Supermarkets could have to change their shopper seduction tactics. The Telegraph is reporting that consumer regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, is finalising plans to take action on misleading deals.
The move follows a “super-complaint” submitted by Which? in April last year. Research by the campaign group revealed “numerous examples of supermarkets using manipulative pricing tactics that create the appearance of a price reduction”.
Among the examples it used in evidence were the Twinings teabags sold in Tesco that fell in quantity but increased in price and the use of millilitres and grams on labels of different sauces thus making it “impossible” to compare prices.
The British Retail Consortium insists its members treat customers fairly but the signs are that the regulator doesn’t agree.
“Following [our] response to the Which? super-complaint published on July 16, 2015, we have been undertaking further analysis of the potentially misleading practices identified in our report and establishing our priorities for further action,” a CMA spokesman told the paper.
Enticing shoppers with buy-one-get-one-free deals has also been linked to rising levels of food waste.
