Advertisement
That supermarket deal might not be the bargain you thought it was, says Hong Kong Consumer Council as it suggests city’s retailers mislead shoppers
- Watchdog reveals price comparison tricks businesses use to get people to buy goods on sale
- Council urges Customs and Excise Department to take action after first raising issue five years ago
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Hong Kong’s consumer rights watchdog has said supermarkets in the city are still using misleading sales tactics, and risk breaking the law over their price comparison stickers.
Advertisement
On Monday, the Consumer Council said the city’s major retailers had misled the public, and said law enforcement, and the industry, had failed to deal with the problem for the past five years.
In two recent surveys, supermarkets were found to have displayed two prices on a variety of products, the standard price, which was often struck through, and a promotional price, which was usually displayed in a bigger, bolder font.
However, in most cases the product in question had not been sold at the standard price for more than 30 days.
The watchdog urged the Customs and Excise Department to devise clear and specific enforcement guidelines for sales promotions, and pointed to Britain and Singapore as examples of countries that have clamped down on the practice.
Advertisement
Advertisement