Joe, I've never had the misfortune to visit that Asda.  But I once, and once only, very stupidly visited Asda at the Metrocentre in the week running up to Christmas.  The only way I can describe it is that everyone appeared to be doing a 2 minute supermarket sweep, only they were paying for the stuff at the end of it.  I attempted to go down the wine aisle at one point only to find it strewn with broken glass and a lake of red wine.  Never EVER again.

most of the time it doesnt bother him - he gave up sugar very easily but it seems the savoury is his weakness - he can have naughty food now and again and can regulate it with his insulin but to do it too often is only possibly causing other underlining problems so it is recommended to be good most of the time 

 

 

 

We very rarely visit supermarkets in December and concentrate on local shops. Several years ago I met someone Lerkal buying up loaves of bread and stuff as though the shops weren't going to open again for weeks. I couldn't help myself, but comment. Let's face it! There's always a shop that opens for a few hours on Christmas Day. No-one is going to starve yet these greedy bastards end up binning loads of food.

I know!  It's mental.  I rarely buy more than I need, unless I suspect we might get a visitor or two *shudders*  Although this year, we're expecting 12 for Christmas lunch, now I'm thinking WHY OH WHY!

Oooooooooooooh I am a mad shopping lady at Christmas but ..............I do feed a lot of people over two or three days - and we all like the little extra bits and bobs don't we? It's what Christmas is all about!

Several years ago we decided to dine at a particular hotel. It's rather like having a hundred people to dinner, but someone else makes it and clears up. Very informal, many generations, every one friendly, and a great day out!

OH yeah and while we're sort of on the subject of shops being open on Christmas day.  When I was doing my degree and Master Cinds was a baby, I took a job in a petrol station to make ends meet, and ended up having to work on Christmas day.  I sold maybe £150 of petrol, the rest of the sales were in batteries that parents had not took in to account when buying battery operated toys.  The abuse I got later in the afternoon when all the main batteries had sold out was unbelievable.  To the point one customer who had gone way over the top left the shop with this ringing in his ears 'And BAH-F***ING HUMBUG TO YOU AS WELL YOU MISERABLE B*****D*'.

 

When he left I thought, 'oh I bet that was the mystery shopper' 

We did dining out last year, and were severely disappointed.  The tables weren't decorated never mind set. 

Even so I preferred the many years I worked/escaped Christmas.

Did you have to deal with customers?  That would make a massive difference.

We did that one year - Mr Woo booked it up as treat the year my Dad died. It was a lovely gesture but I would never do it again - I love the smell of cooking in the house and the cold meats for snacks later in the day. The kids were younger too and objected being dragged away from their pressies. My son moaned that they'd pit gravy on his meat (even today he has to eat his food dry) mr Woo ngot annoyed with him for making a fuss etc etc. etc. All in all (especially at Christmas) There's no place like home!

 

When I'm an old lady and no one caN BE BOTHERED WITH US ANYMORE - then I may enjoy going away for Christmas.

The hotel we attend decorates everything and has a visit from Santa who gives everyone a present. It's a long running tradition. Different generations of the same family run it and different generations of families attend. We've all known each other for years.

I note that I have deviated from the original theme for which I apologise!

See that sound fab Joe.

 

Apart from last year, the only time we (as a family) have been away fro Christmas was when we went to the Dominican Republic as a massive group of friends.  It was brilliant from an adults point of view.  They did a nativity play on the beach on Christmas Eve, where they passed a real baby through the makeshift stable window when Mary gave birth 

 

On Christmas morning lying on the beach drinking Pina Colada from a freshly hollowed out pineapple was great.  The Dominican Santa arrived on the back of a quad bike.  Only Dominican Santa had put talcum powder all of his face in an attempt to 'white up'.  Sadly by the time he arrived at noon in his santa outfit he was sweating a bit, and all of the talc had kind of caked in to clumps on his face, resulting in most of the children being too scared to go anywhere near him 

 

I have pictures of it somewhere, I'll see if I can find them.  Very Very funny.

I blame Joe for me being a deviant.  

 

(I'm glad I reread what I typed, because it initially said 'I balme Joe for me being a deviant' 

That sounds pretty exotic! ours involves a half hour trip to the next large town in a southerly direction!

Jer welcomes any lassus who'll went oot n balm him mind!

Half a lager and a canny bag o tudor 

A bottladog and a bagga tewdah! Sleep well!

Yes, I am.

i HATE asda with a passion,  i sometimes go with my daughter and g/daughter and each time there is something "wrong"  inconsiderate parking - why have parent and child spaces if you don't enforce it! ,  staff moving crates but not looking where they are going (ouch )  queues at tills because operator is chatting to friend/relative,  and if you go to the cafe!!!!! not enough space between tables, chairs that are heavy to move, and nowhere to park the trolley

 

i prefer tesco and morrisons

Yes - I usually manage to get two but don't think I'll manage it this year - I've taken my eye off the ball 

Yep Slinki.

I've got two receipts already, only four more to go. No way I'll get two vouchers though.

 

I've just realised I could have got two vouchers if I'd split my weekly shopping into two separate trolleys each week.

We do about 60 to 65% of the shop in Asda cuz we find them the cheapest and it's only a third of a mile from where we live...  And the other 35 to 40 % is split between Sainsburys and tesco.. We like their ready meals and ice cream and crisps and booze and yoghurts and their own coffee mate and a few other things, but the main shop - all the meat and veg and fruit and tinned stuff and just about everything else from Asda.

OMG yes! 

What a fabulous plan!

I might start doing that - you only need 6 and there is still time. I have 2 already.

I do it every year but have forgotten the past two weeks to split the bill. Can I still do it?

You only need 6... so if you leave your shopping till the few days before xmas then yes you can

 

So how does it work?

You split the bill? Can you use the same card to pay for both or would you need to go to different tills?

Or do half one day and half another?

Tesco is the nearest big supermarket so I go there for most things. I make a trip to Lidl for their yummy chocolate, get bits in Waitrose and  quite a lot of fresh stuff in M&S

Right here mainly.   

 

Nice man from Sainsbury's delivers it into my kitchen though.    I try to buy meat at the butcher's though, supermarket meat isn't usually as nice.

You need one receipt from each week in the run up .........................you can't do it all in one or two weeks.

Used to be mainly Safeway and a little bit Tesco. Gradually the Safeway percentage got less and the Tesco percentage increased. Then when Safeway sold to Morrisons it suddenly went about 99.99% Tesco and hardly anything to Morrisons as they were dreadfull initially. Now it's still mainly Tesco, but with a bigger small bit to Morrisons, but the Morrisons bit is now split between them and Asda..

Asda is nearer than Tesco and Morrisons, but not as easy to get to.

I do my weekly shop with Ocado because it's really good quality stuff, no more expensive than Tesco or Sainsburys and the food tends to last longer because it comes straight from the warehouse not the stores. We also pick up bits and bobs from the Co-Op in the village.

I wish we had an Ocado/Waitros service around here.      This thread made have a look at Asda and Tesco home delivery - I thought I might try a change. 

 

Then I saw this.        I'll stick with Sainsbury's till Waitrose expand....

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-15742121

  I've shopped online with Sainsburys and Tesco in the past and I wouldn't do it again. They always give you the stuff at the front of the shelves that's near it's sell by date and offer the most ridiculous substitutions. I don't mind Sainsbury's in store though.

Hi Queenie     I know what you mean about substitutions (although I've tried stuff I might not have tried that way), but I've not really had many problems with my local deliveries.    I just complained about butter that was out of date though (I'm sure it had to be a mistake in the factory - major brands of butter can't possibly be sitting on a shelf weeks out of date surely?)   Anyhow - I got a voucher for a tenner in response, so can't say fairer than that - I think i've complained about three times in 18 months.

Hi Kaffy  .

 

To be fair, it's been a long time since I had an online shop from anyone but Ocado so I'm sure things must have improved a lot.

The first time I used Tesco online I ordered a bowl of fresh fruit salad - it was unavailable - the substitute was two bunches of spring onions 

 

Things did improve but I didn't stick with it for too long - I quite enjoy shopping and like to see what I'm buying (also I like to check the best before dates etc.)

hahaha - love it Soozy.. did you have them with cream?

 They sent me an air freshner when I'd asked for floor cleaner...because the fragrance was the same!