Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Hampered!
Beware of overpaying for that special festive gift
THINK carefully before you splash out on a Christmas hamper – you might be paying more than £150 just for the wicker basket.
A Daily Mirror probe found that Aldi and Waitrose customers are being charged way over the odds for the stores’ special selections compared to the cost of buying the contents separately.
Items in Waitrose’s Ultimate Christmas Feast Hamper cost £325.34, yet shoppers are being charged £500. That means they are paying £174.66 for the wicker basket and a cool bag.
The store’s Gourmet Christmas Hamper costs £100, but by buying the items individually, shoppers can save £49.56 (individual total £50.44).
Meanwhile, Aldi’s Exquisite Hamper costs £99, but the real value of the goods is £83.88 – so you are spending £15.12 on the wicker basket.
Deborah Shanahan, head of deals at Moneysavingexpert.com, said: “When considering a hamper, separate the items out and price them up individually first.
“Websites like Mysupermarket can help you easily compare the cost of food items across the different supermarkets to ensure you really are getting a good deal, as you could be seriously over-paying for the convenience of someone else placing items in a basket for you.”
Wicker baskets can be bought for as little as £3 to £4 on the high street.
When asked to explain the gulf between buying a hamper and picking up items individually, a Waitrose spokesperson said: “Our hampers are very popular with our shoppers – the price reflects the amount of effort that has gone into carefully selecting, packing and presenting the products to make a perfect, ready-made gift.”
Aldi said: “The pricing of our hampers reflects not only the products inside but a beautiful wicker basket, as well as the time spent collating, wrapping, packing and delivering the final product to our customer’s home.”