Christmas Sales Are in the Bag for Grocery Stores

By Isaac Sabetai, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach

Dec. 14–CRESTVIEW — For many people, Christmas shopping means iPod, Xbox or a pair of socks under the tree.

But the other part of holiday shopping that sometimes slips under Santa’s radar is food. From the days leading up to Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, grocery stores become much busier. After all, someone has to provide the food for office parties, family get-togethers, treats for Santa and scraps for the family dog.

Publix manager Tim Bryant said the two days before Christmas and the day before Thanksgiving are traditionally the store’s busiest of the year. On the two days before Christmas, Bryant said the store expects to do three times the business of an average day.

“People are willing to spend a lot more money on those days,” Bryant said.

Preparations for the holiday season begin early in the year.

“We start ordering in February,” Bryant said. “That way we can work out what we need with suppliers. We don’t begin receiving products until late September or early October.”

Bryant said the store stocks many items for the Christmas season that it normally doesn’t the rest of the year, such as plum pudding, mincemeats and egg nog. The store also increases its stock of apple cider, cakes and pies.

At the recently opened Hometown Meat Market, owner Kathy Masters has seen business spike in the last few weeks. More customers have been ordering large, specialty meats to feed a family such as standing rib roasts. One business ordered 250 T-bone steaks for its Christmas party.

Smoked turkeys are selling well. But the classic honey hams seem to be going the fastest.

“It’s always been a favorite,” Masters said.

Of course, not everyone sticks to the traditional foods. For Thanksgiving some families dined on ribs, Masters said.

Hometown Meat Market has been open six months. It originally did not stock much in the way of side dishes, but that changed after shoppers started making requests.

“We started carrying some fruits and vegetables and bread, so we could complete the meal,” Masters said. “Our customers started asking about them, and we feel we need to carry them.”

At Publix, Bryant said he and his staff are prepared for the busiest days of the year just before Christmas.

“Most people stay so busy that by the time that their shift is over they think they just got here,” Bryant said.

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