Aussie Easter rip-off: Chocolate eggs and bunnies marked up 320%
Just days out from Easter, Aussies are stocking up on tasty gifts for their loved ones, but a new report suggests we’re forking out way more money than we should be.
Comparison site Mozo has found that consumers are being charged up to 200 per cent more for Easter eggs and bunnies compared to a normal block of chocolate.
For example, Cadbury’s Peter Rabbit tie-in Easter bunny will set you back $6 for just 100g of chocolate, which can be purchased in block form for as little as $1.43, a mark-up of 320 per cent.
Haigh’s, on the other hand, is charging up to $18.31 for 100g of Easter eggs while a block usually costs just $5.38, a mark-up of 234 per cent.
Lindt doesn’t fare much better, selling 100g gift boxes for $13.33 when a normal block of chocolate will only set you back $4.25, a mar- up of 214 per cent.
“[Customers are paying] 155 per cent more on average for things like gift boxes [and] eggs,” Mozo spokeswoman Gemma Rasmussen told 7 News.
Mozo suggests the reason for the staggering mark-ups is the packaging, which is generally more elaborate than the usual block of chocolate.
Thankfully, not all chocolates have been marked up to such elaborate figures. Lindt’s 90g Lindor Solid Mini Eggs came out on top, with a mark-up of just five per cent, followed by Haigh’s 120g Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs and Lindt’s 200g Milk Chocolate Bunny, both marked up by 18 per cent.
Otherwise, you can go with (admittedly less festive) blocks and avoid the mark-up altogether.
Tell us in the comments below, do you think Easter chocolate is too expensive?