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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Shoppers 'fail to spot cheapest deals' | Shoppers 'fail to spot cheapest deals' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Most grocery shoppers are unable to identify the cheapest deals when faced with a blizzard of "special offers" in stores, financial experts say. | Most grocery shoppers are unable to identify the cheapest deals when faced with a blizzard of "special offers" in stores, financial experts say. |
| The Money Advice Service asked just over 2,000 consumers to select the best value deals from four sets of offers. | The Money Advice Service asked just over 2,000 consumers to select the best value deals from four sets of offers. |
| Only 2% of those asked answered all four questions correctly. | Only 2% of those asked answered all four questions correctly. |
| In the survey, 76% of those asked said they spent more than they intended, after being enticed by special offers, paying an average £11 extra per shop. | In the survey, 76% of those asked said they spent more than they intended, after being enticed by special offers, paying an average £11 extra per shop. |
| Later on Thursday, Sainsbury's announced that it would phase out multi-buy promotions by August 2016. | |
| It said that because people were shopping more frequently, it would replace multi-buy offers with lower regular prices that allowed customers to buy in the quantities they wanted. | |
| Sainsbury's Marketing Director, Sarah Warby said customers had told them they found multi-buy promotions "confusing" and created "logistical challenges at home in terms of storage and waste." | |
| The government-backed Money Advice Service said shoppers should look at the price per unit to compare costs. It also suggested making, and sticking to a shopping list. | The government-backed Money Advice Service said shoppers should look at the price per unit to compare costs. It also suggested making, and sticking to a shopping list. |
| John Penberthy-Smith, customer director for the Money Advice Service, said: "The problem is that quite often we see a special offer at the supermarket and we don't want to miss out - so we throw it into our trolley without really thinking about whether it is a good deal or whether we actually need it. Often deals can be difficult to understand and compare with other prices." | John Penberthy-Smith, customer director for the Money Advice Service, said: "The problem is that quite often we see a special offer at the supermarket and we don't want to miss out - so we throw it into our trolley without really thinking about whether it is a good deal or whether we actually need it. Often deals can be difficult to understand and compare with other prices." |
| Competition authorities have previously accused stores of misleading tactics. | Competition authorities have previously accused stores of misleading tactics. |
| In July, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had found evidence during a three-month investigation that supermarkets were misleading customers with confusing pricing promotions. | In July, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had found evidence during a three-month investigation that supermarkets were misleading customers with confusing pricing promotions. |
| The investigation came after a complaint by the consumer group Which?, but the supermarket industry said the vast majority of offers represented a good deal for customers. | The investigation came after a complaint by the consumer group Which?, but the supermarket industry said the vast majority of offers represented a good deal for customers. |
| BBC iWonder: How do supermarkets tempt you to spend more money? | BBC iWonder: How do supermarkets tempt you to spend more money? |
| Special offers test | Special offers test |
| The Money Advice Service tested shoppers with the following questions (answers at the bottom) | The Money Advice Service tested shoppers with the following questions (answers at the bottom) |
| 1. Of the following options for milk, which represents the best deal? | 1. Of the following options for milk, which represents the best deal? |
| a) Six pints of milk for £1.80 | a) Six pints of milk for £1.80 |
| b) Four pints of milk for £1.40 | b) Four pints of milk for £1.40 |
| c) Two six-pint cartons of milk on offer for £3.50 | c) Two six-pint cartons of milk on offer for £3.50 |
| d) Two four-pint cartons of milk on offer for £2 | d) Two four-pint cartons of milk on offer for £2 |
| 2. Of the following options for buying 500g of lemons, which represents the best deal? | 2. Of the following options for buying 500g of lemons, which represents the best deal? |
| a) One 500g pack of lemons costing £1.20 | a) One 500g pack of lemons costing £1.20 |
| b) 500g of loose lemons at £2.50 per kilo | b) 500g of loose lemons at £2.50 per kilo |
| c) Buy two get the third free deal on 200g packs of lemons costing 70p each | c) Buy two get the third free deal on 200g packs of lemons costing 70p each |
| d) Buy one get one half-price deal on 250g packs of lemons costing 70p each | d) Buy one get one half-price deal on 250g packs of lemons costing 70p each |
| 3. Of the following options for buying tomato ketchup, which represents the best deal? | 3. Of the following options for buying tomato ketchup, which represents the best deal? |
| a) One 460g bottle on offer at £1.50 | a) One 460g bottle on offer at £1.50 |
| b) One 910g bottle costing £2.49 | b) One 910g bottle costing £2.49 |
| c) Buy one get one half-price deal on 700g bottles costing £2.29 each | c) Buy one get one half-price deal on 700g bottles costing £2.29 each |
| d) One 1.35kg bottle costing £3.50 | d) One 1.35kg bottle costing £3.50 |
| 4. Of the following options for buying eggs, which represents the best deal? | 4. Of the following options for buying eggs, which represents the best deal? |
| a) Six medium eggs for £1.10 | a) Six medium eggs for £1.10 |
| b) Ten medium eggs on offer for £1.50 | b) Ten medium eggs on offer for £1.50 |
| c) Fifteen medium eggs for £2.10 | c) Fifteen medium eggs for £2.10 |
| d) Two packs of six medium eggs on offer for £2 | d) Two packs of six medium eggs on offer for £2 |
| e) Buy one get one free offer on packs of 10 medium eggs priced at £2.20 | e) Buy one get one free offer on packs of 10 medium eggs priced at £2.20 |
| Answers: | Answers: |
| 1d (25p per pint); 2d (£2.10 per kilo); 3c (£2.45 per kilo); 4e (11p per egg) | 1d (25p per pint); 2d (£2.10 per kilo); 3c (£2.45 per kilo); 4e (11p per egg) |
| Do you find it hard to identify the cheapest deal? Have you seen confusing special offers and price promotions? Contact haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories and pictures. | Do you find it hard to identify the cheapest deal? Have you seen confusing special offers and price promotions? Contact haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories and pictures. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |