Every sweet lover out there knows that pick and mix stalls are dangerous for your purse or wallet. However, brave mum Emma Gill let her son loose at a sweet stall at Manchester's Christmas market and was in for a serious shock.
The mum does admit that she was prepared for her 14-year-old son's sweet tooth to burn a large hole in her pocket. But despite knowing t he phrase 'like a kid in a sweet shop' exists for a reason, Emma was "disgraced" by the value for money of her son's shockingly small £12.56 pick-and-mix bag, Manchester Evening News reports.
In a plea to soak in the festivities at the city's markets, Emma allowed her son to run free at the Kingdom of Sweets stall - right next to the Skate Manchester ice rink.
However, the mum confirms that her sweet-toothed child was under her watchful eye and she had to drop the odd "no, that's too many" reminders as the scoop piled too high.
In short, she made sure he didn't "go mad" and picked up a reasonable amount.
Emma admits that she expected it to total to around a fiver, maybe a little more. She was undoubtedly shocked, therefore, when she was slapped with the whopping total of £12.56.
While there are signs informing customers that it's £2.99 per 100g, Emma admits that it's hard to work out the weight of your goodies until they actually hit the scales.
The company says it's "comparable with other premium location retailers", but mum says that the cost seems "particularly excessive".
Taking a snap of the contents of the inside of the bag, she showed off the rather pitiful haul.
The huge marshmallow makes the selection look a little more reasonable, but the mum says that it was one of the lighter items.
Councillor Pat Karney, lead spokesperson on Christmas for Manchester City Council, told Manchester Evening News: "We don't tell traders how much to charge for their products on the Christmas Markets as we don't know the costs involved at any time to produce them, but we will check out any complaints that are brought to us.
"Stallholders are however obviously subject to the same demands as other retailers in that if what they're selling is too expensive, customers won't buy their products."
"Of course we're very conscious of the cost-of-living crisis and how it is affecting everyone at the moment."
Coun Karney continued: "We know that not everyone has the cash to splash out on a hot chocolate or gluhwein, which is why our Christmas offer isn't just about the markets this year.
"The city centre is at its sparkling best at the moment with our famous big Santa in St Peter's Square and a fabulous Christmas lights trail that includes walk-through baubles and stars, Christmas trees, and a twinkling Manchester bee - all of which are free to discover and enjoy."
A Kingdom of Sweets spokesperson said: "Our prices are clearly displayed per 100g and are comparable with other premium location retailers. Staff are trained to allow customers to leave the purchase if their selection is too heavy or take some out to bring the price down. Our own costs have risen by between 25 and 40 per cent in the last year, but we have not increased prices."
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