Now, Even Grocery Shopping Involves Reading the Fine Print

It took some doing, but this offended me so much that I came out retirement again with another consumer advisory…

If something is advertised as 2/$4.00 that works out to $2.00 apiece, right?

Not necessarily.

Often stores reserve the right to enforce the “two-for” part of the equation.  Some don’t; they just might like the 2/$4.00 thing because it fits a pattern of having all $4.00 items on on page of the weekly flyer.

But the Loblaw group of companies in Canada has introduced the secondary, “if purchased individually” price concept in their stores recently; stores which dominate the grocery business in Canada under names like Valu-Mart, Your Independent Grocer, Freshmart, Real Canadian Superstore, and Loblaws.  They also operate the No Frills chain, but I cannot prove if the practice exists there or not.

So far, not a big story, right?

But you really have to watch the signage at these stores since the secondary price does not appear in the flyer and is written in a teeny, tiny font on the shelf-talker in the aisles.

But still not a story.

The problem at Loblaws is the price jump.   Those 2/$4.00 items are gonna cost you $2.79 if you only pick up one.  A price 40% higher than what you’re expecting.

Customers are not happy.  It leaves a bad taste.

But the real story here is, the staff aren’t happy.   They feel like they are employed by a con artist; that they’re being made to take part in a scheme.

And they are more than happy to refund your money or make adjustments if you complain.

That way they get to sleep at night.

Grocery executives, who have no consciences, sleep well, too.

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