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The Spanish supermarket, particularly Mercadona, has become a major place to find love over the past couple of weeks. Walk around the store between 7 and 8 PM with an upside-down pineapple, and the message is clear: you’re flirting. This new phenomenon is thanks to a young lady from Malaga who introduced this viral form of Tinder in a TikTok video. Her remarkable initiative immediately struck a chord. Over 50 million people have seen the video, and other supermarkets like Lidl, Carrefour, and Alcampo have all introduced their versions of flirting hours.
While in Mercadona the upside-down pineapple and a visit to the beer and wine aisle is the code for wanting to be approached, Carrefour has developed its own code. Chips in the shopping cart means: I am a fun person; gummies represent a sweet soul; legumes indicate 'I am seriously looking'; and pizza means 'I am not looking for a serious relationship.' At Lidl, the watermelon is the symbol for seeking love. Some other supermarkets have embraced the flirting hour as well but use different times.
To make sure you know when the flirting hour is at your favorite supermarket, it might help to learn the following Spanish phrase: Cuando puedo coquetear aquí, meaning when can I flirt here?
But all joking aside, this peculiar but creative idea might quickly die out. For now, it has also spread to Dutch supermarkets. Moreover, there are behavioral experts who understand the flirting hour. Their logic is that supermarkets offer an informal atmosphere. Especially shy individuals prefer this over a bar or restaurant when looking for love.
The downside of the flirting hour is that several supermarkets have complained about groups of young people gathering who don’t want to buy anything but make the work of security staff more difficult. A video circulating on social media shows staff packing all the fruit into boxes and pushing them into storage before 7 PM.
Time will tell whether love or chaos will prevail during the flirting hour.
