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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/12/goodbye-bogofs-wont-miss-you-sainsburys-supermarkets-customers
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| The ‘buy one, get one free’ offer has had its day. I’m glad | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| “Price drops” where the price goes up; two-for-one deals that actually leave you out of pocket; special offers that are anything but special … the buy one get one free (bogof) when you realise later that you don’t actually need the extra one. Even – currently – buy two, get two free on Easter eggs, which could be handy if you happen to have a large, chocoholic family. | “Price drops” where the price goes up; two-for-one deals that actually leave you out of pocket; special offers that are anything but special … the buy one get one free (bogof) when you realise later that you don’t actually need the extra one. Even – currently – buy two, get two free on Easter eggs, which could be handy if you happen to have a large, chocoholic family. |
| Any of these sound familiar? These are some of the bizarre “tricks of the trade” that many of us just can’t resist and that supermarkets have used for years to dupe us into thinking we are snaffling a bargain. The government-backed Money Advice Service calculated that, far from saving money, many hard-pressed families were adding more than £1,000 annually to their grocery bills because they could not understand the deals. | Any of these sound familiar? These are some of the bizarre “tricks of the trade” that many of us just can’t resist and that supermarkets have used for years to dupe us into thinking we are snaffling a bargain. The government-backed Money Advice Service calculated that, far from saving money, many hard-pressed families were adding more than £1,000 annually to their grocery bills because they could not understand the deals. |
| But is it finally time to say bog off to bogofs? Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s this week trumpeted the fact that it would be phasing out multi-buy offers and promotions across its entire product range, in favour of permanent – and more transparent – low pricing. Despite some media speculation, the government’s competitions watchdog – currently scrutinising this area – has insisted it has no plans to ban such deals when it produces new guidelines for retailers in a few weeks’ time. | |
| Related: Sainsbury's axes two-for-one offers amid consumer spending concerns | Related: Sainsbury's axes two-for-one offers amid consumer spending concerns |
| But there does seem to be a subtle shift under way, as permanent low prices are to be the new battleground in the UK’s supermarket wars. Other retailers such as Tesco (reducing prices and promotions even if not opting for a full-blown sweeping aside of bogofs) have also been introducing more transparent pricing, bringing their models into line with those of the German discount chains Aldi and Lidl. Their winning formula is a simple one: offer only a limited product range but aim to keep quality high and prices low. | But there does seem to be a subtle shift under way, as permanent low prices are to be the new battleground in the UK’s supermarket wars. Other retailers such as Tesco (reducing prices and promotions even if not opting for a full-blown sweeping aside of bogofs) have also been introducing more transparent pricing, bringing their models into line with those of the German discount chains Aldi and Lidl. Their winning formula is a simple one: offer only a limited product range but aim to keep quality high and prices low. |
| Another big breakthrough is that, finally, supermarkets seem to be listening to their customers. Grocery pricing is mysterious and highly competitive (so we are told) but consumers are not stupid. Sainsbury’s shoppers seem to have said “enough is enough” and responded positively to the supermarket’s earlier efforts to reduce multi-buys for fresh foods and meat. Their message has been that they want to shop more healthily, they want to reduce their food waste and they want flexibility. | Another big breakthrough is that, finally, supermarkets seem to be listening to their customers. Grocery pricing is mysterious and highly competitive (so we are told) but consumers are not stupid. Sainsbury’s shoppers seem to have said “enough is enough” and responded positively to the supermarket’s earlier efforts to reduce multi-buys for fresh foods and meat. Their message has been that they want to shop more healthily, they want to reduce their food waste and they want flexibility. |
| Shoppers can, of course, vote with their feet, and millions already have – deserting their previous supermarket of choice, and legging it down to their local Aldi or Lidl. A key factor has been the seismic changes to the way we shop for food. The 2008 financial crisis triggered the biggest change in shopping habits since the 1950s with families chasing grocery bargains, rather than being sucked in by special promotions. | Shoppers can, of course, vote with their feet, and millions already have – deserting their previous supermarket of choice, and legging it down to their local Aldi or Lidl. A key factor has been the seismic changes to the way we shop for food. The 2008 financial crisis triggered the biggest change in shopping habits since the 1950s with families chasing grocery bargains, rather than being sucked in by special promotions. |
| Other changes mean that half of us now buy our food as we do when on holiday: little and often, stocking up daily with fresh food for that evening’s meal, according to a study by “posh” grocer Waitrose. Last year, in its annual barometer of consumer shopping and spending, the retailer found that three in 10 people visit a supermarket three to four times a week, up from a quarter five years ago. So we want to have the flexibility to buy the small quantities we need, rather than having to lug three whopping great cartons of juice home. | Other changes mean that half of us now buy our food as we do when on holiday: little and often, stocking up daily with fresh food for that evening’s meal, according to a study by “posh” grocer Waitrose. Last year, in its annual barometer of consumer shopping and spending, the retailer found that three in 10 people visit a supermarket three to four times a week, up from a quarter five years ago. So we want to have the flexibility to buy the small quantities we need, rather than having to lug three whopping great cartons of juice home. |
| Consumer power has been key to delivering change in this area. All credit to the consumer group Which?. It has been slogging away for seven years to end the ubiquitous “dodgy multi-buys, shrinking products and baffling offers”, with help from eagle-eyed Guardian readers who, through our own campaign in the Money section, have provided evidence of hundreds of bizarre deals – often dismissed as “one-offs” by the rogue retailers. | Consumer power has been key to delivering change in this area. All credit to the consumer group Which?. It has been slogging away for seven years to end the ubiquitous “dodgy multi-buys, shrinking products and baffling offers”, with help from eagle-eyed Guardian readers who, through our own campaign in the Money section, have provided evidence of hundreds of bizarre deals – often dismissed as “one-offs” by the rogue retailers. |
| That culminated in it lodging a super-complaint in April 2015 with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Asking for fresh guidelines, Which? pointed to complicated unit pricing (where comparison from product to product is made difficult by inconsistent quantities), “was/now” offers where the “now” price is available for longer than the “was” ever was, and sharp practice on subtly shrinking pack sizes as areas of concern. | That culminated in it lodging a super-complaint in April 2015 with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Asking for fresh guidelines, Which? pointed to complicated unit pricing (where comparison from product to product is made difficult by inconsistent quantities), “was/now” offers where the “now” price is available for longer than the “was” ever was, and sharp practice on subtly shrinking pack sizes as areas of concern. |
| In the next few weeks the CMA will publish new (and simplified) regulations and guidelines that improve clarity of pricing information for shoppers, and hopefully beef up compliance for errant supermarkets. This is a positive first step, but it’s down to individual shoppers and consumer groups to keep up the pressure and scrutiny. When household budgets are under pressure, and food prices are among consumers’ top financial worries, it is simply not good enough for shoppers to be taken to the cleaners. | In the next few weeks the CMA will publish new (and simplified) regulations and guidelines that improve clarity of pricing information for shoppers, and hopefully beef up compliance for errant supermarkets. This is a positive first step, but it’s down to individual shoppers and consumer groups to keep up the pressure and scrutiny. When household budgets are under pressure, and food prices are among consumers’ top financial worries, it is simply not good enough for shoppers to be taken to the cleaners. |