FAMILY favourite Christmas chocolates have been shrinking in size while rising in price, and shoppers are fuming about it.
Celebrations, Roses and Quality Street are all smaller than in previous years – but you won’t get them any cheaper.
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It’s a blow to families already facing a cost of living crisis that has seen food bills soar.
The tubs weigh up to 50g less than last year and cost cost up to 50p more.
This year the recommended retail price (RRP) of Celebrations is £5.50, up from £5 last year, meaning shoppers are paying more for fewer chocs.
This is also true of Quality Street. The RRP has jumped from £5 to £6 for Christmas 2023.
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Meanwhile, the retail price set by Cadbury for Roses is £8.09.
Although the price hasn’t increased, tubs have become smaller – a tactic known as shrinkflation.
This is when a food manufacturer reduces the size of an item while keeping the price the same.
It means shoppers won’t pay more when costs increase for the company making the item, but they will get less product.
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Fourteen years ago, a tub of Celebrations weighed 975g and Quality Street tins weighed 1,000g, but this Christmas both tubs hold just 600g – a 40% loss.
Meanwhile, a tub of Cadbury’s Roses came in at 1,100g but now they weigh just 550g – a 50% reduction.
All three products were priced at £10 in 2009, before falling to around £5 by 2018.
Mars Wrigley, which makes Celebrations, previously told The Sun it was “actively trying to find ways to absorb the rising costs of raw materials”.
While Cadbury said it was experiencing” significantly increased input costs”.
Shoppers have noticed the difference in their festive favourites and have taken to social media to vent their frustrations.
Writing on Twitter, formerly known as X, one customer said: “More paper then chocolates now.”
Another added: “Most confectionery is now bite size. If the tubs of Quality Street get any lighter, they will float away in the wind.”
And a third wrote: “The Quality Street Tin has shrunk again it used to be huge when I was little!”
The cheapest place to buy Christmas tubs this week
Although choc makers set an RRP, shops often have the tubs on sale for far less.
Tesco is currently offering tubs of Quality Street (600g), Cadbury Roses (550G) and Cadbury Heroes (550g) for £3.89.
The special price is only open to Clubcard holders and runs from now until December 12.
However, it is bad news for fans of Celebrations as they are not included in the offer.
Bear in mind that these prices are just a guide and prices change all the time, especially this time of year.
You can use price comparison sites such as Google Shopping and Trolley.co.uk to price-check items across different supermarkets.
The Trolley website searches and compares the prices of 130,000 products across all the major shops.
It means it’s a great way to make sure you’re not missing out on a big saving.
But you’ll have to be quick because some of the offers are only available for a set period.
Remember that the price you see online may not always reflect the price in store and sometimes you can pick up a better deal by popping down to your local.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
