Celebrations, a Christmas staple in many households, has left fans disappointed this week. The sharing tubs, which contain a variety of mini chocolates including Snickers, Mars, Twix and the contentious Bounty, have been subject to some controversy.
Fans were initially upset after receiving three Bounty chocolates consecutively in the popular advent calendar. However, relief was felt on day four when a Galaxy was revealed.
Yet, Celebrations enthusiasts are still irate after discovering that the iconic Christmas tubs have shrunk compared to last year. Irish musician Garron Noone criticised Mars Wrigley on TikTok for reducing the tub size from 600g to 550g, exclaiming: “Stop f*****g making the Christmas sweets smaller. They’ve reduced it to 550g. That won’t even get me f*****g started. You wouldn’t even make a dog sick with that much chocolate,” before clarifying that it would indeed make a dog sick.
He further accused the company of ‘shrinkflation’, stating: “Shrinkflation, you are stealing Christmas from the common man.”
Other chocolate lovers also noticed the change. “Wow! Just had a delivery of stock ready to be shipped out for Christmas. Celebrations tubs getting smaller each year! Tesco, Asda gonna get a few disgruntled customers this Christmas. 600g tubs now 550g but prices will inevitably go UP!,” said one person on X/Twitter.
Another fumed: “Celebrations chocolate tubs have gone even smaller this year and they expect £5 for them. Fuming,” while a third posted an eye-opening image demonstrating how the Celebrations tubs have become smaller over the years.
In the comment section people were shocked, with one person writing: “They are a rip off. The tub is heavier than the contents.” Another wrote: “I wouldn’t mind, but the price doesn’t come down accordingly.”
When approached for comment, a Mars Wrigley UK spokesperson said they had been “actively trying to find ways to absorb the rising costs of raw materials and operations” because they know the “cost of living has impacted both consumers and businesses across the UK”.
They added: “Unfortunately, the growing pressures mean that more needs to be done. Reducing the size of our products is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is necessary for shoppers to still be able to enjoy their favourite Celebrations treats without compromising on quality or taste.”
They have also identified solutions to lower environmental impact. That means, in addition to removing sweets, Mars Wrigley has had to shrink the tub itself so they can “reduce the plastic used in the packaging by 17%” However, they added that “pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer”.