Parents have expressed outrage over a disappointing dinosaur-themed advent calendar produced by M&S in partnership with the Natural History Museum. The calendar features life-like illustrations of dinosaurs on the outside, but the chocolates inside are not dinosaur-shaped. Instead, they are generic Christmas-themed chocolates, leading to disappointment among customers. One customer took to social media to express her frustration, sparking a viral response with many parents sharing their surprise and disappointment as well.
The lack of dinosaur-shaped chocolates in the advent calendar led to a wave of reactions on social media, with many parents expressing their disappointment. Some felt that the chocolates should have been shaped like dinosaurs to match the theme of the calendar. The post garnered over 120,000 views and thousands of likes and retweets, showing the widespread disappointment among consumers. While some parents found the calendar to be a letdown, others were surprised and hoped for a different experience for their children who were eagerly looking forward to the dinosaur-shaped chocolates.
In response to the feedback and suggestions from customers, an M&S spokesperson acknowledged the disappointment and promised to share the feedback with the food team for future consideration. The company described the calendar as a festive treat for curious minds, featuring illustrations of dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period and solid milk chocolate shapes behind each door. Despite the disappointment with the chocolates not being dinosaur-shaped, customers appreciated the effort put into the calendar and hoped for improvements in future products.
The issue with the M&S dinosaur advent calendar is not the first time consumers have encountered disappointment during the holiday season. In a previous year, shoppers were paying significantly more for advent calendar chocolates compared to standard packs, with deals like a £10 Quality Street calendar containing 230g of chocolate, making them nearly 300% more expensive than usual. This disparity in pricing led to concerns among consumers about the value for money when it comes to holiday treats and products. The Sun reached out to M&S for comment on the dinosaur advent calendar issue.
In addition to the dinosaur advent calendar, M&S has released a Christmas food lineup with 450 new items, including white mulled wine, turkey feast dip, turkey feast lasagne, hot honey brie brulee, and halloumi in blankets with hot honey. The products received mixed reviews from The Sun’s consumer editor, with some items like the turkey feast dip and halloumi in blankets with hot honey receiving top ratings for their festive flavors and unique combinations. Despite the disappointment with the advent calendar, M&S continues to offer a variety of holiday treats and products for customers to enjoy during the festive season.
Overall, the disappointment over the M&S dinosaur advent calendar highlights the importance of meeting consumer expectations when it comes to themed products and holiday treats. While the calendar featured life-like illustrations of dinosaurs on the outside, the generic Christmas-themed chocolates inside failed to live up to customers’ expectations. Moving forward, brands like M&S can learn from this experience and prioritize aligning the content of their products with the expectations of their target audience to avoid similar disappointments in the future.
