In an intriguing revelation, a grocery shopper unveiled the workings of a well-aged retail trickery, potentially victimizing unwary customers. The incident, occurring at a Woolsworth supermarket in Brisbane, Australia, has prompted the shopper to publicly warn others about the tactic that supermarkets may employ to drive sales.
The crux of the scam is the strategic placement of full-priced items on the sales shelf, misleading shoppers into assuming discounted rates.
The Australian shopper’s photo, shared on Reddit, unveils the tactic used by the supermarket. A shelf teeming with John West canned tuna is flanked by yellow signs, proudly boasting a 50% price reduction, making each can a tempting bargain at $1.35. Yet, a closer inspection reveals the cans’ original price remains intact, despite their placement in the sales section.
The details of this seemingly clever strategy lie in the small print. The promotional offer doesn’t apply to John West canned tuna, but its proximity to discounted items can easily mislead shoppers. The retailer’s ploy successfully ensures full payment for the item.
In the Reddit post, the shopper commented, “Well played, Woolies, you got me at the register for $2.60 each.” The shopper had succumbed to the classic marketing scheme, where the full-priced item sneaks into the sales section.
The shopper expressed resignation about the situation, stating, “Yeah, I could have left them at the register, but they know, and I knew I would just suck it up.” Interestingly, the shopper did manage to save some change per can, albeit not as much as the deceptive signs suggested.
The shopper surmised, “It was also on special but a different percent. I normally pay $2.80 per can, but the register said ‘$2.60, you saved 60 cents’.” This sparked speculation whether Woolsworth was incrementally increasing the canned tuna’s price from $2.80 to $3.20 by creating a faux discount narrative.
The shopper was annoyed by the subtle and seemingly negligible price manipulations, saying, “I know this is only tiny amounts, but a s**** me to tears all these little micro scabby actions – shrinkflation and pumping up prices before discounting.”
As thousands questioned Woolsworth’s integrity, a few proposed the theory that this could be an innocent case of mistaken stocking rather than an orchestrated scam.
One individual wrote, “Used to work at Woolies, ain’t no scheme. Can guarantee some night fill bloke who’s… seen a tuna special so filled it up with what he thought was all tuna.” They added, “Front-end checkout girls are going to cop hell the next day when all the Karens who docket check demand that they all be free because of mispricing.”
Another suggested, “Not Woolies trying to rip you off. Most likely an employee just placing it in the wrong spot.”
As debates continue, the question arises: Is this an innocent error or a calculated manipulation?”
Source: AWM
Thomas Cooper