Sneaky supermarkets are playing Easter eggs now, expert says

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Shoppers were stunned to see Christmas chocolate replaced by Easter treats on supermarket shelves in January - but it turns out it there's a sneaky reason for that

Christmas has just ended and Easter eggs are already on sale (stock photo) (

Image: Adam Gerrard/Daily Mirror)

If you visited your local supermarket recently and did a double take when you saw what they were selling the first week of January, just know that you weren't alone.

Christmas is barely in the rearview mirror, but supermarkets have already emptied their aisles of chopped pies and Terry's chocolate oranges and decided to fill the shelves with Easter eggs instead.

It happens every year, but many people keep scratching their heads, wondering what the point is.

Well, according to an expert, this is actually a devious psychological trick that convinces shoppers to spend more money because they buy the products now and then again in several months approaching Easter.

Dr. Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, a consumer psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University, explained how shoppers think buying products up front makes them 'convenient', but end up spending more in the long run .

Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd from Anglia Ruskin University shared her expert opinion (

Picture:

Dr Catherine Jansson-Boyd)