It’s never too late! Supermarket shelves are stripped bare, crowds flock to Oxford Street and huge queues form at checkouts as Britons rush to stock up on supplies in last minute Christmas shopping frenzy

Supermarket shelves were stripped as crowds poured into Oxford Street and huge queues formed at checkouts in a last-minute Christmas shopping frenzy.

London’s most famous shopping street was packed with people today as many took advantage of the pre-Christmas sales ahead of the big day.

In the national capital, food stalls were also stripped of stock as many scrambled for last-minute deals on holiday meal essentials, prices of which have soared due to the cost of living crisis.

Around £3.1 billion is forecast to be spent on shopping today, with one in five Brits making last-minute purchases.

Before 9am, photographs showed food shelves in north London supermarkets having already been cleared of food.

Images show hundreds of shoppers cramming into Marks & Spencer to get their hands on Christmas food.

The pictures also showed a shop on Newcastle’s main Northumberland Street packed with crowds who had left their preparations until the eleventh hour.

Crowds of people milled around the food hall and employees held signs that read, “JOIN THE LINE HERE” to help cope with demand.

Self-checkout counters were also filled to the brim as shoppers filled their baskets with food and drinks ready for the holiday festivities.

Elsewhere, dozens of people queued outside Selfridges before it even opened its doors.

Fred and Angie Gay, from Essex, have been coming to the West End every December 24 for the past 20 years looking for a Christmas present Mr Gay could buy for his wife.

They said they planned to pop into Selfridges, Liberty’s and Fortnum & Mason, then treat themselves to lunch before heading to their son’s in Surrey on Monday to spend Christmas with his family.

Mrs Gay said: “We’re waiting for Selfridges to open just to have a look around, but my favorite store is Liberty’s.”

“It’s actually really nice to be here at Christmas and get into the festive atmosphere.”

The grandparents added that they were going for a “quickie” and hadn’t ordered lunch, adding that there were fewer restaurants and pubs to go to in the area compared to 20 years ago.

Hanuf K. from Saudi Arabia said she comes to London every Christmas and appreciates the city’s “vibe” during the festive season.

The 28-year-old said she was looking for Apple AirPods and Longchamp products for herself, as well as gift sets for friends, because she had not yet started her Christmas shopping.

She added that London was her “favorite place for Christmas”, saying: “I come here every year, the Christmas lights, the Christmas atmosphere, the restaurants.”

Jack Quan, 25, was meeting his girlfriend at Selfridges, where they both work, to celebrate her birthday.

He said he was looking for inspiration at the store, but had already bought Christmas gifts.

Mr Kuan, from Taiwan, added: “London is very Christmassy to me as someone who is not from here.”

The UK is forecast to spend around £3.1 billion on the last shopping day before Christmas, according to national research by The Green Insurer.

The research found that almost one in five UK adults (20 per cent) say they would still shop today.

In addition, last-minute Christmas Eve spending accounts for around 9 per cent of the total £36.2 billion the country is expected to spend on Christmas celebrations.

Men are more likely to rush to stores at the last minute than women.

It comes after shops on Oxford Street were forced to close yesterday as pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated on one of the country’s busiest streets on the biggest shopping day of the year, the Saturday before Christmas.

Nearly a quarter of men surveyed think they won’t get all their Christmas shopping done by Christmas Eve, compared with less than one in five women (17 per cent).

Paul Baxter, chief executive of The Green Insurer, said: “Christmas Eve may fall on a Sunday this year, but despite shorter opening hours, stores will see millions of pounds spent at the checkout as people rush to buy last-minute gifts or groceries nutrition.” for celebrations the next day.

“As well as busy schedules, another contributing factor is the appeal of last minute deals and discounts on the high street in a year when many people have struggled to keep up with the rising cost of living.

“Some people are deliberately delaying Christmas shopping in anticipation of the sales and price cuts that typically occur as retailers try to clear their inventory before the holiday season ends.”

In addition, it is estimated that the average British family will spend more than £1,800 on Christmas this year.

That’s about three times what was spent 30 years ago, even adjusted for inflation.

Experts at MoneySuperMarket have produced “the most comprehensive analysis yet of the cost of Christmas”, analyzing 24 data points, including some less obvious ones such as visiting relatives, joining a work party and insuring new gadgets.

In Britain, people spent just £229 (equivalent to £464 in today’s money) at Christmas in 1993, compared with £1,811.70 this year, according to the study.

Increased spending on gifts is a major factor, with households spending an average of £279 on gifts this year, compared with £164 in today’s money 30 years ago.

Festive outings such as ice skating or visiting Christmas markets, which are now much more common, are also driving up costs: in 1993 households spent the equivalent of just £25 in today’s money on such activities, but it is now £108 .

Seasonal spending outpaced inflation by 93 percent since 1993. And overall, Manchester spends the most at Christmas, while Brighton spends the least.

The report, called the Christmas Family Money Index, says the average total cost of £1,811.70 this year is equivalent to 25 days’ average wage today.