Poundland sells 20,000 engagement rings in a week

Poundland has sold 20,000 of its engagement rings within a week of releasing the product in the run-up to Valentine's Day, the company has announced.

In January, the budget retailer revealed that it had started selling dummy "engagement rings" to encourage couples to choose a permanent ring together after the proposal has taken place.

The “bling ring” was spotted by a shopper in one of its stores, and a photo of the accessory was shared on a Facebook group called “Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK”.

The photo shows the silver ring with a red gem displayed in a plastic box, with the slogan: “Because we promise they’ll want to choose their own” written on the front.

Some people on the group said that they like the idea of buying a Poundland ring as a placeholder, as it relieves the pressure of having to find the perfect ring for the proposal.

“Is this not like the best idea ever? Bloke buys a cheap ring from Poundland to propose then takes you to the shop so you can pick a proper one together?” one person commented.

“Brilliant idea, love the comment written on the box, definitely true for a lot of girls I reckon,” another person wrote.

However, some people expressed their preference for the traditional notion of a man selecting an engagement ring for a woman in a heterosexual relationship.

“Why would anyone want to pick their own ring? Isn’t the point of it that the man you love has chosen it for you?” one person remarked.

“Whether it’s to your personal taste or not you wear it, it’s damn rude in my opinion to suggest choosing your own.”

The engagement rings have been a hit with customers since being made available in stores, with large quantities of the product already being sold.

The accessory has proven especially popular in Yorkshire and the Midlands, the retailer says.

"Thousands of Brits are already quids in thanks to the £1 proposal. It's clearly a gem of an idea and the nation agrees," says Frances O'Sullivan, Poundland's jewellery and Valentine's buyer.

Poundland released the rings in a variety of colours as part of its Valentine’s Day range.

The retailer explained that the rings provide customers with the means of proposing “before they need to invest in the real rock”.

“These are beautiful placeholder rings because we know they’ll want to buy their own,” a spokesperson said.

“We’re looking forward to the Poundland proposal becoming the way it’s done. Our bling ring is setting the scene for the real deal.”

Research conducted by hen and stag do specialist Chillisauce discovered the nation's attitudes towards the notion of women popping the question.

Of the 10,000 participants questioned, 57 per cent of the women said they'd be willing to ask their partner to marry them.

76 per cent of the men also said that they were in favour of the idea.

A proposal story went viral in May 2018 when a couple were caught on camera coming to the realisation that they’d both chosen to propose to one another at the exact same time.

In the video, Becky McCabe goes down on one knee to ask her girlfriend Jessa Gillaspie to marry her.

In a surprisingly turn of events, Gillaspie then hurriedly picks up her handbag and takes out her own ring box.

The romantic encounter has accumulated more than two million views on Facebook.