It may feel like Halloween was just last week, but if you wait too much longer to begin shopping, you could miss out on your favorite holiday foods.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest time of the year for grocery stores like Wegmans. That means needing to prepare early and restock often leading up to the holidays.
“You don’t want to spend Thanksgiving morning stressed out having to come into Wegmans and fight the crowd to get that last minute item,” Dewitt Wegmans manager Beth Brush said. “Maybe there is a chance we don’t have it and are out of stock. Having it in your basket while you are thinking about it helps make you well prepared.”
Brush said most grocery stores do not have a warehouse in the back, so it might take a few days to restock a sold out item.
Stores began to stock Thanksgiving products in mid-October and broke out the Christmas displays the first week of November. Some customers may complain about the holiday items coming out so early, but they still purchase them, employees said.
“We try to keep the Thanksgiving together, yet sprinkle it with a little bit of Christmas here and there,” Brush said.
Planning ahead is extremely important if you are shopping on a budget as it allows more time to search for sales, Brush said. Items are more likely to be on sale now compared to right before a holiday.
“Shopping a little bit at a time helps save money,” Brush said. “In the long run, you’re not just saying, ‘oh I need to get an extra gift for this, and an extra gift for that.’ You can think it out and actually put it in your basket when you have the money for it.”
There is also technology that can help save you money during holiday grocery shopping. Stores like Wegmans have smartphone apps that help you plan your shopping trip. The app can also provide instant digital coupons and discounts on items.
An estimated 45 million turkeys will be eaten on Thanksgiving this year. You cannot wait until the absolute last minute to purchase your bird as Wegmans and other stores will close early or not be open at all on Thanksgiving. It’s part of an effort to allow as many people as possible to spend the holidays with their families.
“Spending quality time with your family and loved ones is just being prepared,” Brush said. “If you buy extra, you have extra next time you’ll need it.”
