It’s ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. And for supermarket bank balances the quarter is indeed ‘golden’ – sales topped £13bn during the four weeks of December for the first time ever last year. But for shop workers it’s a different story.

“What’s it really like to work in a supermarket at Christmas? It’s an absolute nightmare,” says Lisa*, who has worked at Tesco for over 30 years. “Nothing comes close to the festive period for stress. I’ve seen so much abuse and trouble over the years. One time, people were literally fighting about brussels sprouts. One woman got the last pack, and then another woman followed her and stole them out of her trolley!”