CHOC BAR ...HUMBUG Shoppers pay more for Xmas treats
SUPERMARKETS are shortchanging customers buying Christmas chocolates.
Our survey shows Sainsbury’s is selling a Cadbury Dairy Milk Festive Favourites box containing six chocolate bars for £4.
Yet identical or bigger chocolate bars sold individually at Sainsbury’s cost a total of £3.
At Waitrose, a Galaxy Christmas Collection pack with six chocolate bars is £4.29. But it is selling identical treats without a box for £3.60.
Family- sized multipacks have become must-buys at Christmas for millions. But our research shows it is often cheaper to buy each bar individually then wrap them up.
In some cases, festive packs have mini versions of popular bars which ALL together now... ahhhhh! Who’d have thought panda eyes could be so appealing.
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No doubt all will pander to their every whim... are generally not available in shops. A Crunchie in a Cadbury Christmas Selection Box is about 10g lighter than a 31g standard version.
At Tesco, this selection box costs £2.50. Buying the six treats separately – including the larger Crunchie bar – will cost you a total of £2.40.
Cadbury Dairy Milk Festive Favourites at Sainsbury’s contains a 35g Dairy Milk Caramel bar – five grams smaller than a standard bar at the store.
Consumer Action Group’s Marc Gander said: “Makers and retailers are foisting stealth price rises on families simply trying to buy a Christmas treat for their kids. The only ones getting a treat are the manufacturers and retailers.”
Last month it emerged US giant Mondelez International had shrunk Terry’s Chocolate Oranges by 10 per cent – but kept the price the same.
Mondelez, which now owns Cadbury, has also cut numbers of Creme Eggs and Curly Wurlys in multipacks and not changed the price.
Mars and Yorkie bars and Fruit Pastilles have shrunk too.
Waitrose said: “We follow the market on branded prices and aim to offer great value.”
Sainsbury’s said: “We offer customers a wide selection of products t o suit every occasion.”