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Not The Onion @lemmy.world

Tony Bark @pawb.social

4d ago

Pumpkin spice products are already in grocery stores in July

Pumpkin spice products are already in grocery stores from Philadelphia Cream Cheese to Starbucks

55 comments

Might as well make it year round. Hell, vanilla was considered the fanciest of fancy rare spices, and now it's in everything.
Biggest problem i have with "seasonal" food, is the absolutely infuriating amount of food wasted just because the box/product needs to be swapped for the version that has hearts and bunnies on it.
- Vanilla, actual vanilla, is a pain in the ass to make, and almost all of the world's actual vanilla ends up in ice cream. We can synthesize the same chemicals out of, among other things, wood pulp and beaver secretions, which is why it's easier to make things vanilla flavored now.
  
  Do you mean the vanilla bean is a pain in the ass to grow? Vanilla is really easy to make from vanilla beans. Just use alcohol to extract the vanilla
  
  wood pulp
  This is also why barrel-aged spirits don't just taste like vanilla, they have literal vanillin in them, which is vanilla's main flavor compound.

It should just be sold all year round anyway. The hell I have to wait until October/September for things to taste like pumpkin pie? It doesn't ever actually have pumpkin in it, so it's not because of a growing season.
- Yeah, this doesn't look to be Halloween-themed or anything. I have cans of pumpkin and pumpkin extract that last for years. They can do pumpkin stuff whenever.
- I can't stand pumpkin but it, I think obviously, should be made all year. Is there some problem with production or maybe people only like the taste of it exclusively at that time of year?
  
  People go out of their way to buy pumpkin spice versions of products they likely would not have bought originally because the limited time nature makes them seem more enticing. And to also buy products in greater volume or more frequently than they otherwise would, to enjoy why it lasts. FOMO, basically.
  Same reason why "McRib is back" keeps being a thing.
  
  It's part of that "you're in the season of happy now think of your childhood" thing that companies just sort of dreamed up
  
  I'll buy a pumpkin or apple cider donut once or twice when they release around September. If they were available all year, I honestly doubt I would think about it or have it anymore than that. I can't be the only one that feels that way.

With more people tapping into the trend of Summerween
Summerween
Your marketers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
- They’ve never once considered if they should. Heck, Adam Smith said so himself:
  “The wealth of nations relies on dumb ass marketing and stupid fuckers buying into it.” - Adam Smith
- They could've said "Thanksgummer." Count your blessings

I don't think I've tried any pumpkin spice food or drink (they aren't that common here), but I definitely want christmas sweets like gingerbread and spiced cookies available year-round - why eat cookies that are flavored with just butter, vanilla or chocolate, when you could have cookies with spices?
- It's clearly the anticipation that gives it the flavor!
  
  I bet it also builds character.

It's either season creep or retailers don't think we're going to make it through fall so they're dumping products ahead of schedule.

might as well just keep them year round at this point
- From what I recall Starbucks used to keep Pumpkin Spice available much longer out of season than they advertised.
  -I was on the pumpkin spice train before it was cool.
- Has this ever happened to you?

The auto shop in my hometown had a sign that said “pumpkin spice oil change”
I appreciate the humor of the random mechanic that thought that was a hoot

So what, if people enjoy having those, let them.

Have to get it out early; Christmas has already taken over all of the fall season.

Menards has plastic skeletons out
- I have two neighbors that decorate their plastic skeletons seasonally all year long. It’s my favorite thing.

And there it will stay, until fucking Autumn.

It's weird being in the southern hemisphere sometimes.
- Oh, I never thought of that... is the cinnamon/ginger/clove mix associated with autumn or Christmas there? I remember reading a book, I want to say Little House on the Prairie, when I was a kid where some kids were really excited that their mom brought them some cold, refreshing eggnog as a summer time treat while working in the field. I found that very strange.
  
  No, it's not really a thing here at all.

Saw Halloween costume put up for sale, in mid-July. At this point, expecting frozen Turkeys to show up soon.
- Saw Halloween decorations at Lowe's couple days ago

I saw Christmas supplies at Costco a couple days ago…

Stop it
Seriously, stop it

Relevant clip from Last Week Tonight:
https://youtu.be/95vnXs1pjSY
- i scrolled for just this link thanks

Fuck yeah! Pumpkin spice is delicious! That shit oughta be year round.

This is why we need seasonal regulation goddamit
- https://www.pastafariancalendar.com/
  Friday, July 25, 2025 🍨 Hot Fudge Sundae Day 🍨
  These seasonal food regulations should definitely reflect the clearly-correct religious position and not some false religion's take on things.

I just hate that all supermarket tomatoes taste like pumpkin now

I got Halloween candy at CVS today in June.

It's dumb to take a super popular flavor off the shelf in the first place. Unless people don't actually like it, and it's some sort of commentary about people happy about fall coming around.

Candy corn too.

55 comments