"The sell-off dates back to the days before refrigeration, when customers would buy as close to Christmas as possible, and meat dealers needed to sell off everything before the Christmas shutdown. Such was the throng at the market on Christmas Eve that it sometimes made the news, as in 1912, when one trader was said to be selling 60 turkeys an hour."
"They're not quite as cheap these days, but you can still pick up a fantastic deal on Christmas Eve. That's because although the selloff died off with the advent of modern refrigeration, it was resurrected some years ago by Greg Lawrence, Chairman of Smithfield Markets Traders' Association. What started as trading out of a closed outlet on the main road to a small in-the-know crowd is now a much larger event held in the main avenue."
"The sale starts at 10am, although the crowd tends to start building up from 9am, but don't worry if you're at the back, as that isn't going to stop you getting a bargain. Once the auction sale starts, the butchers come out holding up prime cuts of beef, pork, bacon and of course, turkeys - a price is announced, and all you need to do is wave money like mad to catch their eye."
Smithfield Market runs a traditional Christmas Eve sell-off where butchers auction leftover meat and turkeys. The practice originated before refrigeration when dealers had to clear all stock before the Christmas shutdown, producing crowds and falling prices through the day. The sell-off was later resurrected by Greg Lawrence and expanded from a small closed-outlet gathering to a large event in the main avenue. The sale officially starts at 10am with crowds forming from 9am. Butchers display prime cuts, announce prices, and buyers wave money and pass payments forward amid a hectic, festive atmosphere.
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