It may not even be December yet, but Christmas food shopping can be challenging at the best of times, let alone in the current environment while we are all following pandemic rules to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Everyone wants to make sure they're stocked up with all the delicious food they need ahead of Christmas Day so they don't have to hit the shops for a while over the festive period.

But this year, Sainsbury's, and all the other supermarkets, must prevent crowds from gathering in their stores as this will go against coronavirus rules.

Rules around shopping and social distancing, such as wearing a face covering and staying apart from other people, will continue to apply over the busy period.

Christmas food shopping has to be planned in advance


So how have Sainsbury's adapted to make Christmas food shopping work?

The supermarket giant has decided to extend its opening hours this Christmas considering they can't get as many people through their doors all at once like they usually would.

Most Sainsbury's supermarkets will be open from 6am until midnight from December 21 until December 23.

Double check the opening hours of your local store just in case they're different, but this will be correct for 90 per cent of stores across the country.

Customers will be able to shop from 6am until midnight from December 21-23

The supermarket chain is also encouraging customers, wherever possible, to shop early and buy longer life, cupboards foods so they don't have to restock for a while, therefore avoiding the queues.

As an incentive, Sainsbury's are giving customers the chance to earn 10x Nectar points on longer life foods like cranberry sauce, crackers and Christmas pudding between December 4 and December 13.

If you do leave food shopping until the last minute, most Sainsbury's stores will be open from 6am until 7pm on Christmas Eve, although once again you will need to double check times for specific stores. They will be closed on Christmas Day.

Clodagh Moriarty, retail and digital director at Sainsbury’s, said: "In a year like no other, we want to do everything we can to help our customers celebrate Christmas, making sure they have everything they need to make the festive season as special as possible.

"We also want to make sure customers and colleagues are kept safe, which is why we’re opening our stores for longer and encouraging people to shop early and asking them to shop alone, where possible, this Christmas.

"This will help customers get in and out of shops quickly and safely and make sure everyone has what they need in plenty of time for the big day."

Want more news? Head to the MyLondon homepage.