Unethical pricing @waitrose.com

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Okell said:

So is that "per unit" price in black referring to the original purchase price (also in black) or to the reduced purchase price - which is in red?

This is what the Tesco issue was about, I think the CMA are looking to have the The Price Marking Order 2004 updated to avoid this kind of thing.

Tesco has the biggest market share, if they have changed tactic then I wouldn't be surprised if the others soon follow suit. 

Okell said:

Hmmm.

One of the problems I have with Waitrose (which is where we do most of our shopping because it's nearer than Sainsburys) is that I think their price per unit signage is often confusing and potentially misleading.  Whether it's deliberate or not I don't know.

What I mean is where they have a range of similar and comparable products but where different brands and quantities have their "per unit" prices expressed differently.  eg "£n per kg" for one brand or quantity, but then "nnn pence per 100g" for a different brand or quantity.

You might well say that all you need to do is multiply the "per 100g" price by 10 to get a comparison, but when I pointed out an example of this unit pricing discrepancy to my wife, she was actually confused - and I suspect she wouldn't be alone.

I really can't see any valid justification for not expressing unit prices consistently within a range of similar or comparable products.  There's no justification for swapping arbitrarily between g and kg.

For example, if you look at this page you'll find several instances of this.  Why show Waitrose Mixed Nuts at £15 per kg (for 400 g) but Waitrose Raisin and nut mix at 80p per !00g (for 510g)?  And cashew nuts at £1.44 per 100g ( for 400g) but walnuts at £14.88 per kg (also for £400 g)?

Nuts - Search | Waitrose & Partners

Yes, I know you only need to move the decimal point one place to the left or right, but why should you need to do that at all?  Why can't they be consistent in the first place?

I can't help feeling it might be done with the intention of confusing the customer.  Otherwise why do it?

(I did point this out to Waitrose on a customer survey some years ago but they're obviously still doing it)

[to be continued...]

Yeap I think this is deliberate, not to make you pay a few pence per kilo more for nuts but to make the experience confusing to the point you give up trying and just buy what you want rather than what is the best deal. 

Unit prices on comparable products should be in the same format, it's simply logically.

Albermarle

Okell said:

[rant continued...]

The other thing that annoys me about Waitrose's unit pricing is where they have special offers.

They'll show the usual purchase price in black typeface and the reduced or special offer price in red typeface.  But the only "per unit" price they show is in black.  

So is that "per unit" price in black referring to the original purchase price (also in black) or to the reduced purchase price - which is in red?

I've even asked staff in Waitrose and they don't seem to be sure themselves.

It's really infuriating if you want to compare the unit price of items on offer against the unit price of those at the usual purchase price.  I'm probably above averagely numerate but I can't be bothered working it out in my head and I suspect most other people can't either.  

Why can't they just show the usual purchase price and usual per unit price in black, and then the reduced/offer purchase price and reduced/offer per unit price in red?

Then everybody knows what's what without having to perform mental arithmetic gymnastics.    

Apparently mental gymnastics is a good way of warding off dementia, so maybe Waitrose are doing us a favour by forcing us to use our brains !

jon81uk

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Okell said:

So is that "per unit" price in black referring to the original purchase price (also in black) or to the reduced purchase price - which is in red?

This is what the Tesco issue was about, I think the CMA are looking to have the The Price Marking Order 2004 updated to avoid this kind of thing.

Tesco has the biggest market share, if they have changed tactic then I wouldn't be surprised if the others soon follow suit. 

Okell said:

Hmmm.

One of the problems I have with Waitrose (which is where we do most of our shopping because it's nearer than Sainsburys) is that I think their price per unit signage is often confusing and potentially misleading.  Whether it's deliberate or not I don't know.

What I mean is where they have a range of similar and comparable products but where different brands and quantities have their "per unit" prices expressed differently.  eg "£n per kg" for one brand or quantity, but then "nnn pence per 100g" for a different brand or quantity.

You might well say that all you need to do is multiply the "per 100g" price by 10 to get a comparison, but when I pointed out an example of this unit pricing discrepancy to my wife, she was actually confused - and I suspect she wouldn't be alone.

I really can't see any valid justification for not expressing unit prices consistently within a range of similar or comparable products.  There's no justification for swapping arbitrarily between g and kg.

For example, if you look at this page you'll find several instances of this.  Why show Waitrose Mixed Nuts at £15 per kg (for 400 g) but Waitrose Raisin and nut mix at 80p per !00g (for 510g)?  And cashew nuts at £1.44 per 100g ( for 400g) but walnuts at £14.88 per kg (also for £400 g)?

Nuts - Search | Waitrose & Partners

Yes, I know you only need to move the decimal point one place to the left or right, but why should you need to do that at all?  Why can't they be consistent in the first place?

I can't help feeling it might be done with the intention of confusing the customer.  Otherwise why do it?

(I did point this out to Waitrose on a customer survey some years ago but they're obviously still doing it)

[to be continued...]

Yeap I think this is deliberate, not to make you pay a few pence per kilo more for nuts but to make the experience confusing to the point you give up trying and just buy what you want rather than what is the best deal. 

Unit prices on comparable products should be in the same format, it's simply logically.

I don't think its delibertate its just stupid human errors, everytime someone different adds a new product to their system they would need to tell it whether to show the price per kg or the price per 100g and one human has done one thing and a different human did the other. Having worked in a smaller group of stores I would call up the buyers assistant and tell them that some products have the wrong X per X details, but I doubt the store managers at Waitrose are feeding that issue back to head office.

misimp

To be fair, this is by no means a 'one off' at Waitrose.
I have come across it in numerous occasions and am now very careful having been caught out

Always check the small print on these 'bargains' 

 eg a shelf of cif cleaner , with a prominent sign with "£1off" £2.63 slashed out and £1.63 prominently displayed

In small print at the bottom of the it says 'scented', yet all the products behind it are 'unscented'

Often there are no 'scented' ones to be seen anywhere

Arguably there may have been some at some stage and they have all been snapped up, but imho it is a dubious marketing policy relying on the customer to seeing Cif cleaner at £1.63 and buying it without even knowing (or caring) whether it is perfumed or not and often not knowing that they are in fact charged £2.63 for it

I would say that you will find an example of this type of thing every time you visit Waitrose .. particularly like the example the OP gives (ie slightly different weight/flavour) and usually you will not be able to find any of the examples of the  EXACT type specified on the shelf label

It is too common the be an mistake....Its up to the customer to check EXACTLY what they are buying

Murphybear

Okell said:

[rant continued...]

The other thing that annoys me about Waitrose's unit pricing is where they have special offers.

They'll show the usual purchase price in black typeface and the reduced or special offer price in red typeface.  But the only "per unit" price they show is in black.  

So is that "per unit" price in black referring to the original purchase price (also in black) or to the reduced purchase price - which is in red?

I've even asked staff in Waitrose and they don't seem to be sure themselves.

It's really infuriating if you want to compare the unit price of items on offer against the unit price of those at the usual purchase price.  I'm probably above averagely numerate but I can't be bothered working it out in my head and I suspect most other people can't either.  

Why can't they just show the usual purchase price and usual per unit price in black, and then the reduced/offer purchase price and reduced/offer per unit price in red?

Then everybody knows what's what without having to perform mental arithmetic gymnastics.    

I worked for a mental health charity and one phrase we heard a lot was “use it or lose it”.  So on this occasion Waitrose is helping their customers by providing some mental gymnastics to perform.

Joking aside we do most of our shopping in Waitrose as it’s that or Sainsbury’s in our little town.  I’ve never had a problem with their pricing.  

baser999

Think the moral to all of this is to read the label. If it says £ off a particular item then check you buy that item. Don’t pick up another then claim you’ve been misled. You have to accept customers pick items off shelves, don’t put them back in the right place. Can’t expect what staff there are to keep checking everything’s in the correct place on the shelf to placate the  customers that don’t look at what they’re buying.