Easter Eggs often start cropping up in supermarkets right after Christmas (Photo: Matthew Chattle/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Christmas Day has come and gone once more but many of us are likely still sprawled out on the couch, hoovering up the last of the Quality Streets.
We might tentatively be looking ahead to what the first few weeks of the new year will bring, but Easter will be the furthest thing from our minds… and rightly so as there’s still another three months to go.
But this hasn’t stopped retail giants from cracking out the Easter chocolate, with shoppers spotting a whole host of festive new products in supermarkets.
According to the @newfoodsuk page on Instagram, there’s already an aisle chocked full with new Salted Caramel Lindt Bunnies, Caramilk Eggs, Orange Mini Eggs, and a Dairy Milk and White Marble Easter Egg in Tesco.
Many will see these on the shelves and roll their eyes, or incredulously point out that it’s only January for God’s sake, can’t we give it a rest?!
But that’s not going to happen, as it turns out there’s a rather sneaky reason retailers start going big on the festive treats ahead of time.
According to experts, it’s a psychological trick that encourages you to buy more.
By putting the products out now, it gets you thinking about the occasion in advance (in this case Easter), and makes you more likely to buy the chocolate eggs now, for fear that they won’t have any of the ones you want left in stock come March 31st.
You might also think that it’s cheaper and will save you money in the long run if you buy them early.
Psychotherapist Kamalyn Kaur told Metro.co.uk that the Easter chocolate can be a ‘psychological trigger’ for some.
She explained: ‘Easter eggs being in the shops now is a strategy which can trigger our psychological triggers that 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 Easter eggs displayed now can serve as a visual or subconscious reminder of the event, which can encourage people to start planning their Easter celebrations well in advance.’
She added: ‘In some cases, if Easter eggs 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.’
You might also find yourself buying the eggs now with good intentions of saving them for March, but over the coming months end up eating them.
Thus, you’ll have to go back and buy another one for Easter, and this could prove to be a bit of an endless cycle, depending on your powers of self-restraint, meaning you end up buying much more than you initially planned.
The same is true of Valentine’s, Halloween, or Christmas candy that you find in shops well in advance of the big day.
So next time you think about stocking up on Easter eggs early, perhaps give yourself a moment to pause before loading up your trolley and consider whether you really want or need it, or if you’re just being influenced because it’s out there in front of you.
Either way, the same products will be back on the shelves in a few months as Easter draws near. Just a little food for thought to keep in mind…
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Creme Eggs, Lindt Bunnies, Mini Eggs, oh my!