A MUM treated her kids to pick'n'mix at a popular Christmas market but was staggered by the price - branding it an absolute joke.

       Emma Gill dropped by Manchester's Christmas Markets to pick up some sweets for her kids before they went to the cinema together.

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       Emma went to the Kingdom of Sweets stall to get her kids a bag of goodies Credit: MEN Media 3

       She was charged almost ￡22 for the sweets in this snap Credit: MEN Media 3

       The city council said stalls set their own prices Credit: MEN Media

       She knew a bag of goodies would likely be expensive at the bustling market.

       But Emma thought that pick'n'mix at the cinema would be just as costly.

       She was shocked when the Kingdom of Sweets market stall charged her a whopping ￡21.89 for a bag of sweets - almost the same price as the family's three cinema tickets.

       Writing in the Manchester Evening News, she said: "Admittedly they got quite a few sweets, including a few big ones like two jelly snakes.

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       "But there's no way you would expect to pay almost ￡22."

       A sign on the market stall said that the pick'n'mix cost ￡2.99 per 100g of sweets.

       To compare, a standard 175g bag of Haribo costs just ￡1.25 from Tesco.

       Emma said: "Inside the cinema I checked the price of their pick and mix and it's almost half the price of the markets, at ￡1.59 per 100g."

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       "We do usually take our own sweets to the cinema, but I thought it would make a nice Christmas treat.

       "I won't be making that mistake again."

       Manchester City Council said that it does not set the prices on the market stalls.

       Councillor Pat Karney said: "We're always happy to check out any complaints that are brought to us.

       "However, we don't set the prices on our market stalls.

       "Traders do this themselves based on their overheads, along with the quality and uniqueness of what they're selling.

       "Stallholders are obviously however subject to the same market forces as other retailers.

       "If what they're selling is considered too expensive, customers won't buy their products."

       Kingdom of Sweets has been contacted for comment.

       Previously, the outlet has said: "Our prices are clearly displayed per 100g and are comparable with other premium location retailers.

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       "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."

       Fans are moaning that they'd "rather have a night in" after twigging that beer and snacks at Christmas markets cost more than a flight to Frankfurt.