SAINSBURY'S has left shoppers ''horrified'' after they spotted a festive favourite landing on the shelves at a South London store. Although the gloomy and wet weather might not suggest it, we're still in summer - however, that hasn't stopped some shops and supermarkets from already stocking their aisles with Christmas goodies. Much to the horror of X - formerly Twitter - users, mince pies have now officially made a return at one of Sainsbury's shops in the capital.
Gobsmacked, the London SE1 Community Website account shared the news with a post reading : ''First mince pies of 2024 sighted - Sainsbury's, Elephant & Castle.'' The dreadful post also included a snap of the sugary festive treat sitting on the shelf, priced at £3 a box. Needless to say, it wasn't long until horrified shoppers took to the comments section to share their reaction, My London reported .
One X user wrote: "Oh the horror, the horror." Another chimed in: "This really is cultural climate breakdown," while a third branded the move "bloody ridiculous''. Someone else who thought selling mince pies in August was ''outrageous'' said: ''I haven't even had my summer holiday yet.
'' According to another customer, their nearby branch started selling the Christmas essential at the beginning of the year. ''My local shop has been selling them on and off again since February. I think they have loads still in date, so often try to get rid of a few more.
'' However, Sainsbury's isn't the only one awaiting the Christmas season - The Sun previously reported how the luxury store Harrods went all festive four months early by putting up trees and laying out decorations. As customers step into the London-based store, a white deer ornament — available for £1,800 — will greet them in the hallway. A tree will set loaded Christmas super fans back £3,000, while the baubles are £29 a pop at the posh store in Knightsbridge, West London.
Meanwhile, as Brits were soaking up the sun during July's heatwave, a garden center based in Basildon, Essex, put out Christmas trees and decorations. Charlotte Harrington, the manager at Summerhill’s in Basildon, Essex, explained: “For many, many years now, we’ve opened our Christmas department on the August bank holiday. "The stock comes in early and we gradually start putting it out on the shop floor.
This is just a small fraction of what we have. “But our Christmas displays are so spectacular it takes time to get everything set up, so we have to start early . “It may seem a little odd putting them out now — especially with the hot weather.
“But we have to plan so far in advance.”.
