Since this will be a long weekend, due to the Immaculate Conception holiday on December 8th (Monday), the question always arises: will the supermarket opening hours remain the same?
So we visited the most important supermarkets in Lisbon to find out if they would be keeping their opening hours between December 6 and 8, if they would be reducing them or if they were simply planning to close their doors.
So, to avoid any last-minute surprises, here’s a look at how the main supermarket chains in Greater Lisbon are likely to operate between December 6 and 8.
Continente
We’re not aware of any Portuguese supermarket ever having closed its doors due to public holidays. We believe that if you work on this day, you will be able to take time off on other dates, or receive an additional amount (typically +50%) for working on a national holiday.
So, on December 8th, Continente will open its doors again.
Pingo Doce
The high street supermarket chain Pingo Doce also doesn’t usually close on public holidays, so, judging by the lack of communication to this effect on their social networks and website, they will also remain open on the next public holiday.
Mercadona
Mercadona, which usually operates from 9 a.m. to 9.30 p.m., is one of the strictest chains when it comes to public holidays. But that’s only in Spain, where they’re closing their stores on December 8th (Immaculate Conception Day). In Portugal, after we questioned the chain by message, the answer was that the opening hours would be as usual.
Lidl, Aldi and Auchan
The story repeats itself at the Lidl and Aldi supermarkets, with the stores in Greater Lisbon maintaining their usual opening hours.
Even so, because “surprises” can always happen, we suggest that, on December 8th, before heading to any of these supermarkets, you take a look at their opening hours.
