A new year means that all the Christmas chocolate will be reduced in the shops, but if you head to Marks & Spencer, you’ll find something you hadn’t bargained for on the shelves.
Shoppers have spotted that the retailer has already started selling products for Valentine’s Day more than a month early, and the range includes a rather cheeky item.
Now, M&S has been known to sell naughty-looking sweet treats for the romantic holiday, from chocolate shaped like a long sausage dog that had people doing a double take, to cupid’s arrows that are akin to something from Ann Summers.
And this year, the team at M&S knew exactly what they were doing when they created a seasonal treat for February, known as ‘You Tickle My Pickle’.
The silly chocolate bar is, unsurprisingly, shaped like a pickle, but what is making people giggle is the way the pickle is laid out in a sultry pose – it’s very much giving ‘paint me like one of your French girls’.
It’s also rather phallic-shaped, but you’d probably already worked that out.
Online fans are having a good chuckle over the product, with Becky Nicholls proclaiming it as: ‘Another reason why M&S is the best shop ever.’
Similarly, Joanne Rowland wrote on Facebook: ‘I can literally hear the Karens [saying] ooohhh it looks like a c**k.
And Mat Smith joked: ‘Ermmmm calm down M&S’.
Over on TikTok, a user known as @the.trolley.edit said: ‘Killing it as always!! You tickle my pickle!’
However, some thought the chocolate resembled something a little less romantic, with Emmie Wood commenting: ‘The pickle on looks like a turd! I’m getting my hubby one it’s funny as.’
Emma Fallon agreed, adding: ‘The pickle looks more like a turd.’
According to M&S, the pickle is a ‘feel-good’ and ‘charming’ treat you’ll find in the Foodhall to keep your ‘Valentine, Palatine or Galentine sweet’.
The product is described as being a creamy milk chocolate character, finished with pink-tinted white chocolate cheeks and dark chocolate eyes.
The price of the new product hasn’t been confirmed yet; however, several other Valentine’s treats have been revealed, including a Pistachio Heart, Love Heart Cupcakes, Choco Cherry Mallow Whips, Heart-Shaped Jelly Beans, and Lovely Lollies.
M&S has also dropped some very early Easter items, including an egg version of its iconic Big Daddy chocolate bar, and the cult classic Outrageously Chocolatey Custard Cream Biscuit egg is back too.
Why do shops start selling seasonal treats so early?
Seeing Valentine’s and Easter items in the shops now might have you rolling your eyes and exclaiming that it’s too early.
And of course, it is too early. But there’s a sneaky psychological reason why retailers put this stuff out right after Christmas.
By putting the products out now, it gets you thinking about the occasion in advance, and makes you more likely to buy, in case they don’t have any of the ones you want left in stock later on.
You might also think it’s cheaper and will save you money in the long run if you buy early.
Do you buy Valentine's Day or Easter chocolate early?
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Yes, I can't wait
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No, it's months away
Psychotherapist Kamalyn Kaur tells Metro: ‘Valentine’s chocolate and Easter eggs being in the shops now is a strategy which can set off our psychological triggers to encourage us to buy them now.
‘Shops will often strategically introduce seasonal items well in advance of the actual holiday or event to create a sense of anticipation and excitement that can prompt early purchases.
‘Seeing seasonal treats displayed can serve as a visual or subconscious reminder of the event, which can encourage people to start planning their celebrations well in advance.’
She adds: ‘In some cases, if they are displayed earlier or introduced at cheaper prices, then it can create a sense of urgency and scarcity, encouraging the consumer to buy sooner, fearing that the item might run out or the prices might get higher closer to the holiday.’
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