We’re all aware the cost of living crisis continues to plague the UK, but it seems every shopping trip reveals yet another price hike, and it seems Easter eggs haven’t escaped that
I couldn’t believe the price of some Easter eggs on my latest supermarket trip(Image: Samantha Bartlett)
In years gone by, an Easter egg was a modest chocolate treat you could purchase for yourself or someone special during the Easter period for a few quid. However, following a recent visit to my local supermarket, I can’t help but think things are spiralling somewhat out of control.
We’re all aware the cost of living crisis continues to plague the UK, but it seems every shopping trip reveals yet another price hike. Whilst it’s still only February, we’re all familiar with Easter eggs appearing on shelves for weeks now. For instance, I noticed some Easter eggs displayed just days following Christmas.
Nevertheless, given that Easter remains some time away, I hadn’t really bothered examining them too closely.
That all shifted during my most recent visit to Sainsbury’s when I happened to pass the Easter displays and finally chose to take a proper look – and I rather wish I hadn’t.
I had to look twice when I discovered the supermarket was charging a staggering £16 for its Maltesers Crunchy Milk Chocolate Easter Egg. Yes, you read that right.
Whilst the egg does include crunchy pieces inside and comes with two Malteser Bunnies plus a packet of Mini Malteser Bunnys as well, I reckon I’d expect them to perform a song and dance routine for that price. I appreciate that various Easter eggs come with different price tags, but I’ve never regarded Maltesers and Mars (the manufacturer behind them) as a premium brand, so I was shocked to discover such steep pricing.
It wasn’t solely the Maltesers Easter egg that carried a hefty cost either – the Toblerone ‘Egdy Egg’ also commands a staggering £15.50, alongside the Cadbury Dairy Milk Chunky Ultimate Egg and the Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff Egg.
This left me utterly perplexed when I contrasted these eggs with other, more reasonably priced options.
For instance, a standard 96.5g Maltesers Medium Milk Chocolate Egg, which includes a packet of Maltesers, costs merely £1.95 at Sainsbury’s currently (or £1.65 with a Nectar card).
You could purchase eight of those for the entire family for what you might pay for the crunchy Maltesers Easter egg.
Even more affordable eggs include the Cadbury Mini Eggs Medium Easter egg, the Cadbury Dairy Milk Giant Buttons Medium Milk Chocolate Easter egg and the Smarties Medium Milk Chocolate Easter egg, which all retail for under £2 (or £1.50 with a Nectar card).
I simply find it extraordinary that because an egg contains some crunchy pieces, brands and retailers believe they can impose an additional £14 surcharge.
It’s not exclusively Sainsbury’s either – the Maltesers Crunchy Milk Chocolate Easter Egg also retails for £15 at Tesco and Morrisons, whilst Asda stocks a Maltesers Giant Milk Chocolate Popcorn Easter Egg priced at £12.96. Essentially, all I’ll suggest if you’re shopping for Easter eggs is to avoid being deceived by ‘giant’ eggs with inflated price tags, as they appear to offer little additional chocolate despite commanding significantly higher costs.
Keep your wits about you in those pricey Easter chocolate sections!
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We want to offer our customers the best possible choice, quality and value. We offer a wide selection of chocolate products at a range of price points, starting from £1.50 on Nectar Prices and we have deals on many of these in the run‑up to Easter.”
Tesco, Morrisons, and Mars have also been contacted for comment.
