNoHoHo · 23/12/2006 10:40

Sounds fab. Sending DH to pick up our turkey today - saw them all out in the field a few weeks ago, then they all disappeared, all a bit 'The Silence of the Turkeys'.

FrostyTheSnowMarsLady · 23/12/2006 10:41

Maybe Craig was there with his big van! lol

JackieNoHoHo · 23/12/2006 10:41

maybe.

SpookyMadMerryChristmasMummy · 23/12/2006 11:00

I have had the same experience as the op... our tesco was heaving at 7am
trolleys 6 deep at the checkout
and all because there were no delivery slots,.... will be booking it asap next year

vitomum · 23/12/2006 11:20

i was in sainsbury's at 7.45am. it was bearable although pretty busy by the time i left about 9

the woman at the checkout was telling me tales of how they had to lock the doors of the local M&S foodhall and turn people away last night

am sooo glad i have done it now

Issymum · 23/12/2006 15:14

WWW: "lol murder in Asda. Issymum should take note, I think she's doing her Christmas food shop today and she was sniggering at all of us who had online shopped a week ago

When I turned up at 8.30am - opening time at Sainsburys in Guildford - there were no car parking spaces! I lucked out, sneaked into one and joined the unhappy throng. It was fine, mostly because I had borrowed DH's new iPOD Shuffle and was bopping around the aisles to Dire Straits (wtf that was doing on his iPOD I have no idea) smiling idiotically at morose men marooned by rampant matriarchs next to over-full trolleys.

They'd run out of a few essentials - Christmas wrapping paper, brandy butter and maple syrup - but nothing too serious. The guy stacking the shelves nearly fell into the Full-Fat-Taste-The-Difference-Outdoor-Reared-Greek -Style-Fromage-Frais, when in response to his gloomy announcement that there was no brandy butter, I shrugged and said 'No problem. We'll extemporise'.

Hideous check-out queues but I inexplicably got beckoned into the 'Fast Track' aisle with no queue despite clearly not having the widgety thing.

I'm not getting the hang of this Christmas stuff though. There's four of us, plus my mother for two days and no real budgetary constraint and I still managed to spend 'only' £125 to buy enough food (we've already got alcohol) to last us until Thursday. Ohmigod, we're going to starve.........

Issymum · 23/12/2006 15:16

So WWW, in summary, Sainsburys was hideous but after sniggering at the on-line shoppers I was bloody-mindedly not going to let it annoy me!

serenitynightholynight · 23/12/2006 15:34

DH has just cycled down to Sainsburys to buy cherry tomatoes, a cucumber and some caramel syrup stuff for coffee (he loves me ) and said it was fine, if a bit busy, at our local one. However, we have three other Sainsburys, a big Tescos and an Asda within 20 minutes drive plus various Somerfields, Lidls and expresses. so I think our madness is spread

SherlockLGJ · 23/12/2006 16:03

I went at about 11.00 and it was fine, but I was in the same happy position as IssyMum in that if I couldn't get it, it didn't matter.

Cream, bread, cheese...........etc.,

Seemingly it was a madhouse at 8.00 this morning.

I know a guy who works there in the holidays,he only does this because he is doing a law degree and needs the money to buy a floating walnut shelf.

Blondilocks · 23/12/2006 16:51

When I was at uni we often used to go to the huge 24 hour Tesco after getting back from clubbing at 2 or 3 in the morning. Was usually really empty (although huge gaps in the shelves).

mumlove · 23/12/2006 16:53

Tescos at 4.30pm was fine, only 1 person at the till in front, got bread, milk etc. no problems

Blondilocks · 23/12/2006 16:53

& there was a queue to get in our local butchers this morning.

Bigger queues in WHSmith than a normal Saturday too.

PartridgeinaRustyBearTree · 23/12/2006 16:54

I went at 11.00 as well (Tesco's) & it really wasn't any busier than a normal Saturday - whereas yesterday when I just popped in for a paper, it was heaving! Cars queuing right round the car park, trolley queues right back up the aisles, OAPs knifing each other for the last bag of sprouts.....
I reckon most people shopped early to avoid the crowds & ended up in a crowd.

ClementClarkeMoore · 23/12/2006 17:15

We went to Asda at about 11.30 am today, it was a doddle, no more busy than usual and got straight to the front of a check out. Apart from all the crap in our trolley you'd hardly believe it was the day before Christmas Eve!

tribpot · 23/12/2006 19:07

Waitrose in Otley was most civilised today. Although very busy, had to queue to get into the car park, that was mainly because four people left who were parked right by the entrance, all at the same time. Said to ds "there's no way we'll get a parent and child space" and lo and behold, one appeared like a Christmas miracle!

Although the queues for the checkout were quite long, they had a lady going round with a tin of Roses so one could fortify oneself for the wait Ds was angelic; I let him out to have a trot around after we'd be queuing for a while and he stayed quite close by, plus everyone else mucked in in a blitz-stylee, someone watched my trolley when I had to go and fetch him, everyone tolerated him poking their shopping (!) and a very nice man even offered to unload my shopping for me. Huzzah for Waitrose!

wickedwinterwitch · 23/12/2006 20:33

Issymum, I really was thinking of you today when I read this thread and others, I'm so glad it wasn't too bad and rofl at "we'll extemporise" ha ha

wickedwinterwitch · 23/12/2006 20:34

Bet he's got used to people committing hari kari in front of him when he says There Is No More Brandy Butter

themoon66 · 23/12/2006 20:49

Waitrose was packed to the gunnels today in Lincoln at 11am. I only wanted washing powder and a few parnsips and thought the basket only aisle would be fine.... how wrong was I? Queues 10 deep.

MiL works there and said there had been fights at the checkouts yesterday.... she had to break them up Was still traumatised today!

Imagine... FIGHTS IN WAITROSE.. UNBELIEVABLE!

FestivelyFoggyFloss · 23/12/2006 20:56

DP and I were amazed to find some of the main roads into the city centre deserted earlier today. Then when we got into the centre, we found them in very slow moving ques. Luckily it meant DS and I could hop out and all I had to do was get us some polish sausage and take DS for a trip to santa. Have found now though that I am running out of tu da da! Mixed herbs. So might pop out again tomorrow and brave the local supermarket. No mean feat after Friday.

Mercy · 23/12/2006 21:00

I'm getting some last bits and pieces tomorrow. Am looking forward to it tbh! (ie, alone, no children)