An M&S food store In Swansea saw big queues as shoppers looked to bag some last minute Christmas shopping ahead of the big day.
The popular superstore, which stocks mostly food items, in Pontarddulais Road Retail Park had shoppers queuing outside the chain around the surrounding car park on Thursday, December 23.
Shoppers had to wait for up to 30 minutes as rain poured throughout the morning. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
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Many were also pouring out of the store having completed their shopping and armed with carrier bags full of "essential treats like chocolate, biscuits and wine", ready to enjoy after the feast.
One of those queuing up this morning was Julie Day, from Uplands, who had left the shop with a full trolley.
She said: "It looks hectic but it hasn't moved too slowly, we were only waiting around 30 minutes to get in. We've managed to get what we came for, some vegetables for Christmas dinner and a few other bits and bobs."
Others were left questioning whether they should go elsewhere for their shopping.
One customer who wished to remain anonymous said: "I was a bit put off by the queue, the weather isn't great and nobody seems to really know how long it will take to get in. I'm just going to grin and bear it, I'm a the back of the queue so it can only get better here now."
With the ongoing rise in cases of Covid and new measures soon to be brought in by the Welsh government to limit the spread, store staff were asking customers to correctly wear masks or show lanyards if they were exempt.
One customer was asked to wear a mask whilst waiting in the queue, to which they respectfully obliged to.
Everyone inside the store appeared to be wearing a mask correctly whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Numbers within the store were limited, with staff allowing customers entry upon others leaving. They were also sanitising baskets and trolleys.
Click and collect shoppers enjoyed skipping the long queues to have their turkeys and goods delivered to their hands from M&S staff.
"We made the mistake a few years ago and decided to try out the ordering for this morning. No complaints but I am surprised to see so many people queuing," said Ryan Lewis as he collected his shopping.
There were also issues at the Llanishen M&S according to one customer who described it as "chaotic".
Ann Coombes ordered for a fixed slot between 12:30pm and 1pm today, only to finally collect their shopping over an hour after the allocated time at 2:04pm.
She was told by the customer complaints department that a manager would call them within two days.
But Ann said: "It is too late to address the issue. I now remember why I didn’t order with M&S for the last three years. So the Covid card can’t be played. It has happened in previous years too."
Adrian Lister, store manager for M&S Pontarddulais Foodhall, said:
“This is always one of our busiest days of the year and we’re managing queues carefully to keep everyone safe. People have responded very positively, and we are incredibly grateful to both our hard-working colleagues and loyal customers across Wales for their support and Christmas cheer.”
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