What the Sugg?
YouTube sensation ‘Zoella’ has recently come under fire for the pricing of her Christmas advent calendar.
Over the last few years the trend of beauty advent calendars has taken storm, and this year Zoella aka Zoe Snugg has released her own branded version. Beauty calendars are an alternative to the traditional chocolate ones given to young children and instead contain luxury beauty and homeware products including; makeup, skin care products, fragrances and candles. It’s no real surprise that Zoe has decided to develop her own calendar, she is well-known for her love of all things Christmassy, and has an ever-growing beauty and homeware collection under the brand ‘Zoella Lifestyle’.
While most fans seem happy with the content of Zoe’s calendar, she has been heavily criticised for the cost, with the retailer Boots charging a whopping £50. Now, considering the target market (most young teens) and the fact that this calendar has only 12 doors as opposed to your traditional 24, this seems very extravagant. So, I hear you asking what exactly is our fifty pounds going to get us? Well here are the items included; a Christmas bauble, a small packet of “Make a Wish” confetti, a star-shaped cookie cutter, a packet of seven gift stickers, a small makeup bag, a “Festive Cookie” candle (130g), a mini bottle of “Christmas Clementine” room spray, a pen, a fluffy pom-pom key ring, a gingerbread man-shaped cookie cutter, a mini notepad and finally a “Cozy Christmas” candle (130g). Now that doesn’t seem so bad but let’s do the maths, shall we? A quick search online shows that similar products can be purchased for around £25, which leaves a hefty mark-up by the retailers, yes fair enough they are a business and do themselves need to make a profit; nevertheless, this seems unfairly priced. While arguably it’s difficult to assess the actual cost of many of the items as they are not sold individually, the pricing does still seem excessive; mainly because this is being marketed at a young audience, which makes it feel somewhat extortionate. I for one feel sorry for the parents that will be pressured to shell out for this.
With many fans and parents alike complaining, Zoe herself filmed a short segment on the end of one her vlogs, defending herself and telling her fans that she is not responsible for setting the price, that this decision lies solely with the retailer. Boots, on the other hand, seem to have taken action and the calendar is currently on offer for half the original retail price (£25). I’ll leave you to decide whether or not the discounted price makes this festive calendar a worthwhile treat or an unnecessary extravagance.
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