‘Is this something to celebrate #smallersizebiggerprice?’: Shoppers share images of chocolate boxes from 2009 towering over today’s containers – as research shows how Christmas faves are being hit by ‘shrinkflation’
UK shoppers are sharing photos of yesteryear’s chocolate boxes towering over today’s containers amid growing concerns about “shrinkflation” as they face higher prices for smaller packages.
Deborah Lee Cowell’s TikTok video, which she says compares the shrinking size of two Celebrations boxes from 2009 to today, has gone viral.
In recent days, other consumers have taken to social media to complain about shrinking products ranging from shower gel to cereal, butter to toothpaste.
Research by MailOnline found that the size of Cadbury’s roses has dropped by 50 per cent over the same period, from 1,100g in 2009, then 660g in 2018 and now 550g.
Celebrations have decreased from 975g in 2009, 650g in 2018 and now 600g; while Quality Street has dropped from 1200g in 2009, 720g in 2018 and now 600g.
In 2009, all three products cost £10, which by 2018 had fallen to £5. But that £5 price remains the same today, although there are discounts for those on supermarket loyalty schemes such as Tesco’s Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar.
Britons will spend an average of £105.43 more at Christmas this year as the prices of mince pies and biscuits rise despite falling inflation, according to a report.
A TikTok video of Brit Deborah Lee Cowell comparing what she says is the downsizing of two Celebrations boxes from 2009 (left) and today (right) has gone viral.
A video of the holiday boxes posted on TikTok has received more than 18,000 views.
Festive food and drink are expected to make the biggest contribution to this increase, with an average increase of £25.87, followed by gifts (£18.62) and events (£11.86).
The extra spending comes as prices rise and inflation falls, with 60 percent of people saying some holiday items are getting smaller despite the same price.
Some 36 percent said they had noticed a decrease in the size of chocolate boxes, 28 percent in biscuit tins and 15 percent in cheese, according to the Barclays report.
Meanwhile, 14 per cent have seen prices fall on mince pies and 13 per cent on Christmas cakes, while the official inflation rate is still hovering at almost 5 per cent.
MailOnline research has found that some chocolate boxes have shrunk in size by up to 50 per cent.
In the TikTok video, Ms Cowell says: “It’s a festive box today with a tiny best before date and it weighs 600g.
“And the one I’ve kept in my dog treat cupboard for years has an expiration date on it, nice and big for you to read, 3/29/09, and it’s 975g. That makes all the difference.
Ms Cowell posted the clip with the hashtags “#celebrationchocolates #smallersizebiggerprice #dotheythinkwewontnotice #fyp” – and it received more than 18,000 views.
MailOnline has contacted Mars, which produces Celebrations, for comment.
A spokesman for Nestlé, which produces Quality Street, said: “Each year we introduce a new Quality Street range in formats, sizes, weights and RRPs based on a number of factors including production, ingredient and transport costs, as well as our customers’ preferences. clients and consumers. Final prices are always at the discretion of individual retailers.
“This year our store stock range includes a 1.936kg tin, 813g tin, 600g tin, 357g pouch and 220g box. We believe this range and pricing is competitive and offers consumers wide choose”.
A photograph by Charlotte Hook taken in 2015 shows four Quality Street cans produced between 1998 and 2014.
And a spokesman for Mondelez International, owners of Cadbury, which produces Roses, said: “We understand the ongoing challenges facing customers in the current economic climate, which is why we are committed to covering costs wherever we can.
“However, we continue to incur significant increases in raw material costs in our supply chain, which means we have had to make difficult decisions, such as reducing the weight of our Roses tubs slightly.
“We have carefully considered the approach we take to our UK product portfolio to ensure we continue to produce the highest quality products at the best prices.”
Shrinkflation has reached epidemic proportions in UK stores as manufacturers try to maintain profits and keep prices unchanged amid rising production costs.
This tactic involves slightly reducing packaging sizes or weights of products without a corresponding reduction in prices – and can often mislead consumers.
Everything from Andrex toilet paper to Lurpak butter, McVitie’s Digestives, Penguin multipacks, Fairy Liquid and Pringles tubes have seen cuts in recent years.
British supermarkets have come under pressure in recent months to follow the lead of French stores and place warning labels on shrink-wrapped goods.
In September, France’s second-largest supermarket Carrefour began labeling such products with the words: “The weight of this product has decreased and the price charged by our supplier has increased.”
The move follows a similar decision by rival Intermarche.
French ministers have called the inflation cut a “fraud” and plan to change the law to force manufacturers to be honest.
As for the Barclays report, its data also shows that shoppers got into the festive spirit earlier this year, flocking to high streets to take advantage of the month-long Black Friday sales.
Spending on consumer cards rose 2.9% year-on-year in November, with 65% of Britons confident in their ability to spend money on essentials, the highest level since April.
The wet weather was reported to have hampered restaurant operations but helped clothing retailers as shoppers made the most of seasonal discounts to update their winter wardrobes, with spending at clothing stores and department stores up 2.8% and 5% respectively.
The report also said supermarkets saw growth of 5 percent, down from 5.2 percent in October, as food price inflation continued to decline.
Spending on takeaway food increased by 6.1 percent, while digital content and subscriptions grew by 5.8 percent, which Barclays said was “likely to be helped by highly anticipated releases such as the latest season of The Crown.”
Confidence in personal finances also improved, while concerns about inflation and food prices fell to their lowest levels since December 2021.
Jack Maining, chief UK economist at Barclays, said: “The data suggests consumers continue to spend more but get less for their money as spending growth remains below inflation.
“However, the gap is narrowing as the rate of price growth slows, and we expect it to narrow further in the coming months.”
| Rising costs | Transaction growth | |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | 3.30% | 3.20% |
| Optional | 2.70% | 3.60% |
| GENERAL | 2.90% | 3.50% |
| Retail | 2.50% | 3.70% |
| Cloth | 2.80% | 7.60% |
| Grocery | 5.00% | 3.80% |
| Supermarkets | 5.00% | 3.10% |
| Food and Beverage Specialist | 4.70% | 7.70% |
| Family | -4.60% | 2.60% |
| Home improvement and DIY crafts | -6.30% | -0.80% |
| Electronics | -3.40% | 7.40% |
| Furniture stores | -2.60% | 1.60% |
| General retailers | 4.90% | 5.50% |
| General stores and catalogs | 6.90% | 9.90% |
| Department stores | 5.00% | 8.40% |
| Discount stores | -7.70% | -11.60% |
| Specialty retailers | 0.30% | -1.30% |
| Pharmacy, Health and Beauty | 4.10% | 0.90% |
| Sports and outdoor recreation | -2.00% | -5.60% |
| Other specialty retailers | -1.70% | -2.50% |
| Hospitality and Leisure | 5.80% | 3.70% |
| Digital Content and Subscription | 5.80% | 2.50% |
| Food and drink | 5.10% | 1.90% |
| Restaurants | -11.90% | -16.00% |
| Bars, pubs and clubs | 4.30% | 2.20% |
| Takeaway and fast food | 6.10% | 2.70% |
| Other food and drinks | 8.90% | 3.00% |
| Entertainment | -1.70% | 2.60% |
| Hotels, resorts and accommodation | 3.20% | 1.20% |
| Travel | 10.50% | 10.70% |
| Travel agents | 9.20% | 14.70% |
| Airlines | 14.00% | 23.40% |
| Public transport | 7.90% | 8.60% |
| Other travel | 11.60% | 14.20% |
| Another | 0.20% | 1.40% |
| Fuel | -10.90% | -4.70% |
| Cars | -1.00% | 1.30% |
| other services | 8.50% | 10.80% |
| “Experience” | 4.90% | 2.10% |
| Online | 4.10% | 6.70% |
| Face to face | 1.90% | 2.20% |
The data also showed that shoppers got into the festive spirit earlier this year, flocking to the high street to take advantage of the month-long Black Friday sales (pictured: Oxford Street, November 24).
In 2015, Charlotte Hook photographed her collection of Quality Street cans to show how they had shrunk.
Ms Hook complained after noticing the shrinking size of the purple cans while putting up Christmas decorations.
She posted a photo with the caption: “I’m putting up a Christmas tree, always save the jars for decorations after Christmas!”
“Look how they changed in size from 1998 to 2014!” Bring back the big cans!!! Loyal quality street customer!!!!’