End of fixed prices within five years as supermarkets adopt electronic price tags?

redfox

A._Badger wrote: »

Does it cost a filling station more to sell petrol at 11am than it does at 6pm? A premium for being open late, I can see, but the rest just sounds like opportunism to me.

It is pure profiteering - the item or fuel costs the retailer exactly the same to buy regardless of the time of day they then sell it.

The nonsense they are sprouting about it "improving the customer's shopping experience" is the same old BS they always trot out when they change something to their advantage.

A._Badger

redfox wrote: »

It is pure profiteering - the item or fuel costs the retailer exactly the same to buy regardless of the time of day they then sell it.

The nonsense they are sprouting about it "improving the customer's shopping experience" is the same old BS they always trot out when they change something to their advantage.

Well, I suppose someone will be along to defend it. If I've learned one thing about MSE, it is that no scam is so outrageous that someone won't try to say it's reasonable and we should all be grateful.

jon81uk

robin58 wrote: »

So you use to work for Tesco's. I usally find they were the worst for SEL's on thier shelfs like 'buy 2 for £2 or 1 for 80p.'

Those weren't always an error. For example soft drinks might be 2 for £2, but coke is £1.20 or volvic is 80p or Fanta maybe is £1.30. So 2x volvic would cost £1.60, 2x coke is £2 (as special offer discounts) and 1x Fanta and 1x Volvic is £2 (again special offer makes discount work).




Also on the electronic shelf edge labels, Safeway installed them about 10-15 years ago, then they got ripped out when Morrisions took over!

Cornucopia

A._Badger wrote: »

Well, I suppose someone will be along to defend it. If I've learned one thing about MSE, it is that no scam is so outrageous that someone won't try to say it's reasonable and we should all be grateful.

I don't see how you can condemn it without seeing how it would work in practice.

We have various forms of differential pricing for all sorts of things these days (travel, hotels, broadband, pay TV, mobile phones, even cinema tickets). The concept of discounts for frequent use or bulk purchase probably go back centuries. I don't see (in principle) why groceries shouldn't work similarly, and I would want to see the effect before condemning it.

Personally, I think a subtly different form of variable pricing might work quite well for Supermarkets, and could reduce food waste. If I could bid in advance that I will commit to buying a particular product (possibly a seasonal product with a short shelf-life) at a particular maximum price, then the Supermarkets could predict demand better, and have an assurance over part of their cash-flow. In return, I would know that I have secured a good price for part of my shopping possibly weeks ahead.

For example, I might bid to buy 400g of Strawberries every week during summer, at a price of £1.49 or less.

jon81uk

Cornucopia wrote: »

Personally, I think a subtly different form of variable pricing might work quite well for Supermarkets, and could reduce food waste. If I could bid in advance that I will commit to buying a particular product (possibly a seasonal product with a short shelf-life) at a particular maximum price, then the Supermarkets could predict demand better, and have an assurance over part of their cash-flow. In return, I would know that I have secured a good price for part of my shopping possibly weeks ahead.

For example, I might bid to buy 400g of Strawberries every week during summer, at a price of £1.49 or less.

and this is something that could work well on loyalty cards to track the purchase, similar to Waitrose pick your own offers. You choose items you know you will buy each week and then at the end of four or eight weeks or whatever it automatically refunds the difference if you did indeed buy enough.

fredandwilma

Cornucopia wrote: »

I don't see how you can condemn it without seeing how it would work in practice.

We have various forms of differential pricing for all sorts of things these days (travel, hotels, broadband, pay TV, mobile phones, even cinema tickets). The concept of discounts for frequent use or bulk purchase probably go back centuries. I don't see (in principle) why groceries shouldn't work similarly, and I would want to see the effect before condemning it.

Personally, I think a subtly different form of variable pricing might work quite well for Supermarkets, and could reduce food waste. If I could bid in advance that I will commit to buying a particular product (possibly a seasonal product with a short shelf-life) at a particular maximum price, then the Supermarkets could predict demand better, and have an assurance over part of their cash-flow. In return, I would know that I have secured a good price for part of my shopping possibly weeks ahead.

For example, I might bid to buy 400g of Strawberries every week during summer, at a price of £1.49 or less.

From what i read and understand, prices are going to be far more mobile than you imagine, potentially changing several or many times a day, and you would never expect to pay the same price for your strawberries every week during the summer, in any case, (as one example).

All prices fluctuate, but to what extent?

There are always going to be lots of other external factors which influence prices too?

Cornucopia

I'm somewhat cynical about this. It's my natural state, though.

As I said, French supermarkets have had this for a long while. All that's happened is that they have a vibrant discounter sector (Lidl, Aldi & Leader Price) who AFIAK all have paper labels.

It strikes me that if there truly was a need for very mobile pricing then it would be the discounters who would feel that need first. Certainly, if the Big 4 do develop this into something that consumers find confusing and inconvenient then it'll be just another good reason to go to a discounter instead.