Merci chocolate is the gold-wrapped gift assortment made in Germany by August Storck, and in the US the easiest place to buy it is a Target, Walmart or Kroger-family supermarket, where the 7 oz box of 16 pieces sits in the boxed-candy or seasonal aisle. Need a bigger box for an office? Costco and the holiday sets are the answer. Shopping for someone with a nut allergy? Stop before you buy anything, because every assortment in the range contains hazelnuts or almonds. The rest of this page covers which box to pick, where each size turns up, and what the label actually says.
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What Is in a Box of Merci Chocolate?
The standard pack holds eight flavor varieties of individually wrapped chocolate bars, two of each in the 16-piece size. According to the merci FAQ, the Finest Assortment contains Milk Chocolate, Coffee and Cream, Hazelnut Almond, Hazelnut Crème, Marzipan, Dark Cream, Dark Mousse and Praline Crème. That spread of creamy milk pieces, darker centers and praline fillings is why it works as something for everyone when you do not know the recipient well.
The second lineup is the Milk Chocolate Assortment, sold in the US as the Finest Selection Milk and Creamy Chocolate Variety. It keeps four varieties: Milk Chocolate, Hazelnut Almond, Hazelnut Crème and Praline Crème. It drops the dark chocolate pieces, the coffee bar and the marzipan, but it keeps the hazelnut pieces. The reason the milk box is no safer for a nut allergy is that three of its four bars are named for hazelnut, almond or praline fillings.
| Box | Size (ounces) | Where it shows up |
|---|---|---|
| Finest Assortment or Milk Variety | 7 (200 g), 16 pieces | Target, Walmart, Kroger-family grocers, Amazon |
| Mid-size | 8.8 (250 g) | Walmart, seasonal holiday sleeves |
| Holiday sleeve | 14.1 (400 g), 32 pieces | Ralphs, Fry’s, Food 4 Less, Walmart |
| Club carton | 23.81, 54 pieces | Costco, seasonal |
| XL assortment | 24 (675 grams) | Walmart listings, import sellers |
Sizes come from the official cover editor (7, 8.8 and 14.01 oz), retailer product pages and a Costco item tracker. Club and holiday packs rotate, so treat the bottom three rows as seasonal.
Who Makes Merci, and Why It Sells as a Thank You Gift
Merci is a brand of August Storck KG, the family-owned German confectioner founded in 1903 in Werther, Westphalia, which also makes Werther’s Original, Riesen, Toffifee and Knoppers. The name is French for thank you, but it is made in Germany, according to the company’s own FAQ. The company’s UK site dates the line to 1964; most references give 1965. Either way, it has been sold as a way to say thank you for six decades, and the packaging still reads as a present rather than a snack.
That positioning explains the shelf placement. A sleeve of named varieties suits a teacher, a host, a nurse’s station or an office white elephant gift swap, at a cost well under a florist order. Compare the candy bar aisle, where nobody shops for presentation. Christmas and Valentine’s Day are the two peaks, so space grows through the fall and shrinks by spring.
One maker detail helps Aldi shoppers. Aldi’s Moser Roth chocolate is also a Storck brand, revived in 2007. It is a different product, though, so do not count on finding merci itself there.
Where to Buy Merci Chocolate in Stores
Mass retail and supermarkets carry the 16-piece size most of the year; clubs and holiday sets add the large formats from October onward. Buying in person also lets you check the packaging for heat damage before you pay.
Target, Walmart and Walgreens
Target lists the 16-count, 7 oz Finest Assortment as a standard item. Walmart runs the widest size range, from the 16-piece size to larger holiday sleeves and an XL pack, though several of those listings come from marketplace sellers rather than Walmart itself. Walgreens stock varies more; search before you drive, especially outside the holidays.
Kroger, Albertsons and regional grocers
Kroger-family banners including Ralphs, Fry’s, Food 4 Less, City Market and Mariano’s list the 16-piece size and the 32-piece holiday sleeve. Albertsons stores such as Safeway, Shaw’s and Acme carry merci too, and Ahold banners (Stop & Shop, Giant, Hannaford) list it in their premium gifting chocolate aisle. Stock is set store by store, so check the app for your location.
Costco and other warehouse clubs
Costco has carried a 54-piece, 23.81 oz assortment of the same eight varieties, which is the cheapest route per piece for an office tray. It is a seasonal item that appears around the holidays and then disappears. Sam’s Club and BJ’s listings were not confirmed for this season, so check their apps in October rather than December.
German and European import grocers
German delis and the import aisle of an international market often carry the European line, including the 250 g and 400 g Finest Selection boxes and the bite-size merci Petits. What the box front does not tell you is that European packs are labeled for their home market, so variety names may be in German and the allergen panel follows EU rules. These shops turn stock slowly outside the holidays, which makes the best-before date matter more here.
Buying Merci Chocolate Online
Online gives you the full size range and multi-packs, but shipping is where a chocolate order goes wrong. Price rarely decides between sellers. Seller identity and delivery conditions do.
Amazon
Amazon lists single boxes, multi-packs and seasonal sets, plus European imports from third-party sellers. Prefer listings shipped and sold by Amazon, since those are simpler to report if a box arrives damaged.
The official merci site
The brand’s official site has a cover editor for all three standard sizes. You add a photo and message, download the design and print it yourself at actual size, then wrap it around a store-bought box. It is not a custom-printing service, so no lead time is needed. The store locator on the merci home page points you to stockists near you.
Store pickup and summer delivery
Target and Walmart both offer order pickup, the best answer to a hot delivery route: nothing sits in a van, and you inspect the box before taking it. Ordering between May and September? Choose pickup. If it must ship, pick the fastest service early in the week, as our chocolate buying guide explains.
Allergens, Gluten and Alcohol: What the Label Says
Merci is not an allergy-friendly choice. US retailer ingredient lists for the 16-piece Finest Assortment name milk, soy lecithin, hazelnuts and almonds, and US grocery listings add a may-contain warning covering peanuts, egg and other tree nuts. The manufacturer’s FAQ states that its products are not considered gluten free and advises anyone avoiding gluten for medical reasons not to eat any of its products.
- Nuts: present as an ingredient in both the full and the milk assortment, not just as a trace warning.
- Gluten: not gluten free, per the manufacturer.
- Alcohol: the US Finest Assortment ingredient list shows no alcohol; European editions can differ, so read an import box.
- GMOs: the company says it uses no genetically modified ingredients, under EU Regulation 1829/2003.
Kosher and halal status is not stated on the brand site, so check the symbol on the box you are buying rather than relying on any listing.
Four checks before any box goes in the cart:
- Match the size to the headcount: 7 oz for one person, a holiday or club box for a group.
- Choose the full assortment for unknown tastes, the milk box for someone who dislikes dark chocolate and marzipan.
- Read the allergen statement on that specific box.
- Check the best-before date and look for bloom, the grey film that shows the bars were warmed.
If a Chocolate Gift Arrives Melted
Treat it as a damaged-item claim, not a return. Amazon lists perishables among items it does not take back, so a soft or fused box is resolved through a damaged or not-as-described report with photos. In-store purchases at Walmart, Target and Costco are handled at the service desk under each chain’s own grocery rules. Read the policy page before a warm-weather order, and see our roundup of stores with the best return policies.
Shopping the same aisle for a different brand? Guylian, the Belgian maker of seashell pralines, sits nearby, and so do Lindt and Godiva. They are not interchangeable: merci is flat wrapped bars in a sleeve, while those are molded shapes or truffles in a rigid box of chocolates.
Three Merci Picks by Occasion
Best overall: Merci Finest Assortment of European Chocolates. All eight varieties, from smooth milk to dark mousse, so it holds up when you do not know the recipient’s taste. It is also the box supermarkets restock most reliably. Check price on Amazon
Best for milk-only fans: Merci Assorted Milk. Four milk chocolate varieties with no dark or coffee pieces and no marzipan. It still contains hazelnuts and almonds. Check price on Amazon
Best mini format: Merci Petits Collection. Bite-size pieces sold mainly in Europe, so US listings usually come from import sellers and availability changes. Good for favors and stocking fillers when you can find it. Check price on Amazon
Start with the occasion, not the shelf. For one person, buy merci chocolate at Target or your supermarket this week and check the box in your hand. For an office, look for the Costco carton or a 32-piece holiday box now, while holiday stock is landing. Want a personal touch? Print a cover from the official site and wrap it around the box. For other edible presents, see our guides to chocolate covered strawberries and white chocolate.
Merci Questions, Answered
Is merci German or French?
German. It is made in Germany by August Storck KG, a family-owned company founded in 1903, and the line dates to the mid-1960s. Only the name is French, from the word for thank you, which is why the wrapper leans on appreciation rather than origin.
Do merci chocolates have nuts?
Yes. Hazelnuts and almonds are ingredients in both the Finest Assortment and the Milk Chocolate Assortment, and US labels add a may-contain warning for peanuts and other tree nuts. No box in the regular range is suitable for a nut allergy.
Is merci gluten free?
No. The maker says its products are not considered gluten free and recommends that anyone avoiding gluten for medical reasons skip all of them, merci included.
Is there alcohol in any of the varieties?
The US Finest Assortment ingredient list shows no alcohol, and none of the eight varieties is a liqueur-filled chocolate. Seasonal and European-market editions can differ, so check the ingredient panel on an imported box.
Can you eat it past the best-before date?
A best-before date is a quality date, not a safety date, so a sealed bar stored cool and dry is usually fine shortly after it. Bloom is unappealing but not unsafe. If the wrapper is torn or it smells of anything but chocolate, throw it out.
Stock and box sizes are set locally and change through the holiday season, so confirm availability before traveling to a store.