Waitrose fail to convince with explanation for price hike on Golden Syrup

rachbc

the thing is they don't have to explain their policy to anyone- free market economics dictates they can charge what they like and you can pay it or not. Personally I buy enough of the 2 for £1 squeezy bottles around pancake day to last a year til the same offer comes round again!

brettcta

rachbc wrote: »

the thing is they don't have to explain their policy to anyone- free market economics dictates they can charge what they like and you can pay it or not. Personally I buy enough of the 2 for £1 squeezy bottles around pancake day to last a year til the same offer comes round again!

this.

business in 'making a profit whilst reacting to soaring rises in the global cost of natural resources' shocker

vyle

llanman10 wrote: »

I contacted Waitrose with a question about the price of Golden Syrup. this is what I said..........

"Could you please explain your pricing policy as it affects Tate and Lyle Golden Syrup (907g). I shop at Waitrose Abergavenny and asked the staff in store to explain why the price of syrup has risen from £1 to £1.98 in the past six months. The price of £1 was not a special offer at the time. I use golden syrup regularly and I am well aware of its price. "

Did you really believe that a sales assistant would know, or be told why prices change? To them, it's one of many hundreds of products which needed ticketing, nothing more. They're not consulted on such issues.

" prices vary from year to year in response to factors such as significant shifts in weather patterns or increases in fuel prices"

Clearly a stock reply basically saying, "costs change, and so the price changes."

The buying offices of big (or indeed any) retailers guard their cost prices and negotiations very closely. Why on earth would they tell the general public what factors have gone into choosing their price, when anything that gets out could be used by their competitors to seal a better deal for themselves?

Mk14:37

They probably didn't that you'd entirely understand if they started to talk about price elasticity of demand. Was that wrong of them?

molerat

How do you think they make the large price reductions on other products and still keep increasing their overall margin ? All supermarkets use smoke and mirrors to make the punter think they are getting a bargain.

saintjammyswine

Same reason that the price of eggs (no, stay with me, seriously) is rocketing. There is a shortage of many things happening or about to happen within the food industry. Lamb, eggs, chicken, sugar all have or about to have massive price increases. Currently affecting the wholesale market and will soon hit the retail markets.

RogerB.fastlane

I read that Tate & Lyles sugar division was sold to an American Co so it is probably the same old story of selling out to a multinational and then the Brit public get fleeced - just like Cadburys etc.

Other comments ref egg shortages etc. This is nominally due to EU egg farmers not improving chicken living conditions to essentially Brit standards by the recent cut-off date so being closed and a shortage in mainland Europe. Why UK prices should go up when this happens is that our wholesalers will sell there in preference to get the bigger profit - causing a shortage in the UK. And if we use more eggs than we hatch in the UK we must buy from the EU at inflated prices.

So much for the free market bringing prices DOWN.

Seems like the globalisation of our food markets and less UK grown food is causing a severe financial impact. Time we grew more and imported less?

Also time we banned aggressive foreign takeovers of UK industry - particularly like the Kraft purchase of Cadbury that was financed by borrowing when Kraft were already essentially bankrupt. This necessitated closing and selling the Cadbury Bristol division (against all public promises to Government - who knew this was happening) to repay the debt incurred by the borrowed purchase funds!

Anyone else reckon this is effectively institutionalised theft?

peter_the_piper

Reminds me somewhat of takeovers of top footie clubs. Buy on money borrowed using the club they are buying. Turns a profitable club into a lossmaking one overnight.

unholyangel

McKneff wrote: »

Black Treacle and Golden Syrup are completely diferent things though,

You cant substitute one for the other in any known recipe.

Clootie Dumpling - recipe is known to vary between golden syrup and treacle My cook book says golden syrup but our family recipe uses treacle!

There is a slight difference in taste depending what you use but not really that much of a taste difference. I do agree they are different though.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

LOL at this thread.. I can see the Tate & Lyle Factory on teh banks of the Thames from here - shall I pop accross and ask them what the hell is going on in Abergavenny?