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Aldi launches Specialbuy Spa Day to celebrate kids going back to school – and it’ll only cost you a story

• A quarter of mums want to be pampered once kids go back to school
• 1 in 10 dads admitted to playing hide and seek without going to look for their children this school holidays
• Aldi is offering 100 lucky shoppers a day of blissful pampering in exchange for a funny school holiday anecdote

Aldi has launched the UK’s most affordable spa day after two thirds of parents revealed they find the school holidays stressful and struggle to find time for themselves. The discounter’s latest Specialbuy can be obtained for just a tale from the school holidays.

Research of over 1,000 parents found half (49%) look forward to kids going back to school so they can relax more, with almost a quarter (23%) counting down the days until the school gates open.

Parents have resorted to everything from hiding in the toilet to sending children to bed before 6pm to gain a bit of me time during the holidays. 10% of dads admitted to playing hide and seek without going to look for their children, while a quarter of parents have made household chores into games to keep them entertained.

A quarter (24%) of mums say their ideal way of spending the day the kids go back to school is being pampered, in reality 50% will spend the day catching up on housework and resetting the home after the holidays.

To help celebrate ‘Parents Yay’ – the day that kids finally go back to school – Aldi is offering a Specialbuy Spa Day for the price of a funny anecdote from the school holidays. All parents need to do is email AldiSpaDay@Clarioncomms.co.uk with their story before midnight on 6^th September and 100 people will secure a £75 Spa Day voucher.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK says: “Back to school is not just a big day for the kids, but for parents too. Shoppers told us they wanted to be pampered so what better way to spend ‘Parents Yay’ than at a spa day?

Some of the best memories I have with my children are from the school holidays, so I’m looking forward to seeing what parents have been up to – and we’ll share some of the funniest anecdotes on Aldi’s social channels.”

The research also found:

• Two in five (39%) mums say the holidays are too long. In contrast, a fifth (19%) of dads say they’re not long enough
• Keeping kids entertained seems to be more challenging in the South with parents in the South East (47%) and South West (47%) most likely to say the holidays are too long, whereas, parents in the East Midlands (23%) and Scotland (21%) are most likely to say the holidays are too short
• Dads are more likely to get creative in order to get more ‘me time’ during the holidays, including:
  • Hiding from their kids (44%)
  • Pretending to be asleep (21%)
  • Sending children to bed before 6pm (17%)
• The top five ways parents will spend ‘Parents Yay’ are:
  • Catching up on housework (45%)
  • Going back to work (43%)
  • Watching TV (25%)
  • Catching up with friends (18%)
  • Pampering themselves (15%)

Full terms and conditions can be found here: aldi.co.uk/spa-specialbuy  

Source: Mortar research of 1,028 parents of school children in the UK, August 2024.

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