To wonder who on earth buys Easter eggs in January?

Definitely not the cheapest way to buy chocolate.

Serencwtch
It's more about releasing space in the supply chain & price establishment (products must be sold at a set price for a length of time before offers can start)

Never thought of the price establishment aspect that makes a lot of sense. Also suggests watching the price of seasonal items until there’s a offer before buying is a good plan.

i do if they are on offer, sometimes its cheaper to buy a small egg than a bar of chocolate

People who are sad that Christmas is over and want to console themselves by thinking it's 'only' three months till Easter?

I wouldn’t actually mind merchandise that fits the season. But last year Penneys had Halloween in September, Christmas merch before Halloween and Spring before Christmas.

Maybe it’s a knock on effect of the Suez canal obstruction, with stores ordering their stock earlier to avoid delays, but having no storage space? I just find it genuinely dysregulating.

And I miss the little post event bargains. Now you can’t buy sweets the week of Halloween or Easter Eggs on Easter week, and you can’t just live in the moment but they’ll sell you mugs and pillows with slogans advising you to do just that

I just need to know if Mother's Day cards are available yet?! DSis is visiting in a couple of weeks and I want to send her home with all the cards and presents for the year!

It’s not necessarily “fun” but I got a gorgeous set of wrapping paper with gift tags, ribbon and bows from a shop the other day, for £1.50, before Christmas it was £12. Also got two packs of cards for 50p each that normally retail at £4. We have plenty of storage space for our Christmas bits, so to me it was a no brainer. And one less thing to think about when next December rolls around!

I do! Not for other people though, strictly for me 😁. I love Easter eggs.

They have them in now. I bought the biscuit one because I couldn't get it last year. I will be going back for the custard cream one for my daughter 🙂

Don't pretty much all shops have seasonal aisles? I don't think that's a theory, it's an established feature of retail for supermarkets and shops like Home Bargains, it's all planned out months or maybe years ahead as part of their business model

I saw these custard cream eggs in M&S the other day, there were only a couple left on the shelf…got chatting to a member of staff and she said she’s already bought one for her daughter as last year she couldn’t get one, she said they sell out so fast!

I remember seeing Halloween stuff toward the end of August and thinking please can we just enjoy our Summer holiday, I’m still trying to finalise back to school shoes (which isn’t just shoes: shoes, plimsolls & wellies), I don’t want to start thinking about Halloween yet! 😂

What I’ll say is, the number of packets of mini eggs consumed by yours truly in 2026 isn’t 0…

In recent years my local, very large, Tesco has had next to none left in the week before Easter. When my children were younger it was a tradition to buy a vastly reduced egg after Easter but in recent years the shops must have got much better at stock planning as I rarely see a reduced one now

I completely agree with you. It takes all the joy out of each special occasion having it plastered everywhere for months beforehand but wiped away as if it doesn’t exist, ready for the next commercial opportunity, the day after it has happened.

Those aren't date specific items though, it's not quite the same.

I saw Valentines chocolates yesterday too, same question, who is buying those in January

Valentine cards in Tesco between Christmas and New Year. wtf? Also something I can’t stand; people snaffling the reduced Christmas wrapping paper a few days after the event. Where’s the fun in that?

Agreed

Chocoholics

People who are literally addicted to chocolate I think

Yes they could get other chocolate anyway, but I think it’s a way of legitimising that addiction. “Oh but it’s Easter now” - no it’s not.

The most annoying thing though, is that the flip side is that they aren’t selling the eggs anymore in the week leading up to Easter, they’ve already moved on.

Yes I do now buy mine a month or so before Easter, I’m quite an organised person so I don’t mind this, but it’s not really a very good reflection on our society that we should have to.

YANBU- I’m generally sick of shops pushing merchandise linked to every occasion into us all earlier and earlier. It makes you feel like you’re behind, when actually stuff is out far too early. You barely have time to enjoy the current occasion. Autumn is the worst- Christmas stuff out when children hadn’t had Halloween, Firework Night or Pudsey Bear.

I understand some people really do struggle financially, but I don’t believe for a second this is why retailers do this. They just want to pressure us all into buying more and more stuff.

I can understand people buying them because the mouthfeel of an Easter egg is different to a chocolate bar.

I’m not sure why I find it so unsettling, and can’t just ignore it. It hits me with a sort of manic hype energy, when I want to just come down after Christmas and coast in neutral for a while. And then when I’m ready for a bit of pre-event excitement, I find I’m jaded and can’t catch a buzz. Christmas felt quite flat to me for the same reasons.

I guess I should just set up a recurring grocery order, get it delivered, and just avoid leaving my house at all, ever. 🤣

@Serencwtchi had also thought it may be because they are getting them from suppliers and supermarkets don’t have storage space now, the shop floor is the storage space.

Last year I really wanted one of the Custard creams Easter eggs from m&s, but they never had them in stock. If I happen to be in m&s between now and Easter and they have them in stock, I will probably buy one and put it away in the cupboard. Also, I might buy some early, depending on when I'm going to see my sister as she lives over 500 miles away. But I do agree, January 4th does seem early to have them out!

It's more about releasing space in the supply chain & price establishment (products must be sold at a set price for a length of time before offers can start)

HFSS (high fat, sugar salt) legislation has restricted areas in which Easter eggs can be sold so retailers have had to change a lot of product locations & adjust marketing strategies.

I've worked in retail for many years & Easter eggs arriving Xmas eve & Xmas day is nothing new.

Sales in January will be minimal & retailers expect that.

Also politely suggest that if you have your heart set on a particular chocolate egg or are buying for someone with specific dietary needs or preferences it's a good idea to buy early.