The Trafford Centre might have been the busiest place in Greater Manchester, with shoppers flooding to the huge shopping centre for the Boxing Day sales.
While a lot of us will have spent the day picking through leftovers and eating blocks of cheese as a snack, some of us simply can’t resist the lure of a bargain.
And there were some serious bargains to be found at many of the shops based at The Trafford Centre.
Despite several big names – like Next and M&S – remaining shut for Boxing Day, the retail business still drew in massive crowds.
Lush, Selfridges and JD all had queues forming outside before the doors even opened.
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And several shops had to install ropes and a queue system outside to monitor customers heading in and out.
One person said that attempting to shop the Boxing Day sales at the Trafford Centre is ‘physcho behaviour’ while another said it was ‘the worst place on earth’.
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Someone wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: “First time in trafford centre. Very cool however never go on boxing day.”
Another wrote: “idk why tf we thought coming Trafford Centre would be a good idea today lol.”
Someone else said: “trafford centre boxing day sale has cattlepen queues are you joking.”
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One person commented: “Eldest has just got back from Trafford Centre, she said it was rammed. What happened to people playing party games on Boxing day?”
One user wrote: “A bad decision was made today. Trafford Centre. On Boxing Day. Hungover and tired.”
And someone on TikTok simply said: “Never again.”
So hey, it might not be for everyone, but at a time where everything costs a fortune, the next few days will be the perfect time to shop for less.
A bad decision was made today. Trafford Centre. On Boxing Day. Hungover and tired. pic.twitter.com/jFazKZS7wL
You can get FREE carrots for Santa’s reindeers from Morrisons this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Morrisons is back giving away carrots to feed Santa’s hungry reindeers for free this Christmas weekend.
Isn’t this just the cutest thing ever?
With the most wonderful time of the year officially here, and the big day itself just a few days away now, the supermarket retailer has decided it’s time to spread some festive cheer and help families prepare for Father Christmas’ visit by giving away more than 185,000 wonky carrots at all its stores across the UK – including those in Greater Manchester.
British wonky carrots are oversized or misshapen, but Morrisons insists they “still taste delicious” – and we don’t think Rudolph and his pals would disagree.
Morrisons is giving away free carrots for Santa’s reindeers this weekend / Credit: Morrisons | Wikimedia Commons
During the festive season, carrot sales at Morrisons more than double in the week before Christmas compared to the previous week, which just proves that the tradition of leaving food and drink out for the big man in red is still as popular as ever.
By giving the carrots away for free, Morrisons says it hopes to encourage shoppers to choose wonky vegetables more often.
Wonky veg is great for reducing food waste, as this produce would’ve otherwise been discarded.
The free carrots are available for anyone to collect at the front of all Morrisons stores across the UK from this Saturday and Sunday (21 and 22 December).
Featured Image – Morrisons
Shopping
Full list of Christmas opening hours at all UK supermarkets 2024
Emily Sergeant
Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Aldi, and M&S are among the supermarkets to adjust opening hours at stores across the UK during the festive period.
As Christmas is fast approaching, most of us will have already started to stock up on food and drink for the big day ahead of time, but with so much to prepare for, it’s pretty easy to forget something important – which tends to leave us running to the shops before 25th.
While some have probably opted for home deliveries or Click & Collect services, others still prefer to shop in store.
To help you make sure everything is sorted, we’ve pulled together a list of all the major supermarket opening hours over the festive period, so grab your bags for life and get your shopping list at the ready, because Santa is on his way and he’ll be expecting his annual dose of mince pies.
Here’s a roundup list of supermarket opening hours.
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Tesco
Shoppers are being advised to check the Tesco Store Locator for the festive opening times at their local, as different branches may be operating different hours, however, most stores are operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, as well as being closed all day on Christmas Day.
Here’s a rough guideline:
Monday 23 December: 6am – 12pm
Christmas Eve: 6am – 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 6am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Check the opening times for your local Tesco store here.
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Sainsbury’s
Just like Tesco, Sainsbury’s will be operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, as well as being closed on Christmas day, but shoppers are encouraged to head to the retailer’s Store Locator to find out the opening times for their nearest branch.
Monday 23 December: 6am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 6am to 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am to 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 8am – 8pm
You can check the opening times for your local Sainsbury’s store here.
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Asda
Following along the same lines as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, Asda shoppers are being advised to check the Asda Store Locator for the festive opening times at their local store, as different branches are operating different hours, however, most stores are operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, as well as being closed all day on Christmas Day.
Here’s a rough guideline:
Monday 23 December: 5am to 10pm
Christmas Eve: 5am – 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Check the opening times for your local ASDA store here.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, and more have adjusted their opening hours for the festive period / Credit: Tesco
Morrisons
Morrisons is open throughout the festive season, just like its other competitions, and will only closing on Christmas Day, but hours will vary so you’ll need to check the opening times for your local.
Monday 23 December: 7am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 5am to 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am to 6pm
Check the opening times for your local Morrisons store here.
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Aldi
Aldi stores across the UK are set to close of the three major festive bank holidays this year, meaning doors will be shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, with reduced hours in operation on the days surrounding it.
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Here’s what you need to know:
Monday 23 December: 7am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 7am – 6pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: CLOSED
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 December: 8am – 8pm
Sunday 29 December: 9.30am – 4pm
Monday 30 December: 8am – 8pm
New Year’s Eve: 8am – 6pm
New Year’s Day: CLOSED
You can find out more about the supermarket’s decision to shut up shop on the three festive bank holidays this year here.
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Lidl
Lidl has released a list of its festive opening hours, and just like Aldi, will also be closing most of its stores on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, but you’ll want to check Lidl’s website to find out more information.
Just like many other retailers on this list, Co-op’s opening times vary from store to store over the festive period, but the retailer has confirmed it will be operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day – with all branches closed on Christmas Day across the UK as a standard.
Shoppers are being urged to check the Co-op Store Finder for the opening hours for their nearest branch here.
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M&S
Once again, M&S is another retailer where festive opening hours differ from store to store, so it’s best to check your local branch specifically, but what we do know is that all stores across the UK will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day as a standard.
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Monday 23 December: 6am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 6am – 7pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: CLOSED
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 December: 8am – 8pm
Sunday 29 December: 11am – 5pm
Monday 30 December: 8am – 9pm
New Year’s Eve: 8am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: CLOSED
Check the opening times for your local M&S store here.
Daisy Jackson -
26th December 2023 
