Why Do People Buy So Much Food At Christmas?

[dave50]

I have seen them in the supermarket sometimes with two trollies absolutely piled high with food and drink, why? Half of it will be thrown away, it's ridiculous, especially when the shops will actually only be closed for two days, you would think they were stocking up for the winter. Why not just buy the normal amount of food you can actually eat without going overboard and wasting any? People are so stupid, they are like sheep.

[jd_1984]

Guests over Christmas, shops closed over Christmas, perhaps they want to stay away from the shops for a week or two and relax so doing a big shop now. Also people can panic buy ensuring they have absolutely everything they may require and then some....

[Iluvspikey]

How do you know it gets thrown away? Lot's of people have visitors over the Christmas period, and don't want to go out at all shopping 'holiday week', especially if the weathers bad, and by the amount that people by for New Year,they must have got through what they've already bought!

[anneasquith]

roast potatoes and span fritters, not much waste there :) :)

[ummmm]

I don't throw anything away either.

If I've forgotten something then there's a shop over the road that stocks all the essentials, and it's open xmas day.

[ummmm]

And there wine is cheaper than the supermarket!

[ummmm]

*their

[anneasquith]

i dont over buy at xmas/new year either. i hate to see good food wasted. especially as we have freezers,

[friedgreentomato]

I have never seen anyone boast about chucking food away on here and I have been on this site a lot of years!!

[anneasquith]

where in my post did i say '' on here '' ?

[ummmm]

Wow, you know people in the real world that actively boast about throwing food away?

[friedgreentomato]

my sincerest apoligies Anne

[TWR]

Stupid maybe?

[Mosaic]

Maybe some folk are intending not driving anywhere over the holiday, so stock up....or don't want to interrupt the festivities by shopping......or are reacting to the collective unconsciousness created by centuries of having no shops from Saturday mid-day til the next working day, and no fridge or freezer......or maybe they are just over-suggestible.

[andy-hughes]

i think there is a combination of factors here -

the most obious and valid are the twin circumstances of extra guests, and a desire not to shop for food for a few days.

That combines with a subconcious fear of running out of things, together with habbit because it was only one gneration ago that you would need to lay in stores for over a week as the entire food chain shut for that time over Christmas, together with more serious weather which made getting out more of an issue.

I would concur with the general concenus, people do buy extra, which is not the same as over-buying.

[Mosaic]

Andy, are we channelling each other?

[joko]

why do you worry so much about what other people do, and seem confused and outraged that everyone is not just like you?

your questions often seem to have an indignant tone as though you cannot fathom that people are not all the same...

[wildwood]

If one couple buys more for another two couples than there are two couples that are not buying so the 'buying food for guests' theory doesn't hold water.

It has been mentioned that for some reason people bulk buy for christmas because it is tradition from when the shops closed for longer, leaving it to the last days because domestic freezers and fridges were rare. This makes more sense. The supermarkets are absolutely tjockfull with panic buyers and I try to stay away from them.

We do enjoy the bustle of normal xmas shopping in the malls though.

[dotty.]

tesco and asda are both open boxing day anyway

[mazie]

We have a house full over Christmas so need to buy a little extra food. We tend not to waste any. Merry Christmas, I hope you all have a FAB time, whatever you choose to do. xxxxxx