Last-minute shoppers were today fighting over trolleys and offering £5 bribes as they faced a ‘medieval battle’ to secure Christmas supplies amid empty shelves, massive queues and packed out supermarkets.
Desperate shoppers have stripped shelves bare to make sure they are stocked up for the big day, leading to chaotic scenes in supermarkets with aisles rammed and not enough trolleys to go around.
TV historian Dan Snow has likened the last-gasp rush to a battle, tweeting a photo of a soldier holding an axe and a shield with the caption: ‘And so to Tescos.’
He added: ‘Farm shop now. Reminds me of that medieval battle in which the men were so packed together that the dead were held upright. Hastings? Shrewsbury? Can’t remember. But it’s like that. Apart from everyone is saying ‘sorry’. Otherwise – the same.’
As others dared to return to Britain’s supermarkets for supplies they’d forgotten, thousands of Londoners descended on Oxford Street, Westfield shopping centre and Smithfield Market, where joints of meat were being sold at an annual auction.
Incredible pictures from the Christmas Meat Auction, the first time its been on since 2019, show frantic shoppers leaning over each other and waving wads of cash at butchers walking through the market with huge cuts of meat.
Christmas shoppers pack Oxford Street London just after 12pm this afternoon as one of the busiest shopping days of the year kicks off
Desperate shoppers have stripped supermarkets bare in a bid to make sure they were stocked up for the big day. Pictured: Nearly empty shelves at a Sainsbury’s in north London today
Butchers walk through Smithfield Market holding joints of meat as customers wave wads of cash
Huge crowds battle – with festive cheer – to try and secure joints of meat at the Smithfield auction
Supermarket workers and customers have reported carnage in stores today, as many chose to do their last-minute shopping today
TV historian Dan Snow has embraced the last-gasp rush for supplies, comparing it to a ‘medieval battle’
Some parents even gave their children the cash and held them aloft on their shoulders in a bid to get the butchers’ attention.
It comes as supermarket staff and shoppers have reported chaotic scenes at stores across the country.
At a Tesco in Newport, Gwent, one supermarket worker said: ‘People were that desperate they were literally offering others money.
‘Another customer also told me that he had an argument with another customer as they both wanted the same trolley. Queues were filling up the aisles as customers were waiting to pay for their shopping.’
The trolley scenes in Newport were echoed across the country as shoppers crammed in the late shopping trips.
The Tesco employee, who did not give their name, added: ‘People were turning up to the store at 5am to get their shopping done, it was pretty busy. It got to around 8am and the self scan guns were empty, customers were complaining as they wanted to use them.
‘Then around 10 am, customers were following other customers to their cars as there were no trolleys left. They were queuing by the entrance begging others to give them their trolleys.
Christmas shoppers in Westfield Stratford City in East London, take advantage of pre-Christmas bargains
Christmas shoppers descend on a busy Oxford Street in central London today ahead of December 25
Shoppers pack out a Christmas Market on Trafalgar Square this afternoon as the festive weekend begins
At Smithfield Market, some parents even gave their children the cash and held them aloft on their shoulders in a bid to get the butchers’ attention
Customers buy meat during the Smithfield Christmas Meat Auction hosted by G Lawrence & Co.
Customers battle to buy meat during the Smithfield Christmas Meat Auction ahead of December 25
Joints of meat are held aloft as hundreds descended on Smithfield Market ahead of Christmas Day
‘A women I was serving on the checkouts was telling me how a man had promised to give her his trolley. Then another man came over and said to the man with the trolley: ‘I will literally give you a fiver for the trolley’.
‘People were that desperate they were literally offering others money.
‘Another customer also told me that he had an argument with another customer as they both wanted the same trolley. Queues were filling up the aisles as customers were waiting to pay for their shopping.’
The employee added: ‘I really feel that this weekend is going to be worse than ever after seeing what it was like today. Even getting out of the car park was a struggles as it was absolutely packed.’
Another Tesco checkout operator in Swansea has spoken out about the chaos at her store.
Christine Sweener, who works in Tesco Superstore in Pontarddulais, said: ‘I heard of shoppers fighting for the last of the trolleys available at another store.
‘I usually start work at 10am but had been asked to start an hour earlier today and was shocked to see the number in the store as I arrived.
Social media users have shared hilarious posts about their battles with supermarkets, while others boasted about being organised
This customer has deemed there is a ‘crisis’ after only being able to find a giant sized turkey
‘I wish all our regular Tesco shoppers a Merry Xmas, but ask shoppers don’t take their frustration out on store staff, when they’re unable to buy something they wanted to, at this late date, as it’s sold out now.
‘It’s unfortunately a gamble you have to be prepared to accept, when you leave a thing until late, often in hope of getting last minute offers.
Amid the chaos, a flurry of light-hearted social media posts were shared as shoppers weigh up whether they can face the last-minute rush.
One user wrote: ‘I’ve done all my shopping but I’ve almost ran out of the Tesco pastry mince pies… which are surprisingly pleasant… do I dare enter teh dray once more!?’
Another shared how they rushed to a supermarket at 5.45am this morning, adding: ‘It was getting quite busy as I came out at 6.50am. Can’t face the crowds anymore.’
In contrast, there were people who boasted about being organised. One shared a meme of a man drinking a cup of tea with the caption ‘Ummm… tastes… like… victory.’
She quipped: ‘The feeling of having scored a last minute Sainsbury’s delivery slot yesterday for delivery today.’
Another hilariously shared a meme of soldier in pain which said: ‘I need a medic!’. He added: ‘We’ve just got back.’
There were more savoury scenes in the quaint village of Haddenham in Cambridgeshire, where customers were seen laughing and braving the cold together in large numbers to secure a Turkey.
Today’s chaos follows shocking scenes yesterday, where four men wearing dark-coloured jackets were caught on camera, believed to be in the Cricklewood Express store in London, pilfering the shelves of booze.
A look at some of the empty shelves in a Sainsbury’s supermarket in north London this morning
People were quick to take to social media to share their fury over the length of the queues
Remarkable images showed huge queues for the checkouts as desperate Brits scrambled to get their hands on the last stocks of food, booze and gifts.
Some lines were even snaking outside the stores, while there was gridlock in car parks as frustrated shoppers bemoaned delays.
Shelves were stripped bare as many shoppers’ frantic hunt for essentials including cheese failed to bear fruit.
In Wales, shoppers reporting waiting some 17 minutes just to get into the shops, while others said they faced queues of three-quarters-of-an-hour to be served by staff.
Elsewhere, scenes were described as ‘bedlam’ as a shortage of trolleys meant many had to fill baskets with heavy goods instead.
One person wrote in a panic on social media today how there were ‘no turkey’s in Sainsbury’s, Lidl or Waitrose.
Shoppers at the busy Tesco Extra store in Llansamlet, Swansea, on Friday, December 22
People braved themselves against the cold this Saturday morning to secure their turkeys
Customers wait outside a local butchers in the village of Haddenham in Cambridgeshire
One shopper said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Just been in a huge ASDA where it was bedlam. No trolleys, only a load of baskets. Decided to do a much smaller basket shop and still got caught in a baskets only queue of >50 people. The trolley queues were all the way to the back of the shop.’
Another added: ‘You know the travel news on the radio? Here’s the supermarket equivalent. Avoid Asda, Cumbernauld!! Queue for the tills goes down the booze aisle at the back of the shop, right to the bottom and back along to the pizza counter at the opposite end of the store.’
A third described the Asda Aintree store as one of the ‘most horrific’ afternoons after they were caught up in hour-long queues.
They wrote: ‘All the shelves ransacked like we are going into lockdown. Now for a well deserved beer.’