Last year take-home grocery sales reached £31.7 billion, and December was the busiest month on record for British supermarkets. With nearly 30% of Brits reporting that they find shopping for Christmas food one of the most stressful parts of Christmas, online supermarket Britsuperstore has analysed the UK’s top 10 supermarket chains.
They found the most cost-efficient and cheapest times to complete your Christmas shop at Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco, the Co-op, Sainsbury's, Asda, M&S, Iceland and Waitrose.
1. Aldi
- Reduction times: Before 8 am and before closing time
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 8-9 am and 9-10 pm, Saturday 8-9 am and 9/-0 pm, Sunday 11 am
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 5-6 pm, Saturday 12 pm, and Sunday 3 pm
- Restock times: Before the shop opens and 3 pm, with special ‘Aldi Finds’ sales every Wednesday
2. Lidl
- Reduction times: Morning and before closing time
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 8 am and 10-11 pm, Saturday 8 am and 10-11 pm, Sunday 4-5 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 12-1 pm and 5-6 pm, Saturday 12-3 pm, and Sunday 12 pm
- Restock times: Late at night and overnight
3. Morrisons
- Reduction times: 5 pm
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 7-9 am and 9-11 pm, Saturday 7-8 am and 9-11 pm, Sunday 4 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 12-1 pm, Saturday 1 pm, and Sunday 12 pm
- Restock times: 5 pm/6 pm
4. The Co-Operative
- Reduction times: 6-8 pm
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 7 am and 9-10 pm, Saturday 7-8 am and 9-10 pm, Sunday 7-8 am and 9-10 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 5-6 pm, Saturday 6 pm, and Sunday 5-6 pm
- Restock times: Overnight
5. Tesco
- Reduction times: 30 minutes before closing time
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 7 am and 8-11 pm, Saturday 7-9 am and 9-11 pm, Sunday 7-8 am and 10-11 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 3-6 pm, Saturday 12-2 pm, and Sunday 12 pm
- Restock times: 6:30 AM
6. Sainsbury's
- Reduction times: 5 PM
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 7-9 am and 7-10 pm, Saturday 8-9 am and 9 pm, Sunday 11 pm and 4 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 12-4 pm, Saturday 12 pm, and Sunday 3 pm
- Restock times: When closed and throughout the day
7. ASDA (24 hours)
- Reduction times: Early in the day and 7 pm
- Quietest hours: Monday 6-8 am and 10-2 pm, Tuesday - Friday 10 pm - 7 am, Saturday 12-7 am, Sunday 11 am and 4 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 5-6 pm, Saturday 1 pm, and Sunday 12 pm
- Restock times: 10 pm
8. M&S
- Reduction times: Lunch and 30 minutes before closing time
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 8 am and 8-9 pm, Saturday 8-9 am and 6-7 pm, Sunday 5-6 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 5-6 pm, Saturday 4 pm, and Sunday 1-3 pm
- Restock times: 7 am
8. Waitrose
- Reduction times: 2 hours before closing time
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 8-9 am and 9-10 pm, Saturday 8/9 am and 9/10 pm, Sunday 12 pm
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 6-7 pm, Saturday 6 pm, and Sunday 4 pm
- Restock times: 11 am
10. Iceland
- Reduction times: Reductions are added to deliveries
- Quietest hours: Monday - Friday 8/9 am, Saturday 8/9 am, Sunday 10 am
- Busiest hours: Monday - Friday 5 pm, Saturday 1 pm, and Sunday 1 pm
- Restock times: Before open
Richard Price, Director of Britsuperstore, has provided his tips when shopping for food this Christmas.
- Shop online - By shopping online you can miss the queues and also see what the supermarkets have to offer and what's in stock, as they have delivery slots and click-and-collect available.
- Use budget shops - Shops like Home Bargains, Poundland and B&M are great for good value branded food. Head to Lidl and Aldi for own-brand budget spirits - no one will notice if it’s in a punch or a cocktail! Also, ask guests to bring a tipple of their choice too to help save on any costs.
- Bulk buy if you can - When bulk buying, you can check the label of the product and it will tell you the price per kilogram. Big bags and bulk products usually always work out cheaper, so stocking up on certain items will help you save money in the long run. Warehouse clubs or wholesale clubs like Costco or Food Warehouse are usually good options for bulk purchases.
- Set a budget, do the basics & make a list - Know how much you want to spend. Don’t shop hungry or with children when stocking up, and always write out your shopping list before you leave the house. This ensures you don’t impulse buy nonessential items and helps you to avoid waste and overspending.
- Substitute national brands for the lower-priced store brands - Buying own-brand products can often cut the cost of your supermarket shop by 30% according to a MoneySavingExpert. So, doing this will help you get more for your money at a discounted price.
- Don’t just shop at eye level - It sounds silly but you can often get similar items for much less if you look at the shelves above and below you. This is because marketers tend to put full-priced and more expensive items straight in front of you. Some items will be marked up, especially for Christmas so make sure to do some digging to find the real deals.
- Avoid busy times - This will make your shop so much easier, most of these supermarkets will stack their shelves before they open. Going at a quiet time early in the morning will not only mean you are avoiding the queues, but going when the most products will be available!
- Think Ahead - Try to have all your shopping done by December 22nd as data has shown this and the days leading to Christmas are the busiest!
