Shoppers from throughout New Zealand have emailed Consumer NZ with examples of dubious or confusing supermarket deals after the group highlighted misleading or simply inaccurate grocery pricing and promotional techniques.
Among the instances given by Consumer NZ was a ‘fantastic deal’ of $13.10 for dog chow – placed adjacent to its typical selling price of $12.50. Another example was cheese on ‘special’ at $4.90 – with the regular price of $4.80 prominently appearing alongside. And another showed dog food, originally priced at $2.79 per unit “on-sale” for an ‘extremely low’ price of two for $6.
Consumer NZ said Countdown admitted last week that some of the offers promoted on its website were wrong, resulting in some customers paying more than they expected to at the checkout.
“It’s important the supermarkets are honest with shoppers about their pricing,” said Gemma Rasmussen, Consumer’s head of communications and campaigns.
“Shoppers should be able to confidently compare products and know they are getting a good deal when purchasing a product on special.”
Consumer NZ also reported that its Sentiment Tracker shows last year that cost of living concerns drastically increased among consumers, with food pricing playing a significant role. A list of financial worries now places home payments first and food prices second, yet a year ago food ranked eighth behind other household expenses.
“At Consumer, we are not confident that supermarkets will step up and do the right thing,” Rasmussen added.
“There is a strong spotlight on the sector and yet pricing errors continue to happen, so we asked for shoppers to be our eyes on the ground. We’re not convinced the supermarkets are going to change their ways without pressure from the public.”
Rasmussen said that Consumer NZ advised customers to verify their receipts for any price differences and to notify the supermarket of them as well as to report the pricing issues to Consumer NZ at playfair@consumer.org.nz.
In 2021, Consumer NZ and the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council called for a major shake-up of the supermarket industry, after the Commerce Commission investigated the impact of the current duopoly on Kiwis.
