Supermarkets ripping off customers

THE EDITOR, Sir: I READ in your Tuesday Talk on October 24, 2017 about a certain Kingston supermarket that posts discounted items sans the original price – labelling items with only the supposed ‘new’ price. (No comparison to the previous price.)

There’s skulduggery in the supermarkets ALL OVER the country.

At a certain supermarket in Montego Bay, the following are regular practices:

1. Cashiers never have adequate coins to make correct change for customers. They are trained to ‘round up or down’ (I checked with several girls) and the benefit is ALWAYS to the supermarket and never the customer.

2. My house guest visiting from New York on Thursday, October 12 went to purchase Listerine.

A medium bottle labelled $747.95 was cashed at the cashier for $830. After bringing this to the attention of the supervisor, he exchanged for a smaller bottle labelled $535.63. This bottle cashed at $600.

I have NO IDEA if this deceptive labelling vs the scans at the cash register at a higher price is as a result of the fluctuation in the forex market and a method of absorbing the price difference when restocking shelves with new goods. BUT IT IS WRONG – and should be an illegal practice.

Why? Most persons shopping for groceries (multiple items) do NOT take note of the prices labelled at the shelves and compare them to the cashier-issued bill.

This is such an unfair abuse of customers. The two practices listed above can amass a substantial amount of revenue (unaccounted for) at the expense of shoppers.

It’s no wonder supermarkets reign supreme. Why are these deceptive practices allowed here in Jamaica? Who will protect us?

MONTEGO BAY SHOPPER