Tip: Beware 3 for £5 at M&S

creditcontroller

ZenUK wrote: »

Go in the evening for reduced price food items.

My local M&S also reduces items on a Saturday morning. The assistants seem to start on one side and work across to the other, I always look out for the yellow stickers !

ladylouise62

jenniewb wrote: »

I don't want to scare you: but their all at it! Most stores work like this, its how they keep themselves going. Its very rare they don't and infact during one Christmas it was so unusual for it to work in the customers interest (say if they were taking part in the 3-4-2 gift promotion) that Boots used it as a selling point.

With all stores, especially supermarkets or food deals it works the same as far as I am aware.

As said here, it's pretty standard practice, I'm afraid.

relic

Ilona wrote: »

Well I'm confused as to how anyone can afford to buy food at M & S because I can't.
Ilona

I have found if you just buy meals, or meat, or the odd thing, they aren't actually that expensive compared to other supermarkets. I couldn't imagine doing a full shop there, but on occassion they do have some good offers on.

chelle333

Ilona wrote: »

Well I'm confused as to how anyone can afford to buy food at M & S because I can't.
Ilona

I find M&S cheap on some offers like
Large cooked chicken and Tart / Trifle for £5
Sausages £1 etc
Vegetables are often a good buy when they are on offer you just got to pop in once and a while

wyebird

Yes, it is worth a look to see what offers are on.

Cleaning sprays,bleach etc are half price at the mo, 64p and 49p respectively.
Tortilla chips BOGOF(50p a large packet), dary free spreads cheaper than LIDL, etc :-)

alwaysonthego_2

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KittyLady

Boots do this too with their 3-2 deals. I pay for each separately now as it's too much drama waiting for them to drag a manager over to argue with me and eventually redo the transaction.

Spiritman_2

KittyLady wrote: »

... drag a manager over to argue with me and eventually redo the transaction.

That's exactly what I did in M&S, and it worked. Didn't even need an argument.

paddyrg

chelle333 wrote: »

Large cooked chicken and Tart / Trifle

I misread that as "chicken trifle" - makes for a bit of a change come Sunday, eh?

Legal_Academic

This kind of sharp practice is not just confusing to consumers; it is also illegal.

In ordinary language, if you see a sign that encourages you to buy more of something to make a saving, but you don't get that saving at the checkout, then the shop has committed an offence.

The legal wording of The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 s.8.(1)(b) states:

"A trader is guilty of an offence if ... he knowingly or recklessly engages in a commercial practice ... [which] materially distorts or is likely to materially distort the economic behaviour of the average consumer with regard to the product"

(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/1277/regulation/8/made)

So where M&S place a large sign over the Italian range saying "3 for 2", and the average shopper buys 3 pastas and 3 sauces thinking she'll get 1 expensive sauce and 1 cheap pasta free, her "economic behaviour has been materially distorted by the offer" and the offence is complete as soon as M&S credit her with only 2 cheap pastas.

To clarify, it is no defence for M&S to say the customer should have read the small print ("cheapest item free"). The law specifically states that if the average consumer would have bought more of something because of a sign they noticed on the shelves, and the deal they thought they were getting is not honoured, then the offence has been committed.

If you, too, find this confusing you can force M&S change this policy by copying the above to your local Trading Standards (on your local authority's website). Remind them they have a duty to enforce the regulations (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/1277/regulation/19/made).