Thanksgiving 2018: 5 things shoppers forget to buy for their holiday meal

As shoppers rush around during the frantic holiday season among major crowds, they easily forget that last item on the Thanksgiving dinner list, store managers said.

The five most commonly forgotten buys are cream cheese, cream of mushroom soup for casseroles and gravy, celery, butter and sweet potatoes, according to Meijer.

Average families are expected to spend less than $5 per person for Thanksgiving meals this year, according to a survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation. This year's cost of $48.90 for 10 people is down 22 cents from last year.

“Since 2015, the average cost of Thanksgiving dinner has declined steadily and is now at the lowest level since 2010,” said AFBF Chief Economist Dr. John Newton.

Yet shoppers will buy 18,000 gallons of canned corn at Meijer alone this holiday season, the company said. That’s enough to fill 38 swimming pools.

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The grocer will also sell 1.8 million pounds of red, white and yellow potatoes and 904,000 pounds of canned yams. It also plans to sell more than 850,000 turkeys.

Meijer has more than 240 stores. Most stores are open 24 hours, but Thanksgiving deals begin at 6 a.m.

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