Marks & Spencer (M&S) has issued an apology after it completely ran out of World Cup sticker books and sticker packs, leaving football fans—young and old—unable to complete their collections. The supermarket chain has confirmed it will not be receiving any more stock and has refused to issue refunds for the partially filled albums.
Promotion Details and Customer Frustration
The M&S Eat Well Panini sticker book, priced at £3, was available in stores from May. Customers received a free sticker pack with every £20 spent at M&S Food. The promotion carried a warning: “All albums are unique, collectible and packed with players, stats, games and Eat Well inspiration – and once they’re gone, they’re gone, so be sure to get collecting early.” Despite this, many customers were caught off guard when supplies dried up while England were still competing in the tournament. England faced the Democratic Republic of Congo later on the day of the announcement in a bid to reach the last 16.
On X (formerly Twitter), user Kieran expressed his frustration: “Pathetic from @marksandspencer to stop the sticker promotion due to ‘too high demand’ (according to my local branch) when England are still in the tournament and still some gaps in the album, especially as I topped up the shop this morning to get to another £20 spend & another sticker.” Another customer, Debbie, wrote: “A rant! Bought a World Cup sticker book from @marksandspencer. They frequently ran out of stickers locally. They have now run out completely even though it is only half way through the competition. They have refused to refund the cost of the book even though we can’t complete.”
M&S Response and Customer Service Exchanges
M&S responded to Debbie, stating: “Hi Debbie. I’m sorry you’ve not been able to complete the book. This promotion was only on for a limited time to get everyone in the football spirit. This promotion has been really popular and once they’re gone they’re gone. I’ve fed back your comments to the business.” The company maintained that the promotion was never intended to last for the entire tournament.
Another customer, Mark, complained: “@marksandspencer I bought 2 World Cup football books for the Grandchildren and spend roughly £80 a week to acquire the Football cards to fill them, I have now be told at my local that they will not be having any more cards in, this is a total #ripoff!” M&S replied: “Hi Mark, I can understand and of course we wouldn’t expect this if they’re partially completed. We would need to see a photo of your receipt in order to help further. Some of our stores do have stock of the stickers left so I hope you can find some soon - Sarah.”
El also appealed: “@marksandspencer my nephew has been collecting your world cup stickers he is one player short please please can you send us one its no 3 Ian Wright?” M&S responded: “Hi El, I’m sorry, we don’t have any stickers available to send. While our stores are starting to run out as the promotion has been extremely popular, I’d still recommend checking on your next visit - Sarah.”
No Further Stock and No Refunds
In a final statement, M&S said: “I’m sorry - the sticker albums were subject to availability and flew off the shelves really quickly. I’m afraid we don’t have any more available at this time.” The supermarket has not offered refunds for the £3 sticker books, leaving collectors with incomplete albums and no way to finish them. The incident has sparked criticism on social media, with many accusing M&S of poor planning and customer service.
