BBC Watchdog: Supermarkets update - what's the deal?

Tony

What Consumer Founder
Apr 7, 2008
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In an effort to cut food waste, Tesco announced on 16 October 2009 that they would be getting rid of all BOGOFS (Buy One Get One Free deals) and introducing a new 'Buy One Get One Free Later' initiative where customers could receive a voucher and get their free item at a later date. This will take effect in stores before Christmas, but Tesco couldn't tell us exactly when.

Prior to this change, Watchdog looked at Supermarkets and the way they use clever marketing techniques to entice customers to buy products - often spending more than they need to.



Recently, members of the Watchdog team bought some looked into some supermarket offers that weren't all they were cracked up to be. We found that some multi-pack deals actually worked out more expensive than the smaller and single items. When we showed these items to the organisation that represents the supermarkets - the British Retail Consortium, their Director General - Stephen Robertson said he thought they must be mistakes. So, Watchdog went shopping again. This time we found yet more offers that worked out more expensive.

While Tesco claims its new scheme aims to cut down on waste, they still seem to be encouraging bulk buying and sometimes charging consumers more in the process.

In the case of a tub of Vanish Oxi Action Plus from Tesco, the BIG VALUE PACK cost £10.56 for 1.5 kilos. But in fact it's cheaper to buy half a kilo for £3. So, not such great value after all. This was also the case with Tesco Gold Coffee. A 200g jar cost £2.79, at 14p per 100g, while 100g cost £1.39, at 14p per 100g, so it was 1p cheaper to buy two of the smaller jars.

Watchdog found that Tesco and Morrison's still had the same deals on offer that we highlighted first time around. Tesco sold a single can of dog food at 43p and then a multipack of six dog food cans at £2.70 (45p per can), making the single can 2p cheaper than if you bought the multipack. In Morrison's case, a pack of six Special K bars cost £1.50 (25p per bar), which was cheaper than a pack of 12 bars at £3.22 (26p per bar). The smaller pack of bars was 1p cheaper per bar than the larger multipack.

Asda, Sainsbury's and Waitrose had changed the prices on their mistakes but we still managed to find other offers that weren't so great.

From Asda, which has the slogan 'Saving You Money Every Day', Watchdog purchased a pack of nine Triple Velvet Soft toilet rolls at £4.62 (51p per roll), while a pack of four rolls cost £1.70 (42p per roll). It was 9p cheaper to buy a smaller pack.

In the case of Sainsbury's, they had altered the prices of kitchen roll from last time, but we found a 200g jar of JSainsbury's coffee costing £2.79, while a 100g jar of the same coffee cost £1.39, making it 1p cheaper to buy two of the smaller jars.

Waitrose was found to be selling a multipack of seven bags of Original Hula Hoops at £1.11 16p per pack), while a bigger multipack of twelve bags cost £2.03 (17p per pack). Again, it was cheaper to buy a smaller pack.

Statements:
Tesco did not respond.

On 26 Oct 2009, Sainsbury's said of their own Gold Roast Coffee:
"I have checked with the coffee buyer and the price of the 200g Sainsbury's Gold Roast Instant Coffee was an oversight. It is in the process of being changed and will be at a new lower price by the time your programme is broadcast on Thursday."

On 26 Oct 2009, Asda said of their toilet rolls:
"All our multi-pack products are clearly labelled with a unit price so customers can check at a glance what is the best value. We have nearly 50, 000 products in our store and sometimes mistakes can happen but if customers do notice any errors before we do, they should just tell the store manager who will get it amended."

On 26 Oct 2009, Morrisons said of their cereal bar promotion:

"The 6 pack of Special K bars were on promotion between 28th September and the 25th October, offering customers who purchase that size a good value deal for that specific period. The 12 pack of Special K bars were not on promotion and remain value for money even after the 6 pack promotion has finished. We display unit prices on our shelf edge label, allowing customers to make direct comparisons between various sizes of pack. We strive to offer our customers the best value for money at all times."

On 27 Oct 2009, Waitrose said of their Hula Hoop deal:
"Thanks for letting us know about this. We've reduced the price of our 12 pack Hula Hoops down to £1.80. This gives a 5% saving per individual bag for buying the larger multipack."

What do you think of Tesco's new BOGOFL initiative? Have you found that supermarkets' pricing is leaving you out of pocket? Have you spotted any more "mistakes"? Tell us what you think or send us your stories.



Supermarkets update - what's the deal?