Bagging a bargain — but at what cost?

WELLINGTON: New Zealand supermarket shoppers are among the world’s keenest on a cheap deal, spending $6 out of every $10 on groceries that are on special.

A Nielsen report found that figure was well ahead of other countries: Australians spent $4 out of every $10 on promotions, in Britain it was $3, Germany $2 and France just $1.80.

‘‘Shoppers are conditioned to look for and buy products on promotion,’’ Nielsen’s Brett Miller said in a statement.

‘‘This is not to say this cannot be changed or that this is a dynamic that’s specific to the Kiwi shopper; it is simply a reflection of the current retailer and supplier promotion strategies.’’

But Consumer NZ head of research Jessica Wilson said special offers were used so frequently that the claimed savings were questionable.

‘‘Effectively, the special price is really the usual selling price so you’re not getting a genuine saving.’’

The Commerce Commission last year warned retailers about misleading discount sales and price promotions, and that it would prosecute those who were not following the rules.

Ms Wilson said Consumer NZ wanted regular price monitoring so households could have confidence they were not being ripped off.

‘‘Our price tracking in supermarkets has also found practic ally half the items in our basket of goods that we tracked were regularly on special.

‘‘So the price problems we have seen in our past research are still evident in the market today, we believe.’’

Foodstuffs’ head of customer experience Emily Blumenthal insisted the industry had cleaned up its act, and specials were now typically a very good deal for shoppers. — RNZ