It’s only September but emails are turning up offering Christmas Hampers.
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)
– The Whale Caller Sauvignon Blanc/Colombard 75cl (Waitrose.com £5.49)
– The Whale Caller Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 75cl (Waitrose.com £5.49)
– Atkins & Potts Milk Chocolate Dipper 220g (Atkins and Potts £2.95)
– 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)
– Olives Et Al Chipotle Smoky Chilli Nuts 150g (Olives Et Al £4.00)
– The Original Cake Company Round Top Iced Fruit Cake (Original Cake Company Iced luxury Christmas slab £4.65).
– 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.
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 hampers are quite cheap on Amazon so you can get 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?
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 then buy a hamper on Amazon or EBay and fil it yourself.
Don’t be taken in by the emails – check the cost of the contents for yourself.
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