Nightmare earlier than Christmas as Frantic Friday sees buying chaos and gridlocked roads
Brits will enter a festive frenzy of last-minute gift-buying which will peak at precisely 6.41pm on Friday, December 19. So you’ve been warned…
The nightmare before Christmas is in full swing as ‘Frantic Friday’ is expected to see shopping chaos and gridlocked roads.
Brits will enter a festive frenzy of last-minute gift-buying which will peak at precisely 6.41pm on Friday, December 19, experts predict.
And the streets will grind to a halt as 24.4m cars take to the roads in the great getaway.
New data reveals women are actually more likely to be last-minute panic-buyers than blokes “in a festive twist that turns a long-held stereotype on its head”.
A report by Prestige Hampers said: “Brits officially enter peak Christmas shopping meltdown mode at 18:41 on December 19 this year.
“The data shows that women were actually less organised than men when it came to Christmas gifting last year.
“Frantic Friday will be the day that most people rush online to order their last-minute – or forgotten – Christmas gifts.”
Meanwhile, the RAC is predicting the busiest Christmas getaway on record. Nearly two-thirds of drivers said they will embark on a car journey of up to 50 miles.
It listed the motorways from hell which are expected to be at the highest risk of gridlock. They include the M60 near the Trafford Centre, in Greater Manchester, the M5/M6 interchange near Birmingham and the M25 near Heathrow airport, west London. The M25 near Bluewater, Kent, is also set to be extra busy.
Visiting family and friends is the main reason for car travel in the festive period, followed by shopping and work. And the carnage is expected to carry on into Saturday.
TomTom traffic expert Andy Marchant said: “This year’s super Saturday is set to spark a surge in traffic across the UK, as last-minute shoppers and festive travellers hit the roads.
“Last year, our data showed the evening rush was particularly severe in London. Drivers should expect the busiest periods between midday and early evening, as shopping trips, social plans and the Christmas getaway all converge.”
The RAC forecast that a total of 37.5 million leisure trips by car are planned between Wednesday and Christmas Eve. That is the most in the week before Christmas Day since the company began recording the data in 2013.
Travel trade organisation Abta predicts that more than five million Brits will ditch the chilly UK between Friday and January 4.
Winter sun destinations such as mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, Portugal and Turkey are proving hugely popular, travel firms said. Christmas market breaks in Estonia, Poland, Austria and Germany are also a big hit this year.
