As originally appeared in The Telegram June 17, 2013
Although customer
service or lack thereof has been a primary focus of mine, there is plenty more
to talk about in terms of consumer awareness.
Whether you've checked the flyers and made a list or you’re just stopping
for in for a couple of items, one place where you can see some interesting
trends and increase your consumer savvy is at your local grocery store.
Anyone who has ever been
subjected to the madness of a grocery store on the Thursday night before a long
weekend can probably imagine being somewhat baffled in deciding whether to buy the
tin milk marked 4 for 5 dollars with a starburst SALE sticker, versus the one
with a regular price of $1.25 a pop. The sale sign designed to make you think
you are getting a deal when you are actually paying the same as always.
Add to this the odd
trend I have been hearing about lately, where an in-store sign advertises
(hopefully in error!) the same or an even higher price than normal. Sometimes
it seems a wonder that anyone can be sure they are getting a break at all.
In the last month, pictures
have been brought to my attention showing Vachon cakes that were regularly
$2.50 advertised for $2.99. Vienna sausages on sale for 6 cents more per can
than their regular price. And let’s not forget the fantastic “flyer savings!”
on a $4.99 bottle of lotion – marked down to the low, low price of $5.99. Hopefully,
these were just oversights that make for some good consumer humour, but there
is definitely something serious going on when it comes to what Consumerist calls the dreaded “grocery shrink ray”
We all know the story: meat
prices going up. Produce prices going up. Most any price you can think of,
going up. But as prices rise, something odd is happening to some packaged
foods. They are mysteriously shrinking. This is due to a practice whereby items are reduced in size but sold for the same old price.
I have encountered this on a number of occasions here in St. John’s. Take, for
example, the 1.75 litre of orange juice that used to be 1.89 litres but still
costs $3.99. I also used to pay $11.99 for a 6.6-pound bag of dog food. The
first time I noticed this change, I had just paid a sale price of $9.99 for
what I thought was the same amount of
food, but when I got home found 0.6 pounds of kibble missing. Not as good a
sale as I thought, and guess what? Now the 6-pound bag is back at its “regular”
price of $11.99.
Another way that you
might be tempted by a sale-that’s-not-really-a-sale is the 10-for-10 dollars
tactic. In this manner, you could be enticed to purchase 10 of an item, even though you would normally buy only 2 or 3 of the
same item. This might not be such a big deal with non-perishable items that you
can stock up on, but maybe not so great for those who can’t pass up a deal and
end up wondering what to do with the additional 9 packages of frozen green peas. Good news, though:
when the sign says 10-for-10, the same price is usually applied no matter how
many units you buy. Would you have
bought 10 if a 1-for-1 dollar sale were advertised?
Luckily, there are some
consumer safeguards in place. First of all, should you find yourself bamboozled
by the neon yellow signs, take a moment to look at the less conspicuous shelf
label. You will generally find a unit
price for the product in small print. Checking this price will tell you how
much the product costs per unit, for example, per 100 millilitres or per litre
for larger items. By looking at this information, you can make a more informed
decision about the value you are getting for your money.
Finally, once you have navigated
your way to the checkout with your purchases, you may find yourself availing of
the consumer empowerment offered in the voluntary Scanning Price Accuracy Code.
This code allows a customer to make a claim for reimbursement when the scanned
price of a non-price ticketed item scans for a higher price than posted. In
eligible cases, the lower price will be honoured and the retailer will give the product to
the customer for free where the product cost less than $10. In the case of a
higher-priced item, the customer will be given a $10 discount on the correct
price. There are caveats, of
course -- I have posted a link at my blog to the full text
of the code at the Retail Council of Canada’s website. All of the national
chain supermarkets in this province are signatories to this practice, so keep
an eye out for scanner errors and don’t forget to mention the scanning code of
practice to your cashier if something rings up wrong.
Do you think that voluntary
practices such as the listing of unit prices and consumer protection such as
the Scanning Price Accuracy Code should become mandatory? What tips do you have
for becoming a more informed customer? Join me in the conversation about
incorrect labeling, pricing errors and of course, customer service
@ishopandtell on twitter, or send me an email with your thoughts.
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