Shoppers rage as Christmas goods replaced with unexpected item

Supermarkets across the UK appear to be in a rush to put Christmas behind them already – with Easter eggs spotted on shelves as early as Boxing Day.

Shoppers expressed their disbelief on social media after noticing staff had already started replacing festive goods with chocolate, despite Easter Sunday being almost four months away on April 20, 2025.

Several Co-op customers took to X (formerly Twitter) to share images of one particularly seasonal aisle, where proactive stores were eager to cash in. “The bloody Easter Eggs were being stacked onto the shelves today in my local Co-op,” one user wrote alongside a photo of Galaxy, Maltesers, and Celebrations eggs. “Boxing day! Not wasting time.”

“A bloody joke more like!” another person vented in response. “Who’s gonna be bothered about Easter eggs when it’s several months away? Not to mention hardly anyone will be able to afford much at the start of the new year, not long after Christmas.”

Another X user shared photos from his local well-stocked Co-op, commenting: “Making sure the Co-op have the Easter Eggs out on Boxing Day [tick].” Morrisons appears to have got in on the act too, meanwhile, as one disgruntled shopper noted: “Morrisons very much nailing the spirit of Christmas by launching their Easter eggs on Boxing Day. As one customer muttered on the way past, their brains aren’t wired properly.'”

Further images on X revealed the same applied to Tesco, where one customer slammed: “That Tesco were putting out Easter Eggs on BOXING DAY says something sad about Britain and the world. Christmas used to be special, it used to be a really magical time. Now it’s just about milking the public for every penny. They took down the decorations Christmas Eve ffs.”

Whilst discount stores painted a similar picture as someone else pointed out: “B&M had Easter stuff starting to go out a few days ago. Local shop has Creme Eggs. It’s ridiculous. Nobody enjoys themselves anymore, it’s always what’s next.”

Amidst the outrage, some Brits pledged their resistance against premature seasonal marketing, with one X user remarking: “I’m so glad I’m on a mission to stop over consuming.” 

Speaking from experience, meanwhile, a former retail worker echoed the chorus of disgruntlement, sharing their resentment towards the premature stocking of holiday items. “I used to work in retail, staff get really frustrated with the arrival of certain annual stock items,” they explained. 

“Remember getting loads of Easter goodies before Christmas last year. Still had loads of Christmas stuff in January to reduce yet Easter goods HAD to go out.”

Nevertheless, not all reactions have been negative; some shoppers have embraced the early bird strategy. An appreciative X user commented: “Wife and I went Boxing Day shopping this afternoon, got most of our Easter Eggs we need.”