The Mercadona line of supermarkets are the new place in the Iberian Peninsula to flirt. In fact, there is even a particular time for this purpose, which leaves Tinder-type applications in a bad place.
Generation Z She’s willing to abandon the endless process of likes, swipes, and awkward messages, opting instead for real-world pickup tricks.
There’s a new trend on TikTok telling young singles to go to the supermarket chain Mercadona between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.the so-called “hookup time” to find the perfect partner.
To signal who is there to find their ideal match, they simply place a pineapple upside down in your shopping cart. When they see someone they find attractive and who has the same goal, they must hit their carts of purchasing against each other in another innovative way of pairing. People who have signed up for this “Mercadona trick” have gone so far as to say that they only go to the supermarket chain for the social experience and not for the purchase.
The person responsible for the viral phenomenon was Spanish actress and comedian Vivy Linwho posted a video on TikTok when she was walking with her friend through Mercadona at the time of the supposed dates. A week later, the video continues to increase in views and gain followers.
The first nuance of This strategy was heard in 2017 from a contestant on the program ‘First Dates’who described herself as a “hopeless romantic.” At the beginning of the program, contestant Lea expressed that there was a specific time when singles shopped at that supermarket.
This new pairing maneuver soon began to take effect. generate buzz on social mediawhere memes about the trend soon appeared.
The unwritten rules about flirting on Mercadona
The main thing is go between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; once you are in that time slot, you must take a pineapple and place it upside down (that is, face down), in your shopping cart.
According to the networks, once that is done you can approach the wine section and bump your cart against someone you like and you see that he also has another pineapple upside down.
The age also influences this type of seduction:
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If you are between 19 and 25 years old you have to go to the frozen area
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Between 25 and 40, the idea is to go to the fishmonger section
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More than 40 years: The wine aisle.
As we can read on networks and what has really gone viral is that the products you have in your cart would reveal the type of relationship you are looking for (a serious relationship, something sporadic or a sudden orgy of ultra-processed foods).
It is not clear the veracity of this trend, but what we can say is that it has gone viral and there are many people making memes about what their cart is like and that it has become a very effective marketing campaign for Juan Roig supermarkets.
The Spanish phenomenon begins to gain followers in Portugal
Finding love in the middle of a supermarket is clearly a Spanish trend, but it has already reached the Portuguese market. Both in TikTok as in X Reports are beginning to emerge from those who have also caught wind of the latest fad.
More difficult than finding love in the supermarket can be realizing who is looking for it. They already exist several codes that dictate the intentions of each. Chocolates, for example, can be a sign of something casual, while packaged vegetables in the cart are an indication of a more serious commitment.
