**M&S Shoppers Flood Stores for Yellow Sticker Bargains Amid Cyber Attack Recovery**
Marks & Spencer (M&S) stores across the UK have seen a significant rush from bargain-seeking shoppers this week, as the high street giant continues its recovery from a recent cyber attack. Customers have reported spotting a dramatic increase in the number of ‘yellow sticker’ items—foods marked down for quick sale—on shelves throughout the day, rather than just at closing time.
Traditionally, yellow sticker discounts are applied to products nearing their expiry dates in late afternoons or evenings. However, since the major cyber incident last month, reports from customers and social media influencers suggest that reductions are appearing much earlier and in greater volume. This reflects ongoing difficulties the retailer faces in managing its stock, with online sales of clothing, groceries, and other products still suspended while systems are restored.
The surge of discounted items has not gone unnoticed by sharp-eyed M&S regulars, who have taken to platforms such as TikTok to showcase their hauls and notify others. Videos depict shoppers filling their baskets with marked down food, some items still having several days of shelf life remaining. For many, it’s a rare chance to snap up cut-price bakery goods, meat, fresh produce and ready meals—an opportunity too good to pass by during the cost of living crisis.
A TikTok user who posts under the handle @charityshoplife, known as Danielle, shared her recent experience, encouraging her million-strong audience to “get to M&S” if they are looking for good deals. Demonstrating her finds on camera, she revealed that the reductions are being applied by staff during the mid-morning, not just before closing. Her video showed baskets laden with cut-price items and suggested now is an ideal time to stock up the freezer.
Other social media users echoed her sentiments. Steph (@steph_chulo) described spotting “yellow stickers in almost every aisle” at her local branch, noting that plenty of products on offer were still several days short of their expiry. She added that it wasn’t just bakery and fresh produce that were marked down—meat-based products appeared to dominate the discounts.
In Liverpool, local media have reported similar scenes. Journalists from the Liverpool ECHO identified deals in a city centre store with items such as butcher’s sausages reduced to £2.00, haddock fillets for £5.00 and lamb’s liver selling at £1.25. Other markdowns included minced meat at £5.00 and whole stuffed chickens for £10.00—a significant saving for families looking to stretch their weekly food budget.
The immediate cause of these markdowns can be traced back to an ongoing stock management issue after last month’s sophisticated cyber attack. On May 13, M&S’s Chief Executive, Stuart Machin, confirmed that personal data belonging to customers—such as names, email and postal addresses, and dates of birth—had been accessed by hackers. Crucially, he reassured the public that no payment or card details, nor account passwords, were compromised. To date, there have been no reports of this personal data resurfacing online.
As online operations remain disrupted, M&S’s inability to fulfil deliveries has resulted in excess stock in many stores, prompting the use of yellow stickers to clear shelves and avoid food waste. The retailer has reached out to online shoppers, informing them of the breach and encouraging extra vigilance, though Machin has assured customers that no immediate action is necessary on their part. For added protection, M&S will require a password change upon customers’ next login to its online services.
Whilst the company works behind the scenes to restore its systems and regain customer trust, it seems many shoppers are relishing the chance to hunt down bargains on the high street. While the circumstances are far from ideal for the retailer, they have presented a temporary boon for those eager to make their money go further during these challenging times.
The long-term impacts of the cyber attack—on both shopper habits and M&S’s operational resilience—remain to be seen. For now, the yellow sticker brigade is out in force, intent on making the most of an unprecedented situation in one of Britain’s best-loved retailers.