British Supermarkets Are Duping Customers with Misleading Special Offers

You know how it is with grocery shopping. You go along to the supermarket, armed with your reusable bags and a list of supplies for all the economical meals you're planning to make this week.

But wait, is it two-for-one on Mini Cheddars? That reduced price box of organic Swiss muesli (now with more fruit!) wasn't technically on your list but hey, luxury granola is pretty much an everyday essential. And ten quid for a multi-pack of nappies? Even without a baby or incontinence issues, that's the kind of deal you don't want to pass up.

It's no secret that supermarkets are masters of the special-but-actually-not-that-special-now-you're-at-the-checkout offer. An estimated 40 percent of all grocery spending in the UK is on promotional items, and the cut-throat battle between the country's "big four" supermarket chains to offer the most enticing deals has left many suppliers struggling to cope with decreased pricing.

But could supermarkets be deliberately misleading customers with their endless "special reduction" and "better value" pack offers? An investigation into supermarket promotions by UK consumer regulator the Competitions and Market Authority has found that, in some cases, yes.

The CMA's three-month probe began in April this year after it received a "super-complaint" from Which? The consumer group claimed supermarkets were duping customers out of millions of pounds each year with misleading special offers, unclear unit-pricing, price-matching schemes, and changes to pack sizes.

Released today, the results of the CMA's investigation found "examples of pricing and promotional practices that have the potential to confuse or mislead consumers" and noted that such offenses could be in breach of consumer law. The authority also stated that more could be done to reduce the "complexity in unit-pricing," making price-per-litre or -gram clearer (and, in turn, way easier to figure out if that Manager's Special pasta sauce is actually better value than your usual brand).

Despite these findings, the CMA concluded that such underhand pricing tactics "are not occurring in large numbers across the whole sector and that generally retailers are taking compliance seriously to avoid such problems occurring." Maybe Which?'s complaint wasn't so super, after all.

The problem of misleading supermarket deals may not be widespread, but the CMA has recommended a simplification of legislation surrounding unit-pricing and called on the government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to examine "how the law requires items to be unit-priced when they are on promotion."

The authority says it will also be working with businesses to tackle the sneaky "was/now" promotions that see discount price-products advertised as a promotion for longer than the higher price applied. In a statement, CMA Senior Director, Consumer Nisha Arora said that these recommendations would "improve compliance and ensure that shoppers have clear, accurate information."

Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which? also highlighted the government's role in ensuring the CMA's findings were acted upon.

"The government must also quickly strengthen the rules so that retailers have no more excuses. As a result of our super-complaint, if all the changes are implemented widely, this will be good for consumers, competition, and ultimately, the economy," he said in a statement.

Here's hoping these changes do go ahead and it's the last time we end up with a fridge full of discount cherryade.