If you stood in line at the supermarket on Saturday with a Christmas loaf or gourmet meat, you were certainly not the only one. Many people quickly did their last shopping for Christmas dinner, so it was extremely busy in the supermarkets.
At the Plus supermarket in Uden, one full shopping cart after another rolls out. Like those of Corrie and Peter Loeffen. “This is all for Christmas,” says Corrie, laughing. “Meat, wine, cookies, all tasty things. Fortunately everything was still in stock. Otherwise we would have chosen something else.”
The cart of Tommie Meulepas and his daughter Lotte takes the cake. It is filled to the brim and there are also two large shopping bags on top. “We have family visiting,” he laughs. “This is for a Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner for nine people, so we need a lot.”
Although he had to get all the groceries just before Christmas, Tommie did not suffer from Christmas stress. “I didn’t have time before, so there was no other option. And I was able to find everything and didn’t miss anything.”
While Tommie and Lotte are already going home, many people are still struggling through the Christmas crowds inside. But most are well prepared. Ad Manders even has a whole book with him, with all kinds of printouts showing exactly which groceries he should stock up on. Received from his children. They are going to cook, Ad has to provide the ingredients. “Look, I’ll show you.” He proudly leafs through it. “A picture is printed of everything I need to buy and it also tells me how much I need to buy.”
Daniëlle Vogels also walks through the supermarket with a list. She has already almost completely finished it. “Yes, I actually only come for the last things. We got the rest from specialty stores. At Christmas we loosen the reins a little, then we pay less attention to money and more to quality.”
This is a great day for many supermarkets. Elise van Westrienen-Eijkemans, owner of the Plus branch in Uden, explains: “These are the busiest days of the year anyway and I think this is the busiest day. People go home with full carts. They really buy everything from pre-baked bread to gourmet meat. It’s hard work, but it’s also a lot of fun to do because everyone is cheerful.”
To cope with the crowds, she has deployed extra staff. “We have double occupancy compared to a normal Saturday. We are also open on Sunday, but then I think people come more for the latest items.” The supermarket is also still open on both Christmas days, so Elise still has to work. “But that’s also nice. On Boxing Day I try to go home a little earlier so that I can have a nice meal with my family.”