The festive season brings with it the excitement of advent calendars, a daily treat countdown to Christmas. While some offer genuine value, providing a bounty of goods at a discounted price, others mask inflated costs behind festive packaging. This necessitates a discerning approach to avoid overspending on holiday cheer.
Certain advent calendars present undeniable savings. The Charlotte Tilbury calendar, for example, offers £243 worth of products for £170, further reduced to £136 at John Lewis. The Abbott Lyon jewellery calendar boasts £500 worth of jewellery for £249, and the Beauty Bay calendar provides £345 of products for just £100. These represent significant savings and a convenient way to acquire a curated selection of items.
However, not all advent calendars are created equal. Many calendars offer products that are cheaper when purchased individually, effectively charging a premium for the festive presentation. This practice makes it essential to evaluate the contents and compare prices before indulging in the advent calendar allure.
The Walkers crisp calendar exemplifies this issue. Priced at £10 at Iceland, it contains 24 individual crisp packets. Comparatively, two multi-packs of 20 bags from the same retailer cost less, providing 40 bags for less than the price of the advent calendar. Similarly, Caffè Nero’s coffee advent calendar, containing 24 Nespresso-compatible capsules, originally priced at £17.99, is less economical than purchasing 30 capsules for £12 on Amazon, especially considering the current 50% discount for loyalty members on the Caffe Nero app, albeit for a specially curated selection unavailable elsewhere. While Caffè Nero argues that their calendar provides a unique selection of blends and single origins not available in standard packs, budget-conscious consumers might prefer the simpler, cheaper route.
The imposing 5ft Lindt advent calendar from Costco presents another case of festive markup. At £180, it averages £7.50 per treat. A quick comparison reveals that the individual items, such as the 100g chocolate reindeer, are available for around £3.15 at supermarkets and on the Lindt website, more than halving the cost. Online estimates suggest acquiring all the treats separately would cost approximately £87.25, a substantial saving compared to the calendar’s inflated price. While Lindt attributes the pricing to individual retailers, the marked difference highlights the potential for significant overspending.
Even pet advent calendars are subject to this trend. Lily’s Kitchen offers a cat treat calendar for £9.99, providing 42g of treats. A standalone 60g pack of the same treats costs £2.50 on their website. This translates to a considerably higher price per gram for the advent calendar version, suggesting a less favourable deal for pet owners. Similarly, the Joe & Seph’s gourmet popcorn advent calendar, originally £30 but reduced to £15 at Harvey Nichols, offers 175g of popcorn across 18 different flavours. However, buying individual packs from their website allows for 225g of popcorn for £12, even surpassing the discounted calendar price. While the company cites manual packing and the opportunity to sample a variety of flavours as justifications for the higher price, budget-conscious consumers may still find individual packs more economical.
These examples illustrate the importance of careful consideration before purchasing an advent calendar. While some offer genuine value and a convenient way to sample a variety of products, others simply package readily available items at a premium price. By comparing prices and evaluating the contents, consumers can make informed decisions and avoid overspending on festive packaging.
