What's the safest time to brave M&S?

[MilleniumMouse]

Safest in terms of not being too busy, and still having a decent amount of stock.

Do I go at 6am when the doors open? Or 9pm before it closes?

Thanks

What day are you going? I'd likely go early, but depends when that store re-stock their shelves? Sometimes if you google the actual store, they will show a little graph of the usual busy/quieter times, but this week, its likely busy ALL day.

I’d like to know the same thing, for all supermarkets in general. What time is likeliest to be quietest?

Thank you. I'm thinking either 9pm tonight or 6am tomorrow morning.

I went at 6am on the 23rd last year and it was busy but not crazy-busy, but the dates on their stuff were awful !

People were going wild earlier - huge trolley fulls (before 9am so no booze) and it's only Monday!

I had this discussion at work the other day. We decided that most people would go first thing to beat the rush and going around 11 would miss them. My friend went yesterday at 11am and it was just normally busy.

I don't know but last year I went on the Monday, as soon as it opened at 5:30 am, it is a large M&S.

I only needed a few things so got a basket. I have never seen bedlam like it. People with trolleys were literally bashing me with it and refusing to let me get past. Never again!!

We just popped in at 10am and quickly changed our minds and left 🙈🤣 there were loads of staff which makes me think whether you go first or last thing they’ll be doing a good job of keeping shelves stacked.

DH has just been to ours in the last hour (SW London) and said it was fairly busy but not too bad and loads of stuff left. We are away tomorrow and Weds so had no choice really.

Husband is braving it this afternoon. Hopefully it’s not too bad

Went to our local small one today about 8.30. It was fine no queues, parking spaces. I was only getting bits though. I’m doing the big shop tomorrow and going to a bigger M&S and am resigning myself to it being very busy. I’ll go whenever I wake up.

January. January is now the best time to go to any supermarket.

I was there at 9.30 this am and it was no busier than a normal Saturday, busier than a normal Monday, lots of restocking and moving things around.

I went on yesterday around lunch time and it wasn't that busy nor were there any issues with stock on shelves. Apart for the one item I went in for , ginger beer. It's the only one that tastes properly of tang ginger.

I went to our local Co op this morning at 7.30am. Was only me in there.

I am avoiding the horrible crush altogether this year by sending DH into Marks on Christmas Eve to collect my pre-ordered food. He has also gone alone to collect stuff on previous years and managed ok. According to him, the shelves are always heaving with food at 6.30am

Went in mine at 9 this morning and all the shelves in the food bit were fully loaded

I went yesterday at 3.30, it was no busier than a usual Sunday. I think everyone tries to beat the rush and goes first thing so it’s always packed.

M and s where I live had people waiting to get in at 6am this morning. By 7:30 there was a queue to get on the carpark

I'd say probably about half past 2 this afternoon.

I set off at 5.30am to get to M&S for 6am this morning.

It was nowhere near as busy as it was last year and I didn't have to queue for the checkout. It was lovely walking around not being blocked by a sea of trolleys. Must have got very similar things to last year but spent much more.

I was home just after 7am - the shopping was put away and I was sat drinking lovely hot coffee when H got up at 7.30.

Shoppers must have been thinking that M&S would be heaving again at that time and they would go later ....

H is going tomorrow to queue at the butchers - queue always goes around the block

There was a brilliant story a few years ago, I think on Reddit, about someone who was a Christmas temp at M&S. They were only young 16 or so. All the old hands told them to tell their parents not to bother buying anything in advance for Christmas as there would be loads left the temp could pick up for pence. They made sure they were working the Christmas Eve shift and waited anxiously with the entire weight of the Christmas dinner on their shoulders. After the store shut all bets were off and they ran around grabbing everything from the turkey down to the carrots. As I recall they got the entire Christmas dinner for something like £8.

Last year I went on Christmas Eve at 6am - it was hideous.

I went this morning, 8am and it was dead. Sorry, that’s no help now…

I just went and it was hell on earth in the aisles but no queues at all at the checkout. There was loads of stock, I think I got there about 11:45

I went to Waitrose in Beckenham at 8 am today and it wasn’t much busier than normal.. All the shelves were very well stocked, with loads of turkeys, including organic ones, lots of party food, and loads of vegetables. I popped into M&S at 9 and that was a bit busier but still easy to park, and again was well stocked. I also popped into Aldi on my way home at about 11.30 and that wasn’t too bad, with no obviously empty shelves.

We went to Morrisons this morning at 9.40am. Spent £181.
Back home and unpacked at 10.20am.
It was busy but not as bad as I've seen other years.