- Parents's behaviour negatively impacting children during collectables craze
- Obsession over figurines encourages same behaviour in kids, expert warned
- Coles caused a frenzy after releasing new Stikeez figures on Wednesday
An expert has warned parents that obsessing over supermarket collectibles is having a negative effect on their children.
On Wednesday, Australian supermarket Coles released its new fruit and vegetable-inspired Stikeez range.
Associate Professor of Marketing Jana Bowden from Macquarie University said parents obsessing over the new figurines - and others such as Woolworths Ooshies - are encouraging the same behaviour in their children.
'That particular aspect is potentially harmful because it encourages obsessive behaviour, compulsive behaviour and addictive collecting behaviour,' she told Yahoo.
However, she also said that the collectables bring families together.
'They draw customers in and the key thing is getting the whole family shopping together, where children aren’t normally involved in the shopping decision-making,' she said.
'These kinds of campaigns bring families together and socialise children in to what to shop for, how to shop for them and when to spend money. So it's clever in starting the shopping cycle early on.'
Shoppers can get their hands on the new Coles collectables range for every $30 spent at the checkout in-store or online.
The limited-edition collection features 24 new characters, based on essential food groups, including fruits, vegetables, dairy, proteins and grains.