Emails are turning up offering Christmas Hampers and of course TV adverts and you see them in the supermarkets and department stores.

There has been a lot of publicity in recent years about how the contents of a typical store hamper can be bought much cheaper separately so it’s more difficult than previously for the big supermarkets in particular to get away with exorbitant prices.

Money Supermarket looked at a Waitrose Cracker Hamper and found

– Italia Collezione Prosecco Brut 750ml (Waitrose.com £11.99)
– Buiteman Parmigiano Reggiano Biscuits 75g (Amazon.co.uk £11.51)
– Linden Lady Handmade Luxury Chocolates x 15 (Waitrose.com £6.99)
– Linden Lady Handmade Toasted Coconut Marshmallows 125g (Yourhamper.com £3.49)
– Maxwell & Franks Christmas Pudding with Cider 454g (Yourhamper.com £3.74)
– The Original Cake Company Round Top Iced Fruit Cake

– 6 Waitrose All Butter Mince Pies (Waitrose.com £2.50)

Total cost bought separately £59.09 or £100 as a Waitrose hamper. That was in 2013 and things have improved since then.

Bargain supermarket Aldi got into hampers a few years ago and theirs sell from £29.99 to £99.99.

Bargain supermarket Lidl don’t ye do Christmas hampers.

The makers of hampers point out that you also get the hamper and the benefit of someone having chosen the items and packed them for you. However, the actual hamper baskets are quite cheap on Amazon so you can make your own.

The days of huge sales of hampers at Christmas seems to have gone, especially since the largest of the monthly savings hamper clubs Farepak went bust 4 years ago.

Are Hampers worth the money?

If you’re buying as a gift for someone then maybe it makes sense to pay significantly more than the value of the contents. But if you’re buying for your family – then It depends on

how much you like the actual hamper box it comes in and how much you like someone picking the items on your behalf.

Basically it’s usually much cheaper to buy the items separately and if you want a hamper basket to put them in then buy one on Amazon or eBay and fill it yourself.

Don’t be taken in by the emails – check the cost of the contents for yourself.

Aldi £30 hamper contains £27 worth of goods plus the gift box.

Aldi £100 hamper contains £83 worth of contents plus the hamper basket

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