Sooo......last minute shoppers....why?

[McManus1]

It's Christmas.....you have known about it for a year, why are you ordering gifts last minute or food on Christmas eve?

Genuine wonder.

Missing items/ crap substitutions from my click and collect - it’s always worked out in the past but this year was rubbish so I was out at 7.30 this morning and it took various supermarkets to get what I needed. It wasn’t just me being fussy about the wrong shape of parsnips or whatever either, more like swapping out a joint of meat for a smaller one that wouldn’t feed as many people as we needed it to, and a particular ripple that my 86 year old auntie who is travelling from abroad really looks forward to!

Anyway, got it all now so not to worry. I bet it would actually have been quieter had I gone tomorrow.

I've just done our food shop
Our Tesco was dead
Shelves full
Great dates
No queue at check out
Win win

Because we can’t be arsed until we have to be arsed.

I planned it as such that I did normal bulk food shop yesterday morning followed by getting some presents from very specific shops, I had a mental route and proper list. All done by 1PM, no rush, no panic, even sat down for a nice coffee halfway through- also planned.

Also planned to get all food for Christmas day and Boxing day from 6:30AM this morning, with a proper list, via 3 shops.
All a real breeze and planned properly.
Definitely not a last minute panic buying session.
All presents ordered online were timed to arrive this week and they did. I did a wrapping session yesterday, most enjoyable, music on etc.
Christmas cards written and posted last Saturday first thing in the morning (apart from overseas which went out the week before). Again, an enjoyable exercise done in one planned session.
I don't understand the pre planning months and weeks in advance.
I want to get it done over a couple of days, everything nicely put away, presents wrapped, neat job.

I don't normally budget but I was shocked how much I spent on the food shopping yesterday and today. Prices are insane.

DH deals with alcohol purchases.

I definitely won't be buying Christmas cards and wrapping paper In January at reduced price for next year. It would be the sensible thing to do but I won't think of next Christmas until Dec 2024!

Because dh died 12 months ago and it’s hard for me.

The twitch is a thing.

Because people have other stuff going on in their lives other than focusing on just one day.

That's a non answer. I'm non the wiser

That's honest!

Some of the things that I ordered in October were substituted and some of the fresh stuff was short dated. Plus young adult DS with ND wanted to see if there was anything he fancied. We took the bus to our local retail park, this afternoon, and it wasn't actually that busy, just the same as last year.

Because my sister decided 20 minutes ago to let me know she didn't have any crackers and other essentials in.

I see so only those slots left kinda thing?

Well that's honest!

I got ya, need the rush!

It matters to those who have to work because the customer demand is there rather than them having family time I guess.

Why not ignore it then?

Do you feel you have a healthy work/life balance or needs changing?

Chicken and the egg. Do you feel shops are open because people demand it or do people go to the shops because they are open anyway?

Lots of people prioritise bills and simply keeping afloat until Christmas is a few weeks away.

Years ago when my eldest was a toddler, we had a rare chance of a holiday self catering in a cottage on Bodmin Moor. We packed the car to the gunnels with toddler accoutrements and had no room to take food or presents. We dashed to the nearest supermarket and just bought whatever was left. And on the way back it started sleety-snowing. It was the best Christmas ever. I highly recommend this approach.

Because the fear of offending family and friends has to outweigh the dread of shopping. That normally happens 2-3 days before Christmas day. Sometimes it happens afterwards.

Because people do things differently… and that’s ok.

Ive been in hospital and then recovering from surgery for the last seven weeks and only just feel well enough to go shopping.

Hope that is acceptable to you.

We know

Patronising much…