The mystery of price tags has been revealed: retail chains are profiting from Russians

Invisible traps of retail

— In a situation where the purchasing power of the population is falling, sellers are constantly trying to profit from consumers using various tricks. Are their profits really that bad? Or is it purely a matter of greed?

Smirnov: — Of course, the economic challenges that our country has recently faced have had a serious impact on the behavior of consumers, sellers and producers. Today, every fifth Russian seeks to reduce the cost of food and essential goods. Some of them switch to products with discounts and promotions. More than half are looking for cheaper alternatives to familiar products. 55% refuse certain categories of products in favor of more affordable ones. There is also a transition from the usual trade formats to stores with low prices, which specialize in these prices, the so-called discounts. All this provokes retail chains to use various tricks to increase sales. For example, they offer visitors large carts. It has been proven that people who take a large cart buy 40% more on average. You come to the store with specific needs, and you buy what you didn’t really need. Often, basic products can be scattered around the room. While you are moving from one product to another, you are looking and buying additional things that you did not originally plan.

Shapkin: — A retailer always wants to earn more money. Therefore, he uses both legal and illegal moves, which can be attributed to marketing chips that are not immediately evident. For example, you go into a store, slow music plays there, which sets you up in a calm way. But even if you went to buy a pack of pasta, you still have to go through all the aisles, look at all the products and, possibly, make unplanned impulse purchases. Such invisible traps are everywhere, especially in large supermarkets. Buyers are conditioned in a certain way. Everything is subject to the laws of logic and psychology. Consumers are literally forced to spend unplanned amounts of money. There is even a practice of buying groceries on credit, but so far only in a number of remote regions. Or take, for example, shopping carts. Why are they often bulky, uncomfortable and drive very poorly? Not because manufacturers can’t make good carts, but because customers have to walk very slowly through the store. And retailers are the main participants in this deception, because they determine what will be sold. Manufacturers themselves in many cases are forced to make concessions to retail chains: they have to fulfill the set conditions if they want to sell their goods.

Yanin: — Tricks on the part of sellers are, if you like, the law of trade. The supermarket was invented to sell more compared to a regular store, where sales take place over the counter. The entire sales technology “from entry to exit” is fully calculated. And it is aimed at ensuring that the buyer leaves more money than he originally planned.

— Until now we have talked about the tricks of traders and retailers. What tricks do manufacturers use? They are definitely different…

Smirnov. “Manufacturers also have some interesting tricks in their arsenal that are widely used. Take, for example, the familiar names: stew, condensed milk, cottage cheese. Most often, products with such inscriptions are cheaper. In fact, if you see such an inscription on the label, then with a high probability this is not an adapted product “condensed milk with sugar”, but a product made using vegetable fats. In principle, this is all indicated. But the consumer sees a lower price and no longer pays attention to the composition printed on the label in small print. Another trend of recent times is the craving for a healthy diet. Manufacturers often cling to this need and use various images and concepts in the names that are associated with a healthy lifestyle and the environmental friendliness of these products. In fact, in a large number of cases, this is pure marketing.

What does the price tag hide?

— There is another trick that manufacturers have been widely using for a long time: they change the volume of packaging, but leave the same price. Meanwhile, in mid-August, the Ministry of Industry and Trade opposed the law requiring prices for goods to be indicated per kilogram or liter. Why does the ministry not support this initiative? After all, we are talking, in essence, about legalized fraud.

Yanin: — Apparently, lobbying for the interests of retail chains is behind this. In the developed part of the world, for many years there has been a law that obliges two prices to be indicated on the price tag: for a specific package and in terms of one kilogram or liter, the so-called “fair price”. In Russia, such an initiative was not supported. Let the consumer walk around with a calculator and translate the cost of each product into a liter and a kilogram, if he is not too lazy. This is a huge industry of collecting additional money from the consumer, this is a distortion of competition. Because units can mentally count twenty positions in a few seconds.

Smirnov: — I think there are two reasons why the government did not support this bill. First, this will ultimately lead to higher prices in stores. We will have to recalculate the weight volumes, all this must be done automatically, which is fraught with additional costs. The second point is related to the fact that not all types of goods are traditionally sold in kilogram or liter volumes. The abundance of numbers on the price tag can confuse the consumer to some extent. Here, in our opinion, it is much worse when there is underweight. When the manufacturer on the package declares one weight, for example, a liter, but in fact pours a lower volume into the package. And this is already a gross violation of the technical regulations of the food product in terms of its labeling.

Yanin: – I do not agree that if you change all the price tags, then the prices for products will increase. Price tags are still constantly printed. A few extra characters will not lead to an increase in the cost of the goods. And now about the additional information that can confuse buyers. Indeed, people will be very surprised to see that, suppose, parsley, which grows in everyone’s garden, in terms of a kilogram, will cost 17 thousand rubles in some distribution network. Consumers will compare this amount with their median salary, which in Russia is now about 40 thousand rubles, and realize that in a month they earned only two kilograms of parsley. But here we must not hide the truth, but think about how to help those who are poor.

— Let’s talk about the numerous promotions and special offers that stores use to lure visitors. Can we say that discounts are purely a marketing ploy to create artificial excitement? And is it true that in this way sellers get rid of expired and slow-selling goods?

Shapkin: — All discounts are at the expense of the supplier. It is not the store that gives the consumer a product at a low price, but the supplier who is subject to the retailer’s strict conditions, often at a loss. The manufacturer is given the conditions that he must meet in order to supply the product to this network. So you have to “throw it off.”

— One of the tricks is selling “overdue items.” Expired goods can be sliced, mold is removed with vegetable oil, mucus is washed with cleaning agents, products are packaged mixed, fresh and unusable … This is no longer just a way to make money, but a risk to the health of buyers. Are retailers really not afraid of mass complaints and inspections?

Smirnov: — In general, we do not recommend purchasing sliced ​​cheese and meat products. It is better to buy industrially packaged products. The reasons for this may be different. For example, the poor condition of the cutting machine. It is not usually sterilized after each use, there is a constant flow. Even if one product has been contaminated with E. coli, the bacteria can spread to other types of products. The risk increases.

Yanin: — You can’t argue here: the less hands touched the product, the better. Where is the guarantee that the seller who cut the cheese was wearing gloves? While the authorities are solving the problem, we, as consumers, must be responsible for our own safety. For example, avoid promotional offers for perishable products. There is a risk here: the action is connected with the fact that the goods are not the best. In this case, you can either not take the product, or use your sense of smell, touch and other senses. In general, as for promotions, I believe that the price tag should contain the promotional price, as well as the lowest price for the product in thirty days. Then, I assure you, many stocks will no longer seem so attractive. This rule applies in Europe. There, if you see, for example, a promotional cottage cheese, the price tag will look like this: 2 euros (the lowest price for the product for the month), and next to it is the promotional price – 1 euro 50 cents. In Russia, shares are not regulated, the issue is completely at the discretion of the seller. Probably, the antimonopoly agency should monitor this.

There is protection against fraud

— Consumers are concerned about deception with price tags. For example, a MK reader writes: “I take butter for 150 rubles. At the checkout, it turns out that it costs 300. According to the seller, I supposedly looked at the wrong price tag. I go to check, and it turns out that under the product I need is a price tag for another product. After all, you can not argue, he is inattentive. And so in all stores, all the time such nonsense. And the sellers are also rude. How to deal with such situations?

Yanin: – Go to another store, to a small one, near the house. There you will not only get a better product, but also support those few manufacturers who are still working “on the ground”. You can, of course, advise taking a picture of the price tag, sue. But this is a long story, unfortunately, price tags change quickly, prices are rising. Another option is to go online. Order products, check if everything has been delivered to you.

Shapkin: – I have a slightly different opinion. For each such case, it is imperative to write a complaint to the local department of Rospotrebnadzor. The agency will issue a warning to the seller. And you also need to write to the local department of commerce and the governor.

— So, does it make sense to complain about sales tricks, and if so, to whom?

Yanin: – So far, you can only complain to Rospotrebnadzor, formally they are responsible for the food retail sector. But Rospotrebnadzor itself will not compensate for the damage, it can punish and fine the violator. To compensate for damage, if it is associated with a large purchase, it is worth considering the option of filing a claim with the court and seeking compensation through it.

– How can the consumer himself protect himself from the tricks of sellers in the store?

Smirnov: — It is important to be involved in the decision-making process, not to make impulsive purchases. Try to initially make a list for yourself and strictly follow it. Carefully read the name, volume and composition of the product. This information must be found and familiarized with what you pay for.

Shapkin: It makes sense to order groceries online. Almost all networks have delivery, in which case the consumer knows exactly how much he will pay. There will be no impulse buying, it’s faster, and in the end, consumers won’t fall for many tricks like walking around with big carts. And if you already got to the store, then pay attention to everything and write complaints if you still fell for the trick. This way you can reduce the number of low-quality goods, there will be less deception, and you will save other consumers who may fall for one of the tricks.

Yanin: – In times of crisis, you need to refuse to buy categories of goods where the risk of falsification is higher. Take not dumplings, sausages, but, for example, chicken. Also try to choose healthy products, because health is one thing – you can’t buy it!