WARNING: Tesco Misleading Packaging

DMB1

Shopping at Tesco recently, I noticed that some items were cheaper to buy individually than in a larger/multipack marked better value. For instance, 20 bin bags sold for £1.78, 40 bin bags marked "bigger pack better value" were £3.99. A tin of tuna was £1.15 but a 4-pack marked "bigger value" was £4.98 - I actually bought 4 individual cans and at the till they came out at £1.25 each but BOGOF (not advertised on the shelf) so in fact cost just £2.50 for 4, a saving of £2.48 on the multipack!

These were just two items in my relatively small shopping basket that I happened to notice so there may be more. It concerns me because I know people like my grandparents would automatically buy the big pack thinking they'd save money (and at their age it's hard to read and work out the pricing) and their meagre pension means they have to count every penny.

I've contacted Trading Standards and they are investigating both the misleading selling and incorrect pricing but I wanted to warn others to check the multipacks aren't more expensive.

First time poster so apologies if this is a repeat or in the wrong place!

uktim29

To be honest you've said the prices are incorrect but they're not as you could see them and they were correct on the till. A BOGOF came up as a surprise but that was luck and didn't cost you anything. At any one time 1000 prices may change in a Supermarket for one reason or another. Whoever sets the prices won't always know the packs of other lines will have text on them as you stated. It will have been a case of originally that smaller good had a higher price but went down. It's one of those rare times when something would be better off more expensive so it makes the text of another product correct.

I don't think Trading Standards will be all that interested in this. Very trivial matter really.

You said it's Tesco over pricing but really it's a case of the smaller product being under priced! As I said, this sort of thing is very trivial really if you think about it.

wary

uktim29 wrote: »

You said it's Tesco over pricing but really it's a case of the smaller product being under priced! As I said, this sort of thing is very trivial really if you think about it.

It does nevertheless make a useful point, not to just assume that a larger pack or a multi-pack is cheaper than buying the equivalent number of individuals. It's worth doing your maths, just in case.

Keeping_Positive

I have found tesco 1ltr carton of OJ priced at 58p (x 4 = 2.32 5.8p per 100ml) but the 4 pack is 2.98 7.5 per 100ml so it does pay to look at the labels but do we all have time to do this everytime we shop?

Sssssss

I've bought a six pack of coke once nd insisted they were scanned as 6 indivual cans as they were cheaper that way!

geri1965_2

I bought 4 slices of back bacon for 99p last week - a pack of 8 slices was £2.68!

milliemonster

uktim29 wrote: »

To be honest you've said the prices are incorrect but they're not as you could see them and they were correct on the till. A BOGOF came up as a surprise but that was luck and didn't cost you anything. At any one time 1000 prices may change in a Supermarket for one reason or another. Whoever sets the prices won't always know the packs of other lines will have text on them as you stated. It will have been a case of originally that smaller good had a higher price but went down. It's one of those rare times when something would be better off more expensive so it makes the text of another product correct.

I don't think Trading Standards will be all that interested in this. Very trivial matter really.

You said it's Tesco over pricing but really it's a case of the smaller product being under priced! As I said, this sort of thing is very trivial really if you think about it.

I don't think this is trivial at all!, look at utilities and the way the tariffs are explained?, it doesn't mean the pricing is wrong but it can be very misleading for people trying to work it all out, and I think this is the point, I think Tradig Standards should be interested in this, supermarket product pricing should be clear and unambiguous so consumers can make an informed decision about what to choose, this goes for any product we buy

blue_monkey_2

I think the OP raised a good point but maybe put the wrong title, maybe it should be 'misleading packaging'.

For most of us it would be common sense, I usually spend ages shopping because I have to check the prices of everything - even online. However, there are people who are not good at simple maths, or older people, that would buy because of the packaging and not realise but if it was me and I saw someone picking up something that was higher priced I would point out that it was cheaper to buy xx. Some people think I am being nosy, others think I am being helpful. I am more inclined to help elderly people if I am in the shop, but then maybe that is just me. A few weeks back I was at the meat section discussing the prices with an elderly lady for what she was buying and she wandered off with sdome meat, next thing she was back telling me that there was the same products on the reduced section so to hurry. It is all about helping each other out if we can I think. Maybe I am just too nosy. If I see someone getting xx that I know is cheaper elsewhere then I'll tell someone.

I do know both my nan and my mum do not understand the pricing so much - especially when it has £21p per 100g on one label and then will be £1.80 per kg on the next label, mum would get the one with the smaller price if I was not there to tell her. As would my nan.

I think OP means that the packaging is misleading rather than the stuff is overpriced. While prices change the retailer should be aware of this and I think they have a point really. If you think about it, from seeing what I see with my mum and nan, the ones not getting the most value for their money are the ones that are most vunerable and not really able to understand the labels or have much money.

blue_monkey_2

Just like this I guess..... Tesco value shortbread fingers are 41p for 150g.... standard tesco shortbread fingers are 61p for 250g. So it is cheaper to buy the standard Tesco brand. But who would think that it was cheaper to buy the Vaue brand if they were watching the pennies and did not understand the labelling because Value is labelled at being the cheapest option to buy. When sometimes it is not.

If you shop online now they have a little thing on Tesco to say 'cheaper options' and a box comes up with the sme products but cheaper, if you buy the chespest you do not get this. Maybe they could incorporate this into their SEL's so that the cheapest brand will have a star or exclamation mark. If it is cheap because it is a special it has a different colour label anyway.

Becles

Sssssss wrote: »

I've bought a six pack of coke once nd insisted they were scanned as 6 indivual cans as they were cheaper that way!

They shouldn't have done that as it messes up the computerised stock inventory system.

Each product is called an SKU, so the single Coke cans are one SKU, and a 6 pack of Coke is another SKU. Everytime an item passes through the till, it's knocked off the inventory and when a minimum stock level is reached, an order is automatically placed for new stock.

In this case, the inventory system would think there was one more six pack of Coke left on the shelf than there really is, but six less individual cans so it may not order more 6 packs of Coke, but may order more single cans which are not needed. Unlikely I know, but you get the idea!

Then they pay people like me to go in and sort it all out

robpw2

many supermarkets have offers on where its chepaer to buy individually than the multipack but also sometimes vice versa for example they have activia 4 pack at 2,29 but activia 8 pack at 2,00