The Competition and Markets Authority found that 60% of the errors resulted in customers being charged a higher price at the till
Some grocery retailers have been caught displaying inaccurate prices or failing to display prices at all for certain products, according to a recent investigation by the competition watchdog.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) identified several pricing issues in a review of 139 grocery stores across England and Wales, including missing prices, conflicting prices where product costs did not match those on shelf labels, and prices not displayed close enough to products.
Other issues highlighted were prices not being clearly legible, obscured selling prices, and multibuy promotions that failed to specify the individual price of items. The majority of these pricing problems were found in independent food stores and small independents operating under a brand name.
The majority (60%) of these errors led to customers being overcharged at the checkout. Such practices breach consumer law by failing to provide clear and accurate pricing information for products on sale.
In response to these findings, the CMA and Trading Standards have launched a poster campaign to educate grocery retailers on legal compliance. George Lusty, the CMA’s interim executive director for consumer protection and markets, said “We know how frustrating it can be when you get to the till only to find the price doesn’t match what was advertised.”
The CMA has also issued a warning to retailers over dodgy pricing tactics, such as unit pricing. It said: “While lots of grocery retailers particularly supermarkets are complying with pricing rules, this needs to consistently be the case across all types of stores. It’s important that shoppers can make well-informed choices based on accurate information, especially at a time when lots of people are looking to save money. That’s why we are reminding businesses of the importance of complying with consumer law.”
This follows work by the CMA last year which looked at how grocery retailers are displaying unit pricing in stores and online. The review found problems with unit pricing which could affect consumers’ ability to compare products.
