UK supermarkets seen taking customers for a ride with special offers
19 Nov 2013
Some of the UK's biggest supermarkets have been accused of running so-called special offers that often saw customers pay higher than the original price.
In an analysis of over 70,000 grocery prices, consumer group `Which?' found examples of what they called misleading multibuys and dodgy discounts.
According to Richard Lloyd, executive director, who spoke to Sky News, people were at best paying what they would have done, or often they had been found paying over the odds, paying extra when they thought they were getting a discount. That could not be fair, he added.
According to him, the special offers were not special at all and that was the reason rules needed to be changed to force the supermarkets to play fair.
Increasing food prices were one of the top worries for consumers as inflation had outpaced average wage growth for about five years.
Which? wants the government to make the rules for special offers simpler, clearer and stricter.
According to the consumer group, if these changes were not made swiftly, it would consider using its formal legal powers to ensure the practice was tackled.
In the meantime, shoppers needed to look carefully at the special offers, according to Lloyd.
Which? found that over one in 10 products in a range of supermarkets had been on a discount offer for longer than at the previous higher price.
The government last November launched new guidance to stop supermarkets from offering confusing multibuy deals and discounts. But, in an analysis of 70,000 products, Which? found that supermarkets were still using special offers that made it look like the shopper was getting a bargain when in fact they were not.
According to the government guidance, special offers should not be misleading, and any higher price referred to should be a genuine price and product too needed not to be on offer for longer than they were at the higher price.
Asda hiked the regular price of Uncle Ben's rice from £1 to £1.58 as it went on to a ''Two for £3'' multibuy, then returned it to £1, which meant it was more expensive when it was on offer than when it was not.
Sainsbury's Carex Aloe Vera & Eucalyptus Moisturising Antibacterial Handwash (250ml) sold at a higher price of £1.80 for seven days, and then on offer ''was £1.80 now 90p'' for 84 days.
According to an Asda spokesperson, the retailer took pricing seriously and recently employed a new team that looked at all aspects of its pricing process. According to Sainsbury's, the three items singled out by Which? were exceptions.
