It might only be September, but there are already whisperings of Christmas treats splashed across supermarket shelves, whether mince pies (there are already six types available at Sainsbury’s) or even Christmas pudding (we see you, Tesco).
It might be available online year-round, but one such treat that’s completely synonymous with the festive season is Quality Street.
For 89 years, it’s reigned supreme as a household staple, with favourites including The Purple One, the Green Triangle, and of course, the Strawberry Delight.
However, fans have already had their festive joy tainted this year, as the tubs have now got smaller. RIP, extra chocolatey goodness.
In 2024, Quality Street tubs were 600g – but this year, they’re now 550g, amounting to a gut-wrenching 50g less chocolate.
Since each sweet varies in weight, it’s unclear how many sweets we’re losing in the process – but a Nestlé spokesperson confirmed to Metro that it’s generally the norm for Quality Street to switch it up each year.
‘Each year we introduce a new Quality Street range with formats, sizes, weights and RRPs based on a range of factors including the cost of manufacturing, ingredients and transport and the preferences of our customers and consumers,’ they detailed.
‘We think our 2025 range and pricing is competitive with a good variety of choice for Quality Street fans. Final prices are at the discretion of individual retailers.’
The new 550g tub now markets for £7 at Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, while at Tesco, Clubcard holders can currently get their fix for £4.50. It might be three months early, but it’s best to stock up ahead of the big day, right?
Shoppers have already started to notice the difference, too. Posting over on Facebook, Stefan Speake joked that there would ‘soon just be [a] box with 12 in,’ while Shelley Thompson alleged that they ‘shrink but still charge more.’
For some, it was a step too far, as Steven Hinsley added that he ‘won’t be buying any of these rip off tubs‘ this year.
This isn’t the first time devoted Quality Street fans have noticed numbers dwindling in their festive tubs.
Every year since 2006, Penny Melson and her family have counted out just how many they’ve received, as well as each flavour. Sharing their results last Christmas, they found that the numbers have decreased from 137 in a tub to 67 in just under 20 years.
‘This lil tradition is actually very fun, no hate Quality Street,’ Penny added as part of her TikTok post.
The first year, the Orange Chocolate Crunch flavour reigned supreme with 22 features, and the Vanilla Fudge didn’t do too badly at 17. Last year, the family were treated to just four and eight, respectively.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
