Call for clarity over misleading special offers

Supermarkets that mislead the public over special offers should be named and shamed, the Cyprus Consumers Association said on Friday.

President of the association Marios Drousiotis said they were asking the consumer protection service of the commerce ministry to also force supermarkets to disclose the percentage deduction when they advertise special offers.

The information, plus the name, should be included in the regular price observatory surveys, he said.

Drousiotis told the Cyprus News Agency (CAN) that in one case, from 21 products on offer, the prices of 20 were higher than another supermarket that did not have offers.

“With the information we’re requesting the consumer will be able to identify what really applies to each supermarket through the price table,” he added.

Commenting on the price comparison table between three supermarkets in Nicosia published on May 22, Drousiotis said the differences were glaring.

As a typical example he said one supermarket had Kelloggs Coco Pops Chocos 330g on offer at €3.27.

“The price of the same product was available in another supermarket but without being on offer at €2.65,” he said.

“This means that some supermarkets make offers, for small or large price reductions, which if compared to the prices of another supermarket may be higher – as in this particular case,” he added.

“As organised consumers, we ask the consumer protection service to always disclose the names of the supermarkets and state the percentage discount offered by each.”

Drousiotis said it was not a matter of infringing on the supermarkets’ rights to sell at a price they wish, only that the public should have access to the correct information.

“If the consumer knows that the final prices of the offers of supermarket A are higher than the offer of another supermarket, he will be able to decide whether or not to use this supermarket,” he added.