I smiled as I read this (in Denise Mina’s The Last Breath), and wondered how many people would understand it. I am not sure if it is common in Scotland or if it is an older saying, but in Ireland, getting the messages is doing the shopping. A hot press is the warming cupboard.
I probably only know this because I am half-Irish, and lived and trained as a teacher in Ireland. I am not sure if only older people use it.