Shopping for love in Spain

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Looking for love at the supermarket - 16th September 2024

The days of the dating app may be over, at least in Spain. According to social media, the best place to find love is now in Mercadona, the supermarket chain.

Bachelors and bachelorettes in search of romance are heading to the supermarket’s aisles between the hours of 7pm and 8pm. However, there are bizarre customs for singletons to signal that they’re on the market. Namely, they must set a pineapple upside down in their trolley and hang out in the store’s wine section.

Other items in your trolley could indicate what kind of relationship individuals are looking for according to the news website The Olive Press. By placing a box of chocolates or sweets next to the pineapple, romantics show they want a deep and meaningful relationship. Whereas a head of lettuce or other vegetables signifies a more casual connection.

Mercadona has denied that the dating hour’s part of a marketing plan to encourage people into its stores. In reality, the retailer’s staff have been irritated by these customers’ behaviour, leaving behind trolleys of unpurchased produce which they have to return to the shelves. Employees in a few stores have begun removing pineapples from the shop floor just before the dating hour starts.

In Bilbao, things got too rowdy for staff and police were called to one overcrowded Mercadona branch. Thankfully, nobody ended up behind bars.

Having grown up with online dating, many young people are attracted by the opportunity to start meeting face-to-face. Tired of the impersonal swiping on dating apps, Gen Zs and millennials are steering their trolleys toward potential partners in the supermarket.

Forget computer algorithms. Now you can navigate your own path to finding love strolling the aisles with pineapples prominently displayed. And if love remains elusive, at least you’re in the right spot to grab a comforting tub of ice cream.