to suggest a campaign using post its on supermarket shelves

[nippiesweetie]

Yesterday I was buying coffee for work in Tesco. The price per kilo was greater for a refill pack than it was for a jar but of course the weight differed so it was not obvious at a casual glance. That is, they are charging more for an item that is much cheaper to transport.

If I had had a post it pad I would have liked to leave a message - Look the pack costs more than the jar.

Would this be breaking any law? No damage, just information for other customers and if lots of people joined in...

What other pricing anomalies rip offs could be highlighted.

carol it's the law. the supermarkets have to give a comparable value, so that customers can compare.
supermarkets hate it and try to wriggle out, for example by using different values for comparing (price per 'unit' versus price per 100g).

If you want to cause a bit of chaos. Print out a piece of paper with the supermarket logo on. Print in large letters: FREE, ONE PER CUSTOMER on which ever product you choose. Laminate the paper. Tack it underneath the items.

Hide somewhere and enjoy the fun

nice for the retail workers who have to deal with the outraged customers.....don't they put up with enough? or are they just there to be shouted at when this offer is revealed as a prank? why is this 'fun'?

Oh, ffs,

There's so many people lining up to side with the ruddy supermarkets - it makes you realise we're all fucked. All the price fixing and barely legal crap they get up to . Ask the dairy farmers to defend the giants ...

But that's just it Carol ..... not everyone is in a position to have much real, if any, choice about the particular supermarket they frequent. I don't like my 'main' supermarket at all - for all sorts of reasons including its pricing policy, its customer service, its selection of products, its hiring policy etc. However, my next nearest supermarkets are all 12 miles away - in different directions - so I have to factor in extra fuel as well if I go there.

If you live rurally for example, (or semi-rurally), that'll restrict your choice as there'll be only one, maybe two, supermarkets nearby. If you don't have private transport (or have it but can only afford fuel to work so have to shop within walking distance), if the public transport in your area is non-existent or doesn't run when you need it to, if your mobility is restricted .... there's a whole host of reasons why many people don't have much choice about where they buy their food.

People in that position are already at a disadvantage by not being able to 'shop around' by flitting from one shop to another. They should at least therefore be able to trust that the prices they're paying are reliably transparent - and that they have chosen the best value product, where more than one size is available. And that the 'special offer' they've picked up really is the best buy.

I don't really advocate people should do anything which would impact negatively upon hard pressed and poorly paid supermarket workers, but there's no denying some supermarkets take their customers as idiots and as food is such a basic need this is an area, IMO, which should be beyond reproach so far as clear pricing is concerned. We all understand supermarkets are businesses out to make money but this should be done completely honestly and not at the literal expense of those who can ill afford to pay any more than they need to. All those incorrect mental calculations which lead to poor purchasing choices - as well as all those who give up trying to work it out .... that adds up to a hell of a lot of 'extra' profit doesn't it, and it doesn't feel fair to me at all.

Fairenuff I think with your adherence to strict supply/demand economics you miss out on some of the more nuanced ways in which supermarkets take advantage of less sophisticated shoppers.

I didn't say anything about supply and demand and, in fact I don't think that affects pricing as much as the other factors that I did mention. I must admit I am quite a savvy shopper though, so maybe I just don't get why some find it so tricky.

What - maybe 50p for a flimsy 4 x 5 polystyrene tray and a tiny plastic bag?

Yes, they charge loads for packaging. Easter eggs are a good example of that.