What is this nonsense? Turkey timeslots and M&S

[Crunchymum]

Was going to pop out early tomorrow and pick up our turkey.

Have a choice of a few supermarkets but thought we can do M&S this year.

Have just been told that you need to "book a slot" to go and see the turkeys?

What the actual fuck? SIL and neighbour have both independently informed me of this. Our local M&S make you book a slot to go and buy your turkey.

Is this a thing? Anyone ever heard such nonsense?

If you pre-order turkeys from places like M&S you're given a collection slot to go pick them up, because they don't want all the pre-order people arriving at once and consequent giant crazy panic queues at the last minute. I would guess they have some on-the-shelf turkeys as well but there won't be a guarantee of that, some places do sell out of their in store turkeys in the last day or two, which is why a lot of people choose to pre-order.

You still sometimes see stories like this.

My locally M&S had lots of turkeys yesterday.

I would go really early. Aim to be there just as they open. Then at least if you can't get one there you have options.

You can still go and buy turkey from the shelves if they have any when you go. It's not a new thing, they have been doing it for at least 15 years. They don't just operate this for turkey, there is a whole brochure of food that you could have pre-ordered.

It's only if you've preordered the turkey and other shopping.

I think your SIL is pulling your leg

Yes as others have said, pre orders receive a booking collection slot.

If you're simply going to pick one up from the shelf then go whenever suits you, I'd suggest first thing in the morning when they open up.

I misread that at first, I thought you were talking about the food ordering. They are either taking the piss or confused.

At turkey viewings!

At the big one near me, they have a separate marquee set up for turkey collection.

Ours give you biscuits if you are in a long queue

It must be the time slots for pre order then. That makes more sense. Although my brother and SIL are absolutely religious about "seeing their meat before they buy it" so I'm surprise they have pre-ordered?

Last year I queued for ages to pick up my pre-ordered turkey while being able to see the vast swathes of turkeys on the shelves and the much shorter checkout queue.

Loving the turkey viewings.
It's like a horrific but hilarious pet adoption

at the viewing slots.
I wouldn't bother getting one from M&S tbh, they aren't very nice.

I actually just grabbed ours from Sainsbury's

Sorted!!

M&S Pre-order time slots are enough of a reason to completely miss out M&S whenever it comes to ordering Xmas food.