Shoppers were bewildered to discover Easter eggs and hot cross buns stocked at a major supermarket months before the April holiday.
A Woolworths shopper, who lives in Mosman on Sydney’s lower north shore, shared a photo of rows of Cadbury Easter bunnies on display at their local store so soon after Christmas.
‘Give it a break,’ the poster wrote.
Dozens of packets of Cadbury Dairy Milk Easter eggs and bags of Turkish Delight Easter eggs were also being sold at the Woolworths store.
‘Just a day after Christmas and voila – hot cross buns are already on the shelves!’ one person wrote on social media.
Customers were quick to call out the supermarket giant for turning the once-sacred Christian holidays into year-round money-making opportunities.
Hot cross buns were spotted by eagle-eyed shoppers as early as Boxing Day.
‘Ridiculous, at least let’s get Christmas over with first,’ another person wrote.
Dozens of Cadbury Easter bunnies are being sold at Woolworths stores across Australia (pictured is the selection at a retailer in Mosman, in Sydney’s lower north shore)
Woolworths confirmed hot cross buns are being sold at stores across Australia.
‘When it comes to hot cross buns, Aussies love all different varieties both traditional and non-traditional, which is why we’ve brought a range to stores this year that serves up something for everyone,’ a spokesman told NCA Newswire.
Easter will be celebrated on Sunday April 20 this year with the Easter long weekend in Australia to begin on Good Friday on April 18.
Woolworths is set to introduce its new four pack ‘Cinnabon’ hot cross buns in March with the buns to feature a cream cheese filling and a cinnamon swirl.
The retailer rolled out fairy bread and Caramilk flavoured hot cross buns across stores last year which were popular with shoppers.
A Woolworths spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia most Easter products will go on sale in March, however the supermarket offers a small collection of items to customers from January each year.
‘We know that some of our customers appreciate the opportunity to plan their Easter celebrations in advance,’ the spokeswoman said.
‘We aim to provide our early-planning customers with the flexibility to spread out their spending over a longer period.’
Woolworths announced earlier this month it will stock Australia Day items this year after the retailer was blasted for ditching the national celebration last year.
The retailer revealed all its Woolworths and Big W stores will be offering a special ‘Perfect for Australia Day’ section this month.
Shoppers also noticed hot cross buns being sold at Woolworths stores (pictured) as early as Boxing Day last year before Aussies had celebrated New Year’s Eve
Although the offerings will be primarily focused on food, customers will also have the chance to pick up an Australian-made Australian or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag while doing their shop.
Customers will also be able to buy additional branded items such as t-shirts, bucket hats and sunglasses online through Woolworths marketplace sellers My Deal, BIG W Market and Everyday Market.
The backflip comes after the retailer was slammed last January after it shocked customers by announcing it would not be stocking Australia Day merchandise.
A Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia last year’s decision had been driven by ‘a decline in demand in our stores’ but that the company’s outlets will be ‘celebrating Australia Day as a team, and with our customers’ this time around.
‘We listened and recognised that many customers and teams wanted us to do more to help them celebrate the day,’ the spokesperson said.
Daily Mail has contacted Coles for comment.
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