Are you a victim of deceptive pricing? - Shrinking Groceries

BankFodder · 19th July 2008, 07:02

Have you noticed that some of your regular shopping products may be getting more expensive?

Not because the price has gone up - but because the quantity sold has very subtly gone down.

Have you noticed, for instance that Heinz beans are now sold in tins of 415 grams whereas most competitors sell cans of 420 grams?

Heinz beans are packaged in identically sized tins as the others and you would only know if you checked the weight on the side of the tin - most people don't do this.

When did Heinz start to do this? Have you noticed other examples of this behaviour with other products?

We think that this could be deceptive behaviour.

Please let us know in this thread.
Post photos if you want.

BankFodder · 19th July 2008, 07:27

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Spiceskull · 19th July 2008, 10:26

Specifically Vodafone (others may apply) - spend £2.50 before 18:00 on Friday, and you qualify for free texts from 18:00 Friday to Midnight Sunday.

They recently moved the goalposts so that the qualifying parameters were Midnight Friday to Midnight Sunday...a reduction of 11% in the free text mode, and an increase of 5% in the non free text mode (i.e. when you are paying for usage)

It was subtlely done, and took a couple of weeks to realise that my texts between 18:00 and Midnight on Friday were costing money...

suzieblooz · 19th July 2008, 13:09

Notice this all the time, Cadburys chocolate gone from 250g to 230g but still the same price. Tesco mayonnaise gone from 500g to 480g. It seems they'd rather cut the size than put the price up, as shoppers are more likely to notice a few pence price rise than a few grammes taken off.

ScarletPimpernel · 19th July 2008, 14:25

For a long time supermarkets have made it difficult to compare prices easily. For example, on the shelf label an item that costs £1.20 and weighs 500g will have a 'price per kg £1.20' subtitle, yet the item you would want to compare it to (e.g. an own brand or competitive product), will be labelled in lbs, even if the package itself has a metric label.

Spiceskull · 19th July 2008, 15:48

I know exactly what you are saying there SP, and was mindful of this thread in Asda today.

Roll-on deodorant, 'roll back price' today, £1.40 (for 50ml) and the label said 'usual price £2.80 per 100ml'

I spluttered, and said to Jen 'how on earth can that be a roll back price, I have never seen a roll-on deodorant for £2.80...' until she pointed out that the bottle was only 50ml...

Yes, this is a good thread, and shows that the corporates are very subtlely pulling the wool over our eyes...

Fuzzgin · 19th July 2008, 20:38

I know it's not particularly deceptive but in Tesco the 227g coffee (own brand) was always expensive compared to the 454g pack. Something like £1.60 compared to £1.75 for the larger pack. Then suddenly the larger pack went p to about £3.27. A huge increase. As I eat a lot of ham I sometimes buy Tesco own brand value ham (I know, I shouldn't) but it's price can shoot from 32p to 44p back to 38p and up again within a week. How can anyone possibly budget?

ravenbluemoon · 20th July 2008, 12:30

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...

poppynurse · 21st July 2008, 06:34

Tesco have put cooking oil (3L) up to nearly £4 over the past couple of weeks, and flora (1Kg) and loo roll (12 pack) up to nearly a £5....ouch...

barracad · 21st July 2008, 08:35

Apparently the increase in vegetable oil prices is to stop people considering using it as an alternative fuel with rising petrol & diesel prices!

gyzmo · 21st July 2008, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzieblooz

Notice this all the time, Cadburys chocolate gone from 250g to 230g but still the same price. Tesco mayonnaise gone from 500g to 480g. It seems they'd rather cut the size than put the price up, as shoppers are more likely to notice a few pence price rise than a few grammes taken off.

barring an amendment of legislation, chocolate musty be sold in certain prescribed quantities. 230 g is not one of them!

My my, weights and measures is becomming popular all of a sudden!

gyzmo · 21st July 2008, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScarletPimpernel

For a long time supermarkets have made it difficult to compare prices easily. For example, on the shelf label an item that costs £1.20 and weighs 500g will have a 'price per kg £1.20' subtitle, yet the item you would want to compare it to (e.g. an own brand or competitive product), will be labelled in lbs, even if the package itself has a metric label.

If a seller is pricing produce using Imperial measures without it being supplementary to an equivocal price per unit in metric, then they are committing an offence.

But supermarkets do make comparison difficult. I have no qualms whatsoever about pulling staff members up and getting them to find correct prices if missing.

Also make use of the scales provided. I don't see many people using them but I do quite a lot, and its saved me a small fortune!

semyaza · 21st July 2008, 10:40

My next door neighbour who works at tesco was telling me that when a new product comes out they increase the price for two weeks.

We stopped shopping a tesco back in April to try out Lidl and Aldi. We stuck with Lidl in the end as the Aldi in our area was too small. But so far we have halved our shopping for a family of 4. But I expect Lidl will become like the others at some point so it's worth paying attention.

Spiceskull · 21st July 2008, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by semyaza

But I expect Lidl will become like the others at some point so it's worth paying attention.

Not so sure about that - there was a comparison a few weeks ago, and all the big 4 decided that to maintain customer share, they would need to become more like Lidl and Aldi...

Wouldn't that be a novelty - price wars actually leading to a lower median price, based on the cheapest, rather than a higher median price, based on the highest...

And Gyz is so right on the weights and measures issues...prices provided in imperial, without metric...report the boogers to TS...would need to find oput more about the chocolate regulations, and whether or not packaging counts as part of the gross weight...

gyzmo · 22nd July 2008, 08:19

you can find said information in the Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/659) or Part IV of the Weights and Measures Act 1985 depending on what the product is, how it was packed (if at all) and where it was sold from.

Be warned though that they are very complex and confusing.

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