The Royal Adelaide Show showbags beating supermarket prices

It’s cheaper to buy some showbags at the Royal Adelaide Show than to get the same items from the supermarket, Compare the Market has found.

Back in the good old days showbags were free, containing samples of local produce and the like.

These days, most of them are full of “sometimes food”, such as chips and lollies, and you’re not always getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Compare the Market has done the sums and worked out that in some cases you would be better to just buy the same treats at your local supermarket.

Here’s the 10 showbags Compare the Market’s meerkat stuck his head into and the verdict on each:

Kinder Bueno showbag

Darrell Lea Liquorice Lovers

KINDER BUENO, $13

Surprise! You’ll save yourself $7 if you buy this showbag rather than buying its contents from the supermarket. A pack of Kinder Bueno Mini, which has 20 pieces, plus six Kinder Bueno Classic bars are $20 (almost 54 per cent more) at the supermarket.

DARRELL LEA LIQUORICE LOVERS, $25

This showbag contains 260g Batch 37 Soft Liquorice, 280g Black Liquorice Twists, 160g Chocolate Liquorice Balls, 250g Milk Chocolate Bullets, 180g Milk Chocolate Liquorice Block and 270g Liquorice Allsorts for $25. The same items will cost you $30 at the supermarket. That’s an extra $5 (30 per cent), so, if you love licorice, bag yourself a bargain at the show.

Arnotts Biscuits showbag

Wagon Wheels showbag

ARNOTT’S BISCUITS, $15

Best you buy your bickies from the show because you’ll be paying $19.80 for the same products at the supermarket. The showbag contents – 250g Monte Carlo, 175g TeeVee Snack Malt Sticks, 200g Chocolate Mint Slice, 250g Scotch Finger and 232g Shortbread Cream 50 per cent Less Sugar – will cost you an extra $4.80 (32 per cent) at the supermarket. While it’s not big bickies, you could get yourself a regular coffee to dunk a biscuit in with what you save.

WAGON WHEELS, $10

You can buy one 190g Wagon Wheels Chocolate Biscuits Original and 16 of the 24g mini ones for $13.50 from the supermarket. You’ll be saving yourself $3.50 (35 per cent) if you buy this showbag – which is kind of like money for jam (and marshmallow in choccy bickies).

BIG MILKY BAR, $20

Filled with 40 little 15g Milky Bars, this showbag will save you some coin. The same number of them will set you back $22 – which is $2 (10 per cent) more – at the supermarket. So buy the showbag and hang on to that extra two bucks for when you need a charity choccy box sugar fix at work.

Smarties showbag

Allen's Lollies showbag

SMARTIES, $20

Want to save yourself 10 cents? Then forget the show and get your Smarties – two 160g hanging bags, two 50g cartons and 11 of the 11g mini packs – from the supermarket for $19.90.

ALLEN’S LOLLIES, $15

You’ll break even with this showbag containing one 420g bag of Party Mix, 420g of Frogs Alive and a 170g Drumstick, which, BTW, is not the melting kind but a bag of little lollies inspired by the popular ice cream. You can also buy all three at the supermarket for $15.

SKITTLES FAMILY SHARING BAG, $16.50

You can buy this showbag or its contents – 12 packs of 15g Skittles Fruits, one 160g bag of Skittles Sours Giants and one 170g bag of Skittles Fruits Giants – from the supermarket for $16.50. Snap!

Kit Kat showbag

Fantales showbag

BIG KIT KAT, $20

Unlike the Big Milky Bar showbag, you won’t bag a bargain with this one. Kit Kat lovers would be better to buy 50 of the 17g chocolates from the supermarket where they cost $18, saving themselves $2 (10 per cent) on the show price.

FANTALES, $40

These famous chewy chocolate coated caramels, with the wrappers that test your showbiz knowledge are being fazed out. Fans of Fantales will love the fact that you can even get them at the show. But the $40 for 1kg of Fantales showbag is not a nice price. If you can find them at a supermarket, you’ll pay $15 for the same quantity. The showbag, which costs an extra $25 (62.5 per cent), is a rip-off.

Compare the Market’s Natasha Innes also has tips to make the most of your show experience without spending a fortune.

“There are also plenty of free events at the show, so prioritise these attractions to get the most value out of your entry ticket,” she said.

Her other money-saving tips include:

* Buy your tickets online ahead of the event. Depending on when you purchase tickets, you may receive a discount for buying your entry online.

* Take your own lunch and water bottle.

* Plan your day around free events. While rides, games and showbags are popular, there are plenty of free events.

* Plenty of freebies are on offer, ranging from food samples and toys to goodie bags and more.

Originally published as The Royal Adelaide Show showbags beating supermarket prices