It is still six weeks or so away, but there is no doubt that Christmas is coming as far as the multiples are concerned.
Even fresh produce departments are giving space to crackers while island displays of other goodies, mainly of the alcoholic type, crowd the aisles. Some stores already have banners strung across the car park offering customers their best wishes.
Waitrose is already in tune with packs of Mozart red potatoes at £2.29 for 2.5kg, complete with a competition to win one of 400 Le Creuset roasting trays. Shelf barkers suggest that UK-grown red chicory (£1.49/140g) is delicious with cold turkey and an apple.
Cranberries, of course, are now beginning to feature and Tesco even has a pack adorned with holly, mistletoe and Christmas tree decorations brought over from the US.
Meanwhile, I would expect to see the march of convenience continuing right up to the end of the imminent buying frenzy, which gathers pace right up to 24 December.
One of the success stories has been fresh-cut fruit, which arrives in a range of packs and pots showing off the contents with varying degrees of attractiveness.
Florette, best known for its salads, has pushed the boundaries further with a new presentation of tropical fresh FruitPots, which apart from being heavily branded follow the multi-pack route of yogurts.
On sale in Tesco with an introductory offer of £1.99 for three 80g tubs, these contain pineapple, grape, kiwifruit and mango in individual portions.
This retailer has also introduced a new Thai-style medley with produce grown both in the UK and Kenya, neatly arranged in a 220g tray for £2.
You get quite a range, as the pack contains shallots, fine beans, mangetout or sugar snap peas, coriander, lemon grass, baby corn, garlic, ginger and chillies.
Many more countries obviously think the UK market for the last named is getting hotter, as Morocco has joined the club. A 50g sachet (47p) is available at Lidl.
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