What happens when supermarkets get caught cheating

[woolybanana]

An example of their fraud and what happens when they get caught, though not often enough in my view:

http://www.lepoint.fr/societe/carrefour-et-leclerc-epingles-pour-pratiques-trompeuses-29-04-2012-1456384_23.php

http://uk.babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lepoint.fr%2Fsociete%2Fcarrefour-et-leclerc-epingles-pour-pratiques-trompeuses-29-04-2012-1456384_23.php&lp=fr_en&btnTrUrl=Translate   (with thanks to babelfish)

[idun]

I have seen this in the UK too and it is often showed on Watchdog on the BBC. Or the companies increase the price, sometimes doubling it and then say 'buy one get on free'.

 

You have just reminded me why I used to take so long shopping in France, as I always checked every last price and usually ended up buying things in 'ones' rather than these offers. I am trying to remember seeing a genuine offer, rarely is all I can say.

 

Should companies be fined, yes, this should be stopped and a bit of honest trading done. Maybe a direct fine on the PDG, and their pension stopped...... I posted recently about Carrefour's PDG's indecent remuneration. Might make them think a bit, if they got affected directly....... and why not, they are responsible.[:-))]

[Quillan]

The fines are not enough for this sort of thing. They need fines that make the supermarkets scream.

Yesterday, funny enough and lucky I had my calculator to hand, and I don't remember the exact amount of money but it was eight kitchen towel rolls for the price of six. Not when you have a calculator it isn't, a six pack worked out about 13 cents a roll cheaper. The I moved on to the toilet rolls, 18 for the price of 12, again using the calculator it was cheaper to buy the packs of 12. Problem is they price 'per unit' and not per roll where as if it's dry foods etc it's per kilo or per litre for wet goods and much easier to spot the rip off.

You see until they jump really hard they will not stop this practice, the fine is a lot less than the money they are making on all the other rip off pricing they have in the store of which nobody complains. Give them a fine of one months takings and tell them the next time they are caught it will be two months takings then you might start to see a dramatic drop in these offences. They (the government) should also have, if they don't have already, a hot-line for people to call.

[Chancer]

I started a thread, I am sure it was on this forum, it was "Should France have a Trading Standards office?"

To my surprise the overwhelming response was no!

From the comments I began to question whether I was living in a parallel universe.

Maybe when the pound was worth €1.50 and wine and fags cheaper the reality was somewhat tinted.

[NormanH]

Rosé tinted?

[PaulT]

Unfortunately, people have been conditioned to bigger is cheaper but, certainly in the UK, it is not the case.

Look at the unit cost of a small packet and a large packet of washing powder. Nine times out of ten the small er is cheaper.

A few years back in the UK there was th scandal of a highr price being charged at the chckout than was shown on the shelf.

Paul

[breizh]

I do the shopping in our house, my dearaly bewildered, is a bit too French (needs to spend more time in the UK..........hopefully soon). I find it bizarre that anyone bothers to following this up. I thought it was common knowledge, and every single offer I've ever seen in InterClerc has been fraudulant! The German hard discounters are much more trustworthy.

[woolybanana]

Over the years I've developed the habit of checking price per litre or kg which can be very revealing. More difficult with things like kitchen towels as cheap often means thinner and useless. 

[idun]

[quote user="woolybanana"]Over the years I've developed the habit of checking price per litre or kg which can be very revealing. More difficult with things like kitchen towels as cheap often means thinner and useless. [/quote]

Wooly, that's the way to do it, until you realise that they haven't actually done that very simple of sums properly.

Trouble is that the label is not always for the article just above it. Still I do as you do and try and keep an eye on what I am buying.

 

I stopped using our village market as one never knew where one was with the prices and some said that our local Casino was the same.

 

So shall we say 'buyer beware' in France and everywhere else too for that matter.

[Pickles]

[quote user="Chancer"]I started a thread, I am sure it was on this forum, it was "Should France have a Trading Standards office?"[/quote]

Are you SURE it was on this Forum? I don't remember such a thread.

But in any case, isn't this what the DGCCRF (Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes) is supposed to do?

[idun]

Chancer, I did contact the DGCCRF once about a shop in our village. They were fined. Sometimes these things do work.

[Georgina]

I would like to report our local supermarket for this practice. I see them regularly increasing the price of the individual item quite significanly and then offering buy one get one bon achat.  So often that happens.  And what they also do is that when you self serve you cannot see that you are being refunded for the extra item until you have paid and it has gone through.  They also, if you have several items buy one get the other bon achat, give you a bon achat for the full total of  all items and not individual ones (So you cannot check) so you have to be an accountant to add it all up, all adds to the scam.

[Evianers]

A year ago, and because I drink far too much of it, we purchased jars of instant coffee at €1.60 in Leader Price. Then three months later there was a massive price increase to €1.80 and since a month ago, the same item is now on sale for €2.10. That's an increase of 50 cents in less than one year! It's unbelievable. We have stopped going there and are patronising more and more frequently the German outlets who do have some good specials.

[Georgina]

In fairness, the price of coffee has significantly increased everywhere over the last year. I noticed that and I shop around frequently. My coffee increased by 40 percent last year in my local Netto and Lidl.

[Val_2]

My son brought a large jar of Nescafé Special blend back from the UK in March, against the Special Filtre here of same size, it was actually more expensive even with the exchange rate in the UK thanbuying it here! It dosn't taste as nice as the french version either and I now know why back in the late 80's my husband's french teacher was always asking us to bring it back for her.

The locals here all buy Grandmere coffee, I think its horrible and prefer to pay a bit more for a decent blend.

[Chancer]

36 Senseo coffee pads, Expresso strength, the strongest, cost €1.29 in Aldi, they have gone up very slightly in the last year, by far the best tasting coffee that I have found to date despite the price.

They dont sell them in Aldi UK [:(] en revanche over there they sell a 1KG bag of no added sugar Swiss muesli for peanuts and it is to die for [:-))]

[idun]

I change coffee all the time. I have tried the Milicano, and then Instinct, both ground instant , plus the varying coffees I use in my italian cafetiere. And then there are the instants, currently Carte Noire.

I buy when on offer as I did in France. So I know the prices that they usually try and charge and if they adjust them upwards before the reductions.

 

 I was in Lidl a couple of days ago and noted that many of the basics I use were more expensive...... apart from the emmantael which I always buy from there, as we like our croque monsieurs and don't like them with any other cheese. I rarely shop in Aldi.

 

And I see people just buying,  and paying little attention to price.