For those of us who feel like the year has only just begun, the fact we’re edging towards Christmas can be a bit of a shock.
With just three months to go until we start cracking into advent calendars and hanging up baubles, it won’t be lock before you start noticing Christmassy goodies lining shelves at your local shops.
One of those will be a traditional essential: tubs of bite-sized chocolates.
Whether you’re a Celebrations, Lindt, Heroes, Roses or Quality Street family, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a slowly diminishing tub of choccies sitting somewhere within easy reach.
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Sadly, it seems those tubs are diminishing before you even get to open one.
Over the years, many of these chocolate tubs have become noticeably smaller. It’s not just shrunk-down packaging to save on plastics either. One TikToker who investigated Celebrations’ tubs gradual shrinkage found that a 2009 tub weighed 1kg while a 2023 tub weighed just 613g.
In response, a Mars Wrigley spokesperson told the Manchester Evening News: "We have been actively trying to find ways to absorb the rising costs of raw materials and operations, as we know the increase in the cost of living has impacted both consumers and businesses across the UK.
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"Unfortunately, the growing pressures mean that more needs to be done. Reducing the size of our products is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is necessary for shoppers to still be able to enjoy their favourite Celebrations treats without compromising on quality or taste.
“The tub itself has also been reduced in order to reduce the plastic used in the packaging by 17% to help us meet our sustainability targets as a business."
Now it seems that Quality Street is the brand in the crosshairs of Christmas consumer champions.
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This years’ tubs have been dropped from 600g in weight to 550g, and they’ll contain an average of six fewer sweets. Last year you could expect an average of 63 bite-sized confectionaries in there, but this year it will be around 57.
Despite the weight and contents decreasing, retailers are keeping the price steady. Birmingham Live reported that the tubs range from £5 to £6 across Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, much as they did last year.
"At this rate, the tub will quite literally be empty by 2035,” said Tom Church, co-founder of bargain-hunting site LatestDeals.co.uk, per the Daily record.
"The shrinking Quality Street tub has become a Christmas tradition. The lights go up, the carols play, the chocolates shrink.
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"At this point, I think I would rather pop an empty cracker. Quality Street? More like a cul-de-sac of disappointment."
In response to a Daily Record request for comment, a Nestlé spokesperson said: "Each year we introduce a new Quality Street range with formats, sizes, weights and RRPs based on a range of factors including the cost of manufacturing, ingredients and transport and the preferences of our customers and consumers.
"We think our 2025 range and pricing is competitive with a good variety of choice for Quality Street fans. Final prices are at the discretion of individual retailers."
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FOODBible has contacted Nestlé for comment.
Rachael Davis