"The shops are only shut for one day ..."

[Dimplenose]

This has just been said on TV and I hear it over and over at this time of year and it really makes me cross. Why do so many people moan about others that do a huge shop just before Christmas? I'm sure most are catering for visitors and that no-one wants to be going out grocery shopping during the holidays.

 

[Muscateer]

I like doing a big food shop so I don't have to spend any spare time I have going to get more food and standing in queues. Usually send DH for fresher things to keep us going so he can get stressed out with it all for a change.

I stay away from clothes shopping in between Christmas and New Year, I really loathe the Sales, everything squashed together on racks and I am sure some of the shops trail out the things they haven't sold in the last few years too.

 

[natalielongstaff]

I avoid the sales for the same reason Sadie, i dont mind doing a food shop though

 

[Cyrano]

Always makes me laugh when you see the person buying enough loaves to last a month.
I feel especially sorry for shop assistants (like Next ) who are in early on Boxing Day.

 

[T16GEM]

I have made the executive decision that we are closing until the Monday, which officially is Bank Holiday but we need to get our Christmas stuff off display and put the shop back to normal in the 4 days between Christmas and New Year as we go to WDW on the 4th!

I had a customer huff at me yesterday because I said we were closed on the 27th! I was absolutley amazed!!! Seriously who needs to go to a card shop on the 27th December!!! Really??

 

[scottishgirl87]

I work in a shop as well, and every Christmas Eve we tend to shut a little earlier as we have sale stuff to put on and so we don't end up being there till god knows when! But EVERY year while closing we get moans about it, people saying you'll ruin their kids Christmas if they don't get in to get this that and the next thing. I'm sorry but it's not MY fault you've left it to the last minute to get what YOU'RE kid wants for Christmas and it's the same day every year so if YOU'D been more prepared then you wouldn't be in this situation! Every year it gets more and more ridiculous with people begging to get in for 2 minutes, but if you do it just spirals, you let one in then you have to let them all in! It's like we have families to get home to as well!

 

[Laurafoster]

I used to work at Pizza Hut whilst i was still at school, we once had a customer moan that we didnt deliver on xmas day?!

 

[Netty]

I used to work at Pizza Hut whilst i was still at school, we once had a customer moan that we didnt deliver on xmas day?!

I work in Matalan and we have been told we have to choose whether we want to work over xmas or new year.. this being boxing day or new years day.. if there are too many people choosing the same time then they will decide for us which day we work.. i have said i would work boxing day..but i've not seen my name on the rota for that as yet
I'm in work next week when the sale starts so i'm sure theres going to be quite a few customer complaints about one thing or another

 

[BRobson]

I am in Christmas Eve and Boxing Day - the joys of retail and being new to the job I didnt want to say no !!!! Wimp I know

 

[wicket2005]

Each to their own really. I tend to shop frequently rather than do one shop a week and do the same over Christmas and the New Year. I always feel for the shop assistants though.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

I KNOW!!!!
I was swimming yestaerday and two folk were chatting in the swimming lane, sorry moaning about this very thing, so what if folks want to go mental and buy stuff, who cares, leave them alone, I buy lots, the shope maybe opne but I dont want to go back shopping on holidays. and ps yes they WERE getting on MY nerves chatting in the swimming lane, I was hoping they were going to say what do you think? I was going to say " yes its annoying,nearly as annoying as you chatting and taking up the end of the only swimming lane in the pool.

ps, re working xmas, I have worked monster xmas shift for the last 7 years, now I have flipped and work new years, and yes 80% of folks phone and dont even mention xmas, they actually moan that the pet is ill on xmas day when they were wanting to be doing bla bla bla, naughty inconsiderate pet.

 

[T16GEM]

Just come past Asda in Tamworth and it didn't look like there was a parking space to be had anywhere!

 

[natalielongstaff]

Just come past Asda in Tamworth and it didn't look like there was a parking space to be had anywhere!

ive just been to our ASDA, it was heaving, we had to queue to park ! and ive still got to go back for the fresh stuff

 

[PoppyAnna]

ive just been to our ASDA, it was heaving, we had to queue to park ! and ive still got to go back for the fresh stuff

Thats scary...

 

[Pinky166]

Just come past Asda in Tamworth and it didn't look like there was a parking space to be had anywhere!

ive just been to our ASDA, it was heaving, we had to queue to park ! and ive still got to go back for the fresh stuff

I am SOOOOOO glad I managed to get an online delivery slot!

I absolutely hate going food shopping during Christmas week, hopefully everything will arrive that i've ordered so I won't have to do a last minute dash.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I gotta go do the weekly shop tomorrow, I'm dreading it.

 

[joolz1910]

I gotta go do the weekly shop tomorrow, I'm dreading it.

Same here. I'm dreading it too.

 

[wayneg]

I had a customer huff at me yesterday because I said we were closed on the 27th! I was absolutley amazed!!! Seriously who needs to go to a card shop on the 27th December!!! Really??

I will be closing 1pm Xmas eve, re-opening 4th Jan. There are very few fresh flowers imported between these dates. All the best stuff has been cut for Xmas to get a premium price so anything just after Xmas is poor quality. Customers moan but if I opened they would moan even more.

We used to spend about double at Xmas, 2 trollies full of stuff but we used to have upto 10 for Xmas dinner then a buffet in the evening for rest of the family, I also didn't want to go shopping between Xmas and new year.
Now as family has passed away we have 4 of us for dinner and go to younger family for evening buffet. We did last shop today and spent hardly anynmore than normal £124 in 1 trolley. We got to ASDA for opening really quiet no lines at tills, on our way home at 11am.

So I can see both sides of it, sometimes you need to buy a lot more at Xmas.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Same here. I'm dreading it too.

I'm not looking forward to sliding my way to town. The ice here round her is awful.

 

[higgy66]

I have to say that the shops really don't help and ensure the shoppers go in in their droves during the run up to the big day.

In M&S (& I'm sure many others) - if you buy fresh cream, pork pies etc any other weekend in the year you will get at least a week on the use by date. You buy anything the weekend before Christmas and you will not get a date past Christmas. They make sure you have to go in Christmas Eve as it's a well known fact that on that last shop before Christmas everyone buys something they hadn't gone out for but they're in the Chritmas spirit so think "what the heck" or "just in case". The shops make a fortune!

Bah Humbug!