Chocoholics besieged Tesco supermarkets after it accidentally starting selling Terry's Chocolate Oranges for only 29p.
Tills went into meltdown and somehow knocked 90 per cent off the normal £2.75 price.
As word of the bargain spread on the internet people starting snapping up bulk buys of the Christmas treat.
One committed bargain hunter said they had bought 192 packets, costing only £56, meaning a saving of £472.
Customers took to Facebook to show off their bargains on a page called "Terry's Chocolate Orange Glitch, I was there", which has 497 fans.
One shopper on the Facebook wall said "Crimbo chocolate sorted", having made off with 36 packets.
Another wrote "I only bought 42 as that's all they had on the shelves".
Thrilled chocolate fans made elaborate art works out of their Oranges, spelling out the words "Tesco" and "Yay" and making life-sized statues before putting the photos up on Facebook.
Tesco said: "The deal was running for a very short time" and the problem was now fixed, much to the disappointment of Chocolate Orange fans.
They would not reveal just how many cut-price chocolates had been accidentally sold.