Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare whilst crowds flocked to Oxford Street with huge queues forming at checkouts in a last minute Christmas shopping frenzy.
London’s most notorious shopping street was jam-packed with people today as many took advantage of pre-Christmas sales on the eve before the big day.
Food stalls were also stripped of produce in the nation’s capital as many scrambled for last minute deals on festive lunch essentials, which have soared in price due to the cost-of-living crisis.
An estimated £3.1billion was forecast to be spent on shops today, with one in five Brits picking up some last minute goods.
Before even reaching 9am, photos showed food shelves that had already been stripped of produce in supermarkets in North London.
Huge queues for the tills at Marks and Spencer Food Hall in Newcastle city centre today
Huge queues were seen across the country as shoppers dashed out for last-minute items
Nearly empty shelves of Christmas food in Sainsbury’s supermarket in London, during the browsing period on Christmas Eve
It has been estimated that this year the average British household will spend more than £1,800 on Christmas
Images show hundreds of shoppers cramming into a Marks & Spencer to get their hands on some Christmas food.
Pictures also showed the high-street shop, on Northumberland Street in Newcastle, jam-packed with crowds leaving their preparations to the eleventh hour.
Hoards of people snaked around the food hall and members of staff held up signs which read: ‘QUEUE THIS WAY’ to help deal with the demand.
The self-service tills were also full to the brim as shoppers filled their baskets full with food and drink ready for the festive celebrations.
Elsewhere, dozens of people queued outside Selfridges before it had even opened it’s doors.
Fred and Angie Gay, from Essex, have been coming to the West End every December 24 for the past 20 years and were looking for a Christmas present for Mr Gay to buy for his wife.
They said they planned to look in Selfridges, Liberty’s and Fortnum & Mason, then treat themselves to lunch before heading to their son’s in Surrey on Monday to spend Christmas with their family.
Mrs Gay said: ‘We’re waiting for Selfridges to open just to have a little look, but my favourite store is Liberty’s.
‘It’s just nice to be up here for Christmas time really, get into the festive spirit.’
The grandparents added they were going to ‘wing it’ and had not booked lunch, adding there are fewer restaurants and pubs in the area to go to compared with 20 years ago.
Hanouf K, from Saudi Arabia, said she comes to London every Christmas and appreciated the city’s ‘vibes’ during the festive season.
The 28-year-old said she was on the hunt for Apple AirPods and items from Longchamp for herself but also gift sets for friends because she had not yet started her Christmas shopping.
She added that London was her ‘favourite spot at Christmas’, saying: ‘I come here yearly, the Christmas lights, the Christmas vibes, the restaurants.’
Jack Kuan, 25, was meeting a friend in Selfridges, where they both work, to celebrate her birthday.
He said he was looking for inspiration in the store but had already bought his Christmas gifts.
Mr Kuan, from Taiwan, added: ‘London is very Christmassy for me, as someone who is not from here.’
Shoppers doing last minute shopping in Sainsbury’s supermarket in north London, just before 9am
Indian takeaways prove a popular item as people buy their last-minute food purchases
The UK is predicted to spend around £3.1billion on the last shopping day before Christmas
Nearly one in five UK adults, 20 per cent, claim they will still be doing some of their shopping today
Men are more likely to make a last-minute dash to the shops compared to women
Shelves in Sainsbury’s are nearly empty as people grab the last of the roasting birds left
According to a nationwide study from The Green Insurer, the UK is predicted to spend around £3.1billion on the last shopping day before Christmas.
Nearly one in five UK adults, 20 per cent, claim they will still be doing some of their shopping today, the research found.
Also, the last-minute Christmas Eve spend represents around 9 per cent of the total £36.2billion anticipated to be spent by the nation on celebrating Christmas.
Men are more likely to make a last-minute dash to the shops compared to women.
It comes after shops on Oxford Street had to close yesterday due to pro-Palestine marchers demonstrating on one of the busiest streets in the country on the biggest shopping day of the year – the Saturday before Christmas.
Nearly a quarter of men interviewed believed they would not have completed all their Christmas shopping by Christmas Eve compared to fewer than one in five women (17 per cent).
Paul Baxter, CEO, The Green Insurer, said: ‘Christmas Eve may fall on a Sunday this year, but despite the shorter opening hours, shops will see millions of pounds spent at their checkouts as people look to buy last minute gifts or food purchases for the next day’s celebrations.
‘Aside from busy schedules, another contributing factor is the allure of last-minute high street deals and discounts in a year where many people have struggled to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
‘Some individuals intentionally delay their Christmas shopping in anticipation of sales and price reductions that typically occur as retailers try to clear their inventory before the holiday season concludes.’
Shoppers on Regent Street in London, ahead of Christmas Day on Monday
Shoppers in Broadmead, Bristol. According to experts, some people deliberately wait until Christmas Eve to do their shopping
Britons spend around triple of what was spent 30 years ago on Christmas, even when adjusted for inflation. Pictured, shoppers on Oxford Street
It comes after shops on Oxford Street had to close yesterday due to pro-Palestine marchers demonstrating. Shoppers hit Oxford Street for last-minute shopping
Also, it has been estimated that this year the average British household will spend more than £1,800 on Christmas.
This is around triple of what was spent 30 years ago, even when adjusted for inflation.
Experts at MoneySuperMarket carried out ‘the most comprehensive ever analysis of how much Christmas costs’, analysing 24 data points including some less obvious ones such as travel to see relatives, joining a work party and insuring new gadgets.
People in Britain spent only £229 on Christmas in 1993 – the equivalent of £464 in today’s money – compared with £1,811.70 this year, according to the research.
Increased gift expenditure is a major factor, with households this year spending an average of £279 on presents compared with £164 in today’s money 30 years ago.
Festive outings such as ice skating or Christmas market visits which are far more prevalent nowadays are also behind the rising costs, with households spending the equivalent of only £25 in today’s money on such activities in 1993 – now, it is £108.
Seasonal spending has outpaced inflation by 93 per cent compared to 1993. And Manchester spends the most on Christmas overall, while Brighton spends the least.
The report called the Christmas Household Money Index, said the average total cost of £1,811.70 this year was equivalent to 25 days’ average pay in the present day.