How to Find the Best Deals on Easter Eggs
29th March 2023
With Easter on the horizon, falling on the 9th of April in 2023, many people will probably already be beginning to feel their mouths water at the prospect of another annual chocolate overload.
Perhaps the only time of the year when it's deemed socially acceptable to gorge on chocolate at 9 AM in the morning, right through until bedtime, Easter Sunday is understandably a firm favourite for both children and adults, alike.
But with the current cost-of-living crisis, many people may also be concerned about the toll that this chocolate extravaganza will take on their bank accounts. With that in mind, we've put together a guide on how to find the best deals on Easter eggs, to leave your wallet intact and your sweet tooth satisfied with all that chocolatey goodness.
Going Own Brand for Cheaper Easter Eggs
A great way to save money at Easter this year is to swap from the big-name, branded chocolate eggs to own-brand alternatives from your favourite stores.
Forget the days when, to buy quality, you had to buy the biggest and best brand names. With supermarkets recognising the pinch currently being placed on people's purse strings, many have looked to up their game when it comes to their own-brand items, and Easter chocolate is no exception to this.
And let's be honest, if you're buying chocolate for your 6-year-old, they're not going to mind whether their Easter egg is Cadbury Dairy Milk or ASDA's own (well, probably). They're just going to be thrilled at the fact they're getting to eat lots of chocolate - what's not to be excited about?!
Where to Buy the Cheapest Branded Easter Eggs
Now, having said that, we understand that we all have that one particular brand of chocolate that we absolutely love and that can make it really hard to consider going for anything else. Whether you love a Lindt Gold Bunny or go crazy for a Cadbury Creme Egg, there are certain supermarkets you can head to for the best sale price.
Given that Easter isn’t here yet, there's still the chance that prices may fluctuate between now and the big day, but if we consider last year's prices on branded eggs, it will give a good indication as to which supermarkets tend to have the lower prices.
According to research from Which last year, the big winners when it came to the cheapest branded eggs were Asda, Aldi, Lidl and Tesco.
Unsurprisingly, high-end supermarkets like Waitrose tended to have much more expensive branded eggs. And it's also worth noting that, if you're committed to going down the branded chocolate route, stores like Aldi and Lidl often have a narrower selection of brands compared to the likes of Asda, Sainsbury's or Tesco.
Often it can be much more of a right time, right place situation when it comes to finding the brand-name Easter egg you specifically want, as they may only stock it for a limited time.
| Egg | Tesco | Sainsbury's | Asda | Morrisons | Waitrose | Iceland |
| Large Cadbury Dairy Milk Egg (245g) | £5 | £6 | £4.50 (2 for £8) | £5 | £6 | - |
| Dairy Milk Buttons Egg (96g) | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.50 | - | £1.50 |
| Aero Peppermint Chocolate Easter Egg (230g) | £5 | - | £4.50 | £5 | £7.50 | £5 |
| Celebrations Easter Egg (220g) | £2 | £3 | £3 | £1.99 | - | - |
| Terry's Chocolate Orange Easter Egg (230g) | £3 | £3 | £3 (4 for £10) | £1.99 | - | - |
| Lindt Gold Milk Chocolate Bunny (100g) | £2.75 | £3.25 | £2.75 | £3.25 | £2.75 | £3 |
| Cadbury Creme Egg (40g) | 60p | £1.50 | 50p | 70p | £1.75 | 65p |
After Eight Dark Mint Chocolate Premium Easter Egg 400g | £8 | £8 | - | £8 | £8 | £8 |
| Thorntons Unicorn/Dinosaur Egg (151g) | £3 | £3 | £3 | £1.99 | - | £3 |
Sign Up for Rewards or Loyalty Systems
Another super easy way to save a few pennies on the big Easter egg hunt this year is to make sure that you're signed up for your supermarket's loyalty programme.
Asda's relatively new Rewards scheme, for instance, enables shoppers to build up a "Cashpot" that can then be converted into vouchers for their shopping bill. If you sign up now, then by the time Easter rolls around, you'll likely have enough money in your pot to put towards getting some chocolate Easter eggs. Watch out for special items as certain purchases can add extra money to your pot.
Tesco's Clubcard members can expect to get similarly good deals, and with any scheme like this, it's worth remembering that sign-up is free, so there's really nothing to lose and everything to gain from signing up.
Look for Bundle Deals
Some supermarkets offer attractive bundle deals on chocolate Easter eggs, with a couple of examples being Asda offering a 4 for £10 Large Easter Egg bundle, and Morrison's offering a Malteser's Easter Egg Bundle.
As Easter draws nearer, there's a good chance that more of these bundle deals will pop up so keep your eyes peeled. Alongside bundles, you can typically find a buy-one-get-one-free deal too.
Shop Online
The ease of getting your Easter eggs in the supermarket alongside your weekly shop means that many people simply don't consider browsing online for their Easter treats. However, online retailers like Amazon offer a huge range of chocolate eggs, and have the added benefit that they're less likely to run out of stock before they reach your basket.
What's more, shopping online gives you greater choice if you have more particular requirements when it comes to your chocolate eggs; if you have a certain food intolerance, for example, are a vegan, or are committed to purchasing organic, fair-trade products, these can be hard to find in store.
Get Your Eggs Early
If your current financial situation allows for it, then try to do your Easter egg shopping as soon as possible. Chocolate typically has a long shelf life so any Easter eggs you buy now will be absolutely fine to keep stored away until Easter time.
Buying early has one main benefit, and it's that you'll have more choice, and it's more likely that the cheapest eggs, and the ones that have the latest deals, will still be in stock. If you leave your Easter egg chocolate shopping until the last minute, then there's a greater likelihood that the only eggs remaining will be much more expensive than the ones you'd hoped to get.
Don't take the risk, get what you want early.
Hopefully, having read this, you'll be able to treat yourself to two hunts this year: one with your kids around the garden, and the hunt for bargains in the supermarket!