Is Easter changing this year with people buying less and quality dropping

[Marnie]

This year feels different when it comes to Easter. Prices are higher, portions feel smaller, and more people are starting to question whether it's even worth buying Easter eggs at all.

A lot of it comes down to value. You're paying more, but getting less chocolate, and in some cases the quality doesn't feel the same either. There's been a lot of talk about recipes changing, less cocoa, and more use of cheaper ingredients like palm oil.

For some people, that's a deal breaker.

Brands that used to be go to choices don't taste the same anymore, and once you notice it, it's hard to ignore. It's not just about price, it's about whether the product is actually enjoyable.

Because of that, more people seem to be skipping Easter eggs completely, switching to better quality chocolate, or just avoiding it altogether.

Some are moving to brands like Milka or looking for alternatives that focus more on taste, while others are trying to find options that avoid palm oil entirely.

At the same time, there are still people who see Easter as a tradition and will keep buying regardless, even if the value isn't what it used to be.

So this year feels like a bit of a turning point.
Is Easter still about the tradition, or are people starting to opt out because it no longer feels worth it?

[QuantumLeap]

Prices are too high for that little bloody egg

[veritas.io]

Quality has definitely dropped, it's noticeable

[Seb51]

I've totally gone on chocolate, well done Cadbury. Its only taken two decades

[Harry64]

I'd rather buy decent chocolate than Easter eggs now. I'm opting for Milka brand

[SortedBuilder]

Pretty decent summary of it. Good shout

[RayOfLight]

That checks out from what I have seen. Task Manager tells you most of what you need to know if you know which columns to look at.

Post back with what you find and we can go from there.

[NeonPilot]

I have heard that but I am not sure it holds up. Classic.

The best advice usually starts with it depends, which is frustrating but honest.

Thanks for that

[HarleyQuinn32]

There is a case for 2027 being a bit less gloomy, though. If prices settle and wages catch up somewhat, people may get a little breathing room and bring back some of the extras. Easter is also one of those occasions where people are surprisingly willing to improvise. A homemade cake, a roast shared with relatives, or a small egg hunt can feel more memorable than an expensive branded hamper anyway. The quality question will probably come down to what people value rather than simply how much they spend.

[William56]

2027 could feel even stranger if the squeeze continues, especially because Easter lands on 28 March that year. If households are already trimming baskets, swapping branded chocolate for supermarket own-label, or buying one decent egg for the family instead of several, I can see that becoming more normal rather than exceptional. The funny thing is that the celebration may not shrink so much as change shape. Less stuff, more food around the table, and perhaps a few carefully chosen treats instead of a mountain of chocolate.

[Liam97]

The really interesting bit will be whether retailers respond to people becoming more selective. If customers stop paying for elaborate packaging and tiny chocolate eggs at premium prices, shops will eventually have to offer better value. By 2027 we could see smaller portions becoming even more common, but hopefully with better ingredients and less packaging. Otherwise we may reach the stage where the Easter egg has three layers of cardboard, a plastic tray and about four squares of chocolate hiding inside.

[Squid81]

Spotted those hollow eggs with the thick cardboard bases this week, and the weight printed on the box is noticeably lower than last spring despite the price creeping up another quid. It feels like supermarkets are banking on habit, hoping shoppers just grab things out of routine without checking the grams. That said, the local bakeries round our way are doing a roaring trade in handmade simnel cake slices because people would rather spend four pounds on something that actually tastes decent than seven on branded cardboard.

[LurkingLegend]

The hollow egg with the cardboard base thing is a whole new level of disappointment, mate! Remember when you could at least crack the shell and get a decent chunk of chocolate? Now it's basically a hollow cardboard frame wrapped in foil and a sprinkling of dusting sugar.

Though to be fair, I've been wondering whether this is just me being nostalgic and the whole Easter thing is slowly shifting. Less about the eggs, more about the long weekend and the chance to get out into the garden before summer. My dad still has his original plastic egg collection from the 1990s, each one a different flavour, and he still insists on hunting for them every year even though he can't find half of them. Classic.