TUCSON, Ariz. - Maybe you're digesting Thanksgiving dinner by now. Maybe it's about to land on your plate. But take a moment to remember those intrepid shoppers -- who rushed to the grocery store on a mission -- to find those missing ingredients -- and save Thanksgiving dinner.
Those shoppers know Thanksgiving is the high stakes meal of the year and when the cooks in the kitchen realize some ingredient's missing--- the pressure to preserve that perfect meal is on them.
In 25 years selling groceries Basha’s store manager Tom Royston has seen Thanksgiving shoppers with desperation in their eyes.
"Every year, it's every year grabbing that last minute, whether it's poultry seasonings, sage, the turkey bag someone forgot or the marshmallows but it's always last minute.”
KGUN9 Reporter Craig Smith says, “They're on a mission to save dinner.”
Tom: “Yes, they are they got it they got to make grandma's recipe is what I call it."
He's been prepping the Tucson Basha's at Sunrise and Kolb to be sure shoppers can get what they need.
"Jeffrey Martin laughs as he says, “The very last things we forgot were the mayonnaise for the deviled eggs and the paprika and of course... “
Stwade Martin says, “:A breadstick and dates and figs for the hors d'oeuvres"
Kelly Griffin told us, “Our dad sent us for gin.”
The meat department is one of the quietest places because if your turkey's not already in the oven, you're not going to be eating today. And if your turkey's still frozen.you're really out of luck."
A lot of modern day shopping would bewilder the pilgrims. Terese Kaptur and her daughter Lauren Houlik are shopping while they check out other daughter Nicole Ross holiday spread in Pennsylvania---by video phone.
Showing the phone screen, Terese Kaptur says, “They made pizza. There's her turkey...asparagus..."
And Vanessa Coelho is getting recipe notes from back home in Brazil.
"I'm doing some Brazilian recipes for American Thanksgiving”
Craig Smith asked: “What would that be?”
Vanessa: “It's gonna be like a dipped bread with cheese.”
And some shoppers are going for a low stress package deal. Everything pre-made, ready to heat up.
