Are you a victim of deceptive pricing? - Shrinking Groceries

[un1boy]

Originally Posted by ravenbluemoon

There is another trick I have noticed, and the main culprits are Tesco, and to a lesser extent, Sainsbury's.

Take a closer look at those BOGOF offers. Looks tempting, doesn't it? Take a look at what the price really is - you'll often find that the price is too high to start with. Here's a ficticious (sp?) example:

A packet of biscuits is on a BOGOF offer - two packets for £1.25. Looks good in itself, but you know for a fact that you wouldn't pay £1.25 for a single packet, they are usually on sale at around 90p.

This tactic I consider to be sneaky. OK, so you are saving money, but they are exaggerating how much the savings really are...

You're right, this normally is the case - I used to work on the entertainment department of a major UK store and it took years to realise that when they had a BOGOF promotion, on say, DVDs - the price would be around £16.99 each.

When the promotion ended, they would be on at around £9.99 each.

It took me years to realise and I was the one changing the prices, so I'm not surprised no-one else noticed!!

It's crazy.

PS - good to see you back SpiceSkull!!

[robin9342]

Found this one in Tesco: Own brand toothpaste 50ml for 42p or 100ml for 36p. These are regular prices with no offers. Which would you buy?!

[gyzmo]

I'd like to know how long HMV think a "sale" should last for. There is a boxset of CDs which has been "on sale" at a certain price for at least two years now.

The law really does need changing in this area

[Aterlatus]

Anyone with young kids has gotta appreciate the hell I go through with this one....

BABY WIPES!

It's insane. Every brand comes in different quantities per pack, which seems to change along with price on a weekly basis (at least!). Not to mention the various 'offers' for bulk buys.

Theoretical figures, but proves a point.

Own brand baby wipes, 71p/pack
Named baby wipes, £3.54 for a 4-pack
Own brand has 54/pack
Named brand has 68/pack

Which looks best value?


The wife gives me strange looks when I stand in the shop working out which one is best value each and every week. Many a time I've walked out with a bag full of individual packs instead of a multi-pack...

[bottomburp]

I find the same problem with other products. I recently decided to bite the bullet and put up with the strange looks and take a calculator with me!

[gyzmo]

There really should be no need. Unless its a small shop, they should be putting on the price per unit for each item so that a comparison can be made.

I've noticed though that Tesco label their own products in price per gram or ML and price brand products by the kilo or litre, making their own brand at first glance looking rather cheap!

[bottomburp]

Originally Posted by gyzmo

There really should be no need. Unless its a small shop, they should be putting on the price per unit for each item so that a comparison can be made.

SHOULD being the operative word here! Is it a legal requirement?

Sometimes they do [put price per sheet] and sometimes they don't.

Sometimes they put £2 per kg less (and the less is so tiny you wouldn't notice it unless you look carefully).

The way the supermarkets price goods is getting increasingly confusing. As you say sometimes they put price per 250ml unit / per 100ml/100mg / per 1kg.

I frequently hear couples discussing which price is, in fact, better value.

[389shell]

Originally Posted by Aterlatus

Anyone with young kids has gotta appreciate the hell I go through with this one....

BABY WIPES!

It's insane. Every brand comes in different quantities per pack, which seems to change along with price on a weekly basis (at least!). Not to mention the various 'offers' for bulk buys.

Theoretical figures, but proves a point.

Own brand baby wipes, 71p/pack
Named baby wipes, £3.54 for a 4-pack
Own brand has 54/pack
Named brand has 68/pack

Which looks best value?


The wife gives me strange looks when I stand in the shop working out which one is best value each and every week. Many a time I've walked out with a bag full of individual packs instead of a multi-pack...

Oh yes, been there. Luckily we have a Quality Save in our town which blasts everyone out of the water

[Bookworm]

I got very annoyed the other day as I was trying to buy a bottle of good port to take to France. Tesco's prices were labelled as either £x / litre, then £x / 500 ml, and for some other bottles £x / 750 ml, making it virtually impossible to work out what was what simply by reading the labels, which is what they're supposed to be for after all.

Oh, and suntan lotion? Don't get me started on them!!!

[gyzmo]

Originally Posted by bottomburp

SHOULD being the operative word here! Is it a legal requirement? .

Yep it is under the Price Marking Order 2004 (i think - not got legislation to hand). Very basically, shops over a certain size must display the total price of an item as well as the appropriate unit price where appropriate and depending on how its sold and its quantity.

It is a little complex and a bit difficult to enforce (namely becasue the supermarkets just have to sign tick sheets to get away with murder). I usuall count myself lucky if I can find a price at all - never mind the unit price!

[robin9342]

If you have a Lidl near you, use them. Years ago, I thought that cheap=poor quality. Not true. For example Lidl sell steak or chicken and ham pies for £1.79 and have large chunks of meat in them. Tescos nearest equivalent costs £2.99 (or more), contains small/tiny bits of meat and is chock full of onion to enhance the otherwise bland flavour.

Oh, and their baby wipes are 99p for 80 and have been that price for the last 2 years.

If Lidl can do it and still turn a profit, why can't Tesco? (that was a rhetorical question)

[gyzmo]

Well I dont know what all the fuss is about Aldi being so cheap. I can get most of the stuff they sell but with brand names and at better prices.

[elizabeth1]

Originally Posted by gyzmo

There really should be no need. Unless its a small shop, they should be putting on the price per unit for each item so that a comparison can be made.

I've noticed though that Tesco label their own products in price per gram or ML and price brand products by the kilo or litre, making their own brand at first glance looking rather cheap!

I see what you are saying here BUT when it comes to items like soap powder tablets/gel pouches - although it breaksdown per item/unit - often the packs have different units per wash = some liquid pouches you'd need two pouches per wash load - others you'd need only one pouch.

Some very clever labelling going on within supermarkets I must say.

I think the funniest item I seen to date was yesterday in BOOTS - OH wanted new blades for his electric razor/shaver - when I eventually found the prices for the replacement heads/blades things - it was cheaper to buy a whole new electric razor by £20 than to order the replacement parts I was looking for. Meant he'd a whole new razor updated version of same razor and a new guarantee etc..

It was absolutely pointless to buy the replacement parts when the razor was on a half price offer as a newer version of same thing.

[gyzmo]

ooops! Did I capitalise that ml? should be ml or mL... just to be pedantic.

I shall now get my anorak!

[Aterlatus]

Razor blades full stop are evil - one thing to look out for is often you get a full sized 'holder' for blades in a new razor, but only 1/2 blades actually in it. Can often seem like a new razor is the cheaper option when in reality you're getting half (or less!) the cutting-power for well more than half the price!


I recently had to switch to the old face shredders (disposables) because the price of blades rocketed so much

Oh yeah, the other one - often you'll find identical blades with vastly different prices. If a certain un-named brand has a regular razor and, say, one that vibrates you'll find the blades for the vibrator (ohh err missus) are invariably priced higher even though they're EXACTLY the same thing!