Philadelphia shoppers head to the stores ahead of scaled-back Thanksgiving dinner
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- If you haven't already, it's time to buy a bird! Action News spoke to Thanksgiving food shoppers about what they'll be cooking on Thursday.
"I'm really good at a cornbread stuffing," said Shaun Miller, of South Philadelphia
"I always cook my turkey in a brown bag," Lilly Fields said.
Michele Martines is going with an Italian side dish.
"My mushrooms. I make a good mushroom with Marsala wine," she said.
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Pam Clement of Germantown said she's the queen cook of the family.
"If they know I'm cooking, they will come," she said.
This year, things feel a little different for shoppers at Philadelphia's Italian Market.
"We're just gonna hang out of two of us and recreate a little bit of homeyness," said friends Symone Slaib and Sammy Kovnat, of Point Breeze.
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"My hope is with the small, really small, gathering we have just as much fun and we are just thankful that we're here and we're safe," says Shaun Miller.
Based on COVID-19 guidance, the turkey at the table has been scaled back. In years past 20 to 22-pound turkeys are pretty average, this year people are looking for about 12 to 13-pound birds because they're having smaller get-togethers.
Jordan Morinich, from Esposito's Meat Market on South 9th Street, says though the store is practicing social distancing, the demand for turkeys is great.
"Everybody used to pack in the store and it used to be complete chaos, but now that we have the online system, you've got to call people from the outside. The line is steady all day," says Morinich.
At Acme in Mount Airy, there are plenty of turkeys and hams, but shoppers are scaling back this year.
"Normally, we go out, but we're keeping it safe," says Lilly Fields, of Mount Airy.
Acme store managers say the busiest day for Thanksgiving shopping is Wednesday.
