SHADY SHOPPING DEALS
Top tips to avoid being ripped off
IT WAS an offer that sounded too good to be true...
DIY chain Wickes touted a 50 per cent discount – but doubled prices on the same day and advertising watchdog ASA banned the ad.
Catherine Shuttleworth, founder of GetSavvy. com, said: “The trick that Wickes pulled is illegal and as old as the hills. But there are a lot newer, and more subtle, ways retailers seduce us into parting with our cash.”
Here are our tips to keep you away from shady shopping deals.
Big Brother is making you buy
Catherine said: “Retailers have started using artificial intelligence to send targeted ads to your phone. So if the temperature outside rises by two degrees, you might receive an ad for iced tea.
“If data on your device tells retailers you’re a man in his 30s who earns more than £30,000, they might tell you what you want before you know you want it by sending you offers on a new car.”
Tracking your spending
Imagine you’re in a queue for the till at a clothes shop, then your phone pings with a message telling you there are shoes to match the dress in your hand.
It’s all possible in the near future.
Catherine said: “Bluetooth technology will soon tell retailers when you enter their store and they can send you targeted ads to make sure you spend more and more.”
Dynamic pricing
“Retailers have more than one price file for the same item,” said Catherine.
“A Costa coffee will probably cost a lot more at a service station than in the high street.
“A packet of pasta at a Sainsbury’s local might well be pricier than the same packet in a big store. And in London, many things costs more than in most other UK cities – even the same items. “Amazon regularly fluctuates its prices. Be a smart shopper and always cross reference prices.”
Don’t be seduced by the muzak
Retailers reckon slow music will make you feel less rushed and happy to spend more time – and money – in store.
Only popped in for milk but leaving an hour later and £50 lighter? Blame Adele.
Learn lay-out traps
If you thought shelf stacking was a fairly simple task, think again.
There’s a real, and very lucrative, strategy behind it. More expensive products are put at eye level so look low for lower prices.
Popular combinations, like tortilla chips and salsa, are next to each other to encourage you to get both. Tills are stocked with last minute essentials, such as expensive batteries, to prompt impulse buying. And healthy fruit and veg are displayed at the front so you shop there first and don’t feel guilty about buying less healthy foods later.
Placing essentials like milk and bread at the back and far away from each other means you have to schlep around the store and no doubt get extra items on the way.
Don’t fall for outdated deals
A BBC investigation found that Tesco didn’t always keep their displays up to date, inadvertently leaving promotional branding up after deals had ended.
When researchers went to the till, they were overcharged for their purchases at 33 out of 50 stores they visited. It’s unlikely Tesco are the only offenders.
Check your promotion has been deducted at the till. If something’s amiss, ask customer services for your money back – you might even get double the difference.
Beware Bogofs
The classic buy-one-get-one-free offer seams like a steal, but can be a rip off. Check in case the store hiked the price of the item during the bogof deal, meaning it’s actually cheaper to look for the same thing not included in the promotion. Take your time, research and compare as much as you can first.
See through the packaging
Are you really buying better quality meat – or is it just better packaged?
Premium packing is designed to tempt you to pay more. But do your own taste tests to ask if you’re really paying for nicer packaging.
Online tricks
If you think going online for grocery shopping rather than setting foot instore is better, beware the virtual tricks and traps.
When sidebars bring up similar items to the ones you’re looking for, they rarely show value brands there. Search instead for own-label items for the cheapest deal.
Forget food-to-go
Those takeaway lunch sections where bottles of water, sandwiches and crisps are all stacked together, might be handy. But they often have the same food at a cheaper price elsewhere in the store.
Small packs of grapes in the food-to-go aisle can cost £1 but in the main shop they’ll have a bunch twice as big for 90p.
Same goes for pasta pots – do you really want to pay so much more for a takeaway fork?