Comments on: The tricks that supermarkets play to stop you from comparing on price https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/ User Experience Design, Research & Good Old Fashioned Usability Wed, 01 May 2019 06:18:52 +0000 hourly 1 By: Tom https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-202383 Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:34:41 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-202383 I know I’m coming in really late here, but in Wal-Mart I’ll frequently see TWO DIFFERENT PER comparisons. On, say, an 8 pack of charmin toilet paper, it’ll say per 100 ct (as in per 100 sheets), a valuable comparison tool. Then, on a 16 pack of charmin toilet paper (the _same type_, just more) it’ll say per oz, or some other measurement. It’s inconsistant on the exact same item and I honestly should start grabbing managers and complaining, although I’d probably just get a shrug and they’d walk away.

]]> By: User Interfaces Designed to Trick People | Serving Niches Blog https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-141714 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:05:14 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-141714 […] Supermarkets (in the real world) that prevent you from comparing products on price, by putting items in different sized bundles. […]

]]> By: Pete Williams https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-136202 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:04:35 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-136202 @Joe – It’s not always that simple. For instance in Tesco loose apples are just labelled as £X per kg, whereas the bagged ones are per apple. So you can’t directly compare costs.

]]> By: Joe https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-136132 Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:37:40 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-136132 Is it really so difficult to look at the unit pricing, on the bottom of the label? You can even see it, in the first pic. Organic braeburns are ~15p more expensive per apple.

]]> By: Tim https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-116131 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:08:43 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-116131 Down here in Australia, we now have unit pricing, and it is HEAVEN.

I can compare 1.5L Coke and 2L Coke (or whatever) and see what’s up.

No more price point trickery by Coles and Woolworths.

tim

]]> By: How Usable is YOUR World? » Dogbert Focus on Bad Experience https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-110524 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:08:03 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-110524 […] which will annoy customers or even trick their judgment. I have read a clever article about how supermarkets manipulate customer’s perception. What Dogbert is describing is quite similar to what supermarkets do. Second, Dogbert wants […]

]]> By: Harry Brignull https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-93230 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:03:10 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-93230 @Simon – I’m hoping that by raising consumer awareness, some supermarkets will stop doing it, and make a big noise about how consumer friendly they are. The others will then have to follow suit. In theory. As @Hanford said, it’s common practice for all supermarkets in the US to have “per each” price comparison information. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time.

@Ofer – Yes, I’ve noticed the physical separation trick too. Though regarding the disproportionate markup on organic produce – doesn’t this leave space for an organic price war? I imagine that the “best price for organic” hook could make a pretty good advertising campaign.

]]> By: Ofer Deshe https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-92663 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:09:28 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-92663 Supermarkets tend to display all organic fruits and vegetables in one area, not as part of each product main category. For example, organic aubergines might not be in the aubergines section, but next to other organic products. As a result, price comparisons are harder. Less price sensitive customers will avoid walking around the shop to compare prices. Farmers/suppliers get such a small percentage that the additional price paid for organic is unproportional to the initial cost difference. Therefore, profit margins are much higher. It is unfortunate that some supermarkets use barely ethical tactics to promote more profitable products.

The book Tescopoly describes many tricks that supermarkets use.

Tescopoly: How One Shop Came Out on Top and Why It Matters
by Andrew Simms

]]> By: Simon Raistrick https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-92656 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:38:12 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-92656 Funnily enough, I noticed this technique in Sainsburys this week too – (the Aubergine example where they have the price for a single with no weight given vs the price for a pack). Is it a recent thing? Definitely smells of twisting the rules as far as they will bend.

]]> By: Harry Brignull https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-92643 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:22:30 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-92643 Some quotes from Tim Harford:

On random mark-ups: “All shops want to offer competitive prices to customers who demand them, while charging more to customers who do not much care. Random mark-ups will do the trick: they are easily avoided by bargain hunters but will often snare the unwary.”

On packaging aesthetics: “‘Tesco’s Value range is packaged to look like a UN disaster relief package,’ he says. ‘It would cost virtually nothing for nicer packaging but they choose to have it that way to give a reason to people to buy the premium Finest range – people who are not price sensitive. I’m not saying don’t buy Tesco Finest. I just want people to understand the strategy and to look around when they’re shopping.’ “

]]> By: hanford https://www.90percentofeverything.com/2009/03/11/the-tricks-that-supermarkets-play-to-stop-you-from-comparing-on-price/#comment-92637 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:12:16 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/?p=731#comment-92637 In US, a lot of the stores have “per each” on items that can’t be purchased as singles. for example, toilet paper. they’ll tell you (in small print) the per-roll price for the big packages — which is great! It means you don’t have to do the math.

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