Love in the Aisles: The Dating Trend in Spain’s Supermarkets

Love in the Aisles: The Unexpected Dating Scene in Spain’s Supermarkets

As the sweltering summer sun begins to set on Spain, a delightful and surprising trend is taking hold in the most unlikely of places — the air-conditioned aisles of local supermarkets. Here, amidst the shelves lined with groceries, singles are discovering a unique way to connect. The key? An upturned pineapple in their shopping carts, signaling to fellow lonely hearts that they are open for romance.

This quirky phenomenon is attributed to comedian Vivy Lin, who has recently gained attention in the Spanish media for igniting this charming fad. A few weeks ago, she and her friend Carla Alarcón shared a playful video of themselves grocery shopping in Seville, which sparked widespread interest.

In their lighthearted clip, Ms. Lin observed a peculiar trend: a specific time frame, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., when the aisles of Spain’s largest supermarket chain, Mercadona, are bustling with single men and women, meandering about with seemingly no intent to purchase anything. With a cheeky wink to the camera, she concluded that there was only one plausible explanation for this: they were all out “ligando,” or searching for a date.

With a mischievous grin, she coined the term “the dating hour in Mercadona,” and promptly uploaded her humorous video to TikTok. The response was overwhelming, and other users quickly jumped on the bandwagon.

• A fashionable brunette, decked out in her finest, applied vibrant red lipstick and struck a pose next to neatly stacked shelves.
• Young women, dressed in trendy summer shorts and T-shirts, frolicked through the aisles, playfully posing beside the wine selection.
• A dapper young man, sporting a sharp suit and tousled hair, flashed a charming smile and raised an eyebrow at fellow shoppers, adding to the flirtatious atmosphere.

In a recent interview, Ms. Lin expressed her perspective on this amusing trend, stating, “I see it as being more of a humorous phenomenon than a true romantic endeavor.” She elaborated, “I think the pretext of seeking a hookup has simply provided an excuse for people to go out, have fun, and create memes while recording videos.” This blend of humor and social interaction has turned a mundane task like grocery shopping into a lively and entertaining experience, where the thrill of potential romance adds a spark to everyday life.