Costco sells 10 pound chocolate bunnies. Check out the giant Easter treat.
Costco is selling a 10-pound chocolate Easter bunny that contains more than 22,000 calories, but shoppers can’t believe its gigantic size.
If Easter candy is on your grocery list, you can expect to spend more this year, according to an analysis by Investors Observer, which tracks stock market and financial trends.
How much have Easter candy prices increased since 2020?
Since 2020, shoppers have increased their Easter candy budgets by about 15%, according to the National Retail Federation, while prices for popular Easter candies have jumped 67% during this period, according to research from Investors Observer.
That means a family who spent the same $93 on Easter candy would now walk away with 40% less than they did six years ago.
Put another way, to buy the same amount of candy (by weight) as in 2020, households would need to increase their spending from about $93 to about $155 in 2026. This is an increase of $62 for the same amount of product. According to the data, sticking to a $93 budget will result in 101 ounces less candy.
The price of Hershey’s bars has doubled.
One of the most notable price increases mentioned in the study was the increase in the price of a package of six 1.55-ounce Hershey’s milk chocolate bars from $3.99 in 2020 to $8.29 now.
This nearly doubling did not happen overnight, but was the result of six years of price fluctuations. The prices of other sweets were similar.
“This is really a classic boil frog scenario that shows up in grocery stores year-round,” said Sam Bourge, senior analyst at Investors Observer. “The water heats up one degree at a time, so you don’t have to jump out of the pot. Each temperature increase feels acceptable. Annoying, perhaps, but not catastrophic. That’s why you adjust. By the time you realize how hot your water has gotten, you’ve already lost a lot of purchasing power.”
Shrinkflation is also a factor
On the other hand, some brands have reduced the size of their items.
Bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs went from 10 ounces to 9 ounces in 2022 with no price change, but a hidden cost increase that most shoppers were unaware of.
Easter candy prices show major trends
Investors Observer noted that Easter candy is one of the smaller seasonal categories. But the same pattern of slow price increases and shrinkflation is also emerging for groceries.
“The cumulative effect of a year’s worth of purchases is significant,” Investors Observer said.
