MSE News: Asda promises to change its pricing strategy after investigation

MSE_Luke · 27 April 2016 at 12:53PM

Asda is so far the only supermarket to confirm it will change its price promotions in light of a CMA investigation...

Read the full story:
'Asda promises to change its pricing strategy after investigation into 'misleading' offers'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

robin58 · 27 April 2016 at 4:46PM

All I can say is why did Asda go down the path of dishonesty in the first place?

Look what that did for Tesco.

Even though I am a careful shopper, I will from now on give Asda's special offers an even more suspicious look.

Just proves that all supermarkets want to to do is screw you for every penny they can, in any way they can.

Kim_13 · 27 April 2016 at 5:58PM

At least offers will continue, which doesn't seem to be the case with Sainsbury's.

20aday · 27 April 2016 at 10:41PM

Kim_13 wrote: »

At least offers will continue, which doesn't seem to be the case with Sainsbury's.

I'd rather they didn't continue with some of these so called "offers" but the majority of the time they are anything but!

I tend to look at the price per weight/volume when doing my shopping as, more often than not, the item on promotion tends to be dearer.

For an example: bottles of washing up liquid. The larger products actually work out cheaper per ml/litre than buying two of the smaller ones (despite them being 2 for £2 etc).

Aldi/Lidl don't use any form of offers i.e. BOGOFs and it's never harmed them.

robin58 · 28 April 2016 at 10:34PM

Kim_13 wrote: »

At least offers will continue, which doesn't seem to be the case with Sainsbury's.

If you are talking about BOGOF's, Sainsbury's stopped doing them a long time ago.

Their recent communique about not continuing to doing them was a load of corporate baloney.

All they do now is give price reduction offers, which I keep a very good eye on because of possible trick of upping the price beforehand.

Money_maker · 29 April 2016 at 3:47PM

I trust Asda above all the other supermarkets tbh, especially over Tesco.

If a shopper knows the price of their groceries, surely they are capable of deciding whether the offer price is good or not? Some basic maths may need to be applied but nothing difficult. I know the net price I want to pay for each item and I make the decision to purchase or not in full knowledge of that.

Shoppers are in danger of being treated like children.

Kim_13 · 29 April 2016 at 4:47PM

Indeed. Also, sometimes stickers are stuck such that the offer price is more than paying for each item separately. Since the discount is applied afterwards, rather than scanning in at the offer price, it simply isn't applied and you pay the cheapest. This was the case in Asda with 2 pizzas - 1 was £2.60 and the other £1, but the sticker said 2 for £4. It's easy enough to remember these instances, check the receipt and challenge customer services if necessary (and I've heard that Asda often give some goodwill credit on a Gift Card as well as refunding the difference.)

PasturesNew · 29 April 2016 at 4:49PM

I mostly ignore all offers as they're not offers to me.

BOGOF is hard as I'd not get through that much.
Half Price is often still pricier than the product I'd choose. e.g. A £20/Kg cheese at half price isn't any use to me as I currently buy cheese at £5/Kg.

It's a tax on common sense, reasoning skills and maths ability

maman · 29 April 2016 at 5:09PM

Money_maker wrote: »

I trust Asda above all the other supermarkets tbh, especially over Tesco.

If a shopper knows the price of their groceries, surely they are capable of deciding whether the offer price is good or not? Some basic maths may need to be applied but nothing difficult. I know the net price I want to pay for each item and I make the decision to purchase or not in full knowledge of that.

Shoppers are in danger of being treated like children.

You're not wrong but with prices changing so much it's not as straightforward as it used to be. I remember some years ago that one of the mse tips was to keep a price book. At the time, prices stayed fairly static.

mysupermarket is quite helpful, particularly the graphs that show the price over time.

My maths is good but I do sometimes scratch my head working out the per kg cost offers especially as shrinking packaging means that fewer foods now come in standard kg sizes. Good brain training suppose! :rotfl:

I'm not sure about being treated like children but many shops do believe they can pull the wool over customers' eyes. That's why so many have voted with their feet.

[Deleted User] · 29 April 2016 at 7:20PM

Just go to Aldi and Lidl.

System · 29 April 2016 at 8:02PM

Deleted_User wrote: »

Just go to Aldi and Lidl.

Not always the solution as many don't live near them or don't have a car, buses don't pass it.

I had bad experiences with some of Aldi's fruit and yoghurts - refuse to buy them as worried they will be binned. False economy.

Plus at Aldi and Lidl, you cannot buy branded spirits like Jack Daniels, Malibu, Smirnoff etc - again don't want to spend £10-16 on a bottle of their version and hating it. I have sampled Aldi's white rum and it was foul.

Love my Coke Zero and Pepsi Max but only seen the fat version in bottles in Aldi and Lidl. I buy cans as live alone.

Also I have sensitive skin and can only use certain brands of toiletries and washing liquid.

I use MySupermarket app to search for things I don't buy in Aldi as I'm fortunate to live somewhere where the Big 4, Iceland, Farmfoods, Wilko, Waitrose and A n L are within five miles from here. Plus a new Lidl is being opened in the summer so I will use that more. As the nearest Lidl is at the edge of a really rough estate.

MSE Forum

MSE News: Asda promises to change its pricing strategy after investigation

Replies

Households due £150m in council tax refunds

'How to make a family member energy conscious?'

Scorching hot savings in the summer sales