Pineapples have become the latest fruit of love, at least in one Spanish supermarket chain.

A dating trend on TikTok is encouraging young singles to visit 'Mercadona' supermarkets between 7pm and 8pm and place an upside-down pineapple in their shopping trolley to signal their interest to others.

The trend is what's known as 'flirting time' on the app.

Goss.ie CEO Ali Ryan told The Pat Kenny Show people are finding new ways to meet.

"If you see someone else with an upside down pineapple in their trolley, you knock trolleys together and you're meant to start chatting," she said.

"It's an interesting and growing trend - this idea that people are fatigued by the [dating] apps.

"They're trying to find random, new and quirky ways to meet people."

A sign for a Mercadona supermarket in Valencia, Spain. Image: Mercadona

Ms Ryan said she has seen other trends on TikTok, such as girls going to golf courses and pretending not to know how to play.

"They're all very jokey but it's the same issue that people are struggling to meet their match," she said.

"They're trying to find different ways... and it looks like Gen Z are getting very bored and tired [of dating apps].

"Supermarkets, I don't know if that's the way to go".

Woman looking at a dating profile picture on an app. Image: Roman Lacheev / Alamy

Ms Ryan said she thinks people looking for love are going back to more traditional methods.

"Even in Dublin there's a move to bring back speed dating and blind dates again," she said.

"It's funny to see but it looks the trend is going back to the way people used to date 20 [or] 30 years ago.

"People probably would have met in a supermarket knocking trolleys, it's very rom-com".

COVID and dating

Ms Ryan said she believes the COVID pandemic has also hit people's ability to meet each other.

"You have a lot of companies that don't even have an office anymore or they're not facilitating full-time work," she said.

"The second problem is... the younger generation seem to be less and less into going out [and] drinking alcohol, they're getting more into healthy trends.

"I think [they are] a generation that's used to being on phones and apps, I don't think they're socially that great.

"I don't think they're going up to people and trying to introduce themselves".

Ms Ryan said she thinks people need to make more of an effort.

"I've literally been in pubs and I have seen people on the apps chatting to other people [on the apps] and not speaking to people in the bar," she said.

"It's just so impersonal, I think that's why people are getting a bit sick of it".

Ali added that people could "just pretend you're genuinely shopping for a pineapple" if no one hits off their trolley.

Main image: A shopper with a trolley seen at a supermarket selling pineapples, 5-3-21. Image: SOPA Images Limited / Alamy