What time shall I hit the supermarkets tomorrow?!

[SausageCasseroles]

So what time tomorrow shall I hit the supermarkets?

Will it be heaving?

When are you going?

I couldn't get parked in tesco today. There were people waiting to piunce every time someone left their space, so I just gave up, parked nearby and got bits elsewhere. I didn't need a full shop. That was at about 1 o'clock. I also drove past waitrose on my way home and there was a queue down the road just to get into the carpark. I'd go really early tbh, so you can have a reasonably relaxed shop and no fighting for a parking space (if you're driving this is - if not you probably could leave it a bit later)

Where do you live that it's so busy?! I just go about 9am on Christmas Eve every year and every year, without fail, it's quiet and the shelves are fully stocked.
Take older kids with you, split list between them ( the more you have the better ) and set them off. Meanwhile, push the trolley slowly up and down each aisle. Kids bring shopping to you, scan it and pop in your shopping bags. Job done.

Asda was shocking at 3pm. No trollies, no parking spaces.....

Go EARLY.

GO NOW!

I live in Berkshire

I went past Morrisons today which the car park was full, its a big car park and never full other than match day.
I shopped at Aldi at 2pm, it was busier than usual but not annoyingly so. Lots of stock.

I got to Tesco at 6:50 this morning and it was fine, by 7:30 when I left though it was starting to get proper busy. Seems mental everywhere this year.

I went to M&S food hall at 8pm tonight, not for Christmas shop just for a few bits, I didn’t think it would be busy at that time but there were still queues, it was much busier than I’ve ever seen it. I left and went to Tesco (next door) instead which was a little less hectic (or maybe just seemed it as a larger store with more tills) but was still very busy for the time. I imagine Saturday will be absolute carnage, I’d probably aim to go as early as possible.

So DH & I got there at 9.30 and were out by 10.30. It was busy, but I've seen it far worse on a Saturday afternoon.

I had to do a bit of quick thinking and get different things to what was on my list for a couple of items but we got most of it.

DH has bravely volunteered to go to our local small supermarket in the morning to get the bits we couldn't get today, plus milk and bread.

Bloody early. I went to Asda at 10am today. Almost no trollies or parking spaces and the queues for the checkouts were very very VERY long (and, as usual, the self-service checkouts had a problem every 30 seconds slowing things down even more)! 🤯

Go early but expect rude grabby people to be on form. Today I was in Morrison’s and a woman dived across me to grab what she thought was the last bottle of Baileys as her partner shrieked ‘it’s the last one!’ I didn’t want it but they didn’t know that. It was so funny as she had a look of triumph on her face as she whisked it away. But from my vantage point I could see that there plenty of bottles at the back of the shelf

6:30.

Late, everyone goes early so they are busy. Go about 8pm or even later

Go later on in pm. It's never bury after 7

No offence, but all of you who planning on going as early as possible, or have already been early are utterly mad! You're literally going at the busiest time!

I've been and done my entire Christmas shop at 10:30pm today at our big Tesco and got it done in a little over an hour.

Plenty of parking along with shop assistants willing to help. The trolly / cages were all out on the shop floor with EVERYTHING in the process or waiting to be restocked. Everyone doing their shop was pleasant, and if your item hadn't been re-stocked on the shelf yet, you just help yourselves to what you need from the cages or come back when the staff have put it out on the shelves. Or just ask for it and they'll grab it for you.

Got all my meats, veg, fresh herbs, creams, milks, cheeses, butter, etc in one merrily pleasant go. I had first pick at everything that all of the 7am shoppers will be fighting eachother for the next morning

It seems particularly busy this year. Do you think it's because Christmas Eve is on a Sunday so shops are only open until 4?

All week has been busy, I've been a couple of times to Tesco and Sainsbury's at 8 am. It was busy then but manageable.

With home delivery slots, you'd think it wouldn't be so bad. It reminds me of pre-Internet shopping times going with my mother and having to wait until there was a spare trolley.

Maybe people are shopping more often but getting smaller shops/the population is bigger/Saturday last early morning and late night you can shop this year, or a combination of things.

I went today at 10am just for a bit of weekend food to tide us over, I bought all my Xmas food earlier in the week.
No trolleys, had to stand and watch for people leaving them. Got one from a guy who'd just finished unloading into a taxi.
No scan and go thingies charged.
It was completely rammed. Staff were clogging the aisles with huge unloaded crates as well. Some staff picking multiple crates worth of delivery items. Constant dodging around. And my pet peeve, waiting to get to a particular item and as soon as Mrs Slow Mo Window Shopper has shuffled off, there's people either side of you grabbing things off the shelf you finally got to. At this point I forgot I was listening to a podcast (social anxiety, calms me down) and started muttering "Oh will you fuck off you rude cunt, wait your fucking turn". I realised I'd been heard when a couple of women withdrew their grabbing arms and backed away. Oops.
The queues were exactly like Covid times.
And I had to go back later on when DD got home from school because she wanted to by her friend a present
At which point you were lucky to cross at the zebra crossing coming in because the cars were just zooming straight past.
One absolute dickhead of a woman had stopped so we started to cross but then the lights changed and she started to drive forwards, right into DD. I threw DD behind me and shouted. The woman had the fucking gall to waft her hand at us to get out of the way. Wish I'd sat on her bonnet just to stare through the fucking windscreen.
Dickhead woman, may you get the explosive shits from every item of food you bought. And may any cracker you pull go bang and hit you in the eye with marbles & nail clippers 🖕🏻

I was in Sainsbury’s at 6 when it opened and was home in bed with a cup of tea by 7.15. No queue to pay. Perfect

I'm not sure why this thread has me chuckling to myself. We're a strange breed aren't we

DH nipped in to our local smaller Tesco yesterday lunchtime and it was a nightmare, people queuing all up the aisles and the self service checkouts were down.

I went to the 'big' Tesco this morning at 0545. Busy but not heaving, all done in 40 minutes. Tbh the biggest pain was all the Tesco staff restocking or doing delivery orders. Got everything I needed - except Twiglets 😱

DP has decided he's going to nip into sainsburys for a few (unneeded) bits after he's had a bath.
I've told him I'll have cuppa ready for him when he gets back.
"You not coming?" he said.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I was in Tesco at 6.30 this morning. Perfect. One checkout and no queue. Very very quiet. Only a few others looking very tired 😂 😂 😂

We're going in about 4pm, only a few bits left to buy, and will stop for a beer, or two on the way home. We're walking so no drink and drive issues.

Just back. No cabbage or cauliflower in M&S had to go next door to Lidl, which was totally empty and didn't even queue for the till.

I need to go M&S for pasta salad but other than that I'm done. I miss 24hr opening used to go around 1/2am and it was amazing.

I’m not, the supermarket is coming to me! All I need do is unpack. I haven’t seen the inside of a supermarket in years and long may it continue, they are hell on earth to me!