“That’s the sewing of Albert Heijn.” Rutger Steenbergen makes no bones about it. He came across the offer at an AH branch in Zwolle. “Directly at the entrance a pack of biscuits for 59 cents. But that is secretly per biscuit and you pay almost 3 euros at the checkout”, he describes on LinkedIn.
“How many people would fall for that? #marketing #stupid,” he wonders. Quite a few, judging by the support that Steenbergen receives under his post. People mainly complain about the price, because the cakes are packed per four, and therefore cost a total of 2.36.
Fine print
It is true that the ‘price favorite’ sign says that the price is per piece, but that is written in very small print compared to the rest of the information. And you could also think that the packaging with four biscuits is meant, says Steenbergen.
The fact that the price is very low does not change that, says Steenbergen. “Maybe they’re almost past their due date?” He is applauded by other people who believe that this way of pricing is not in keeping with ‘honest business’.
At the same time, there are also people who point to ‘the consumer’s own responsibility.’ “If something is too good to be true, it often is…”
Supervisor: ‘Confusing’
That kite is only partially successful, according to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) when we submit the problem to the regulator. “We have just looked at the picture and indeed find it confusing to say the least,” a spokesperson emailed. She emphasizes that they have not conducted an official investigation.
“It does say on the sign that the price for the cake is ‘per piece’, but that is not very clear,” said the ACM spokesperson. “And then you would also expect that you could buy the cakes separately.”
Albert Heijn: sold separately
That is also possible, says an Albert Heijn spokesperson when asked. “A customer may buy the number of cakes as desired. A bakery employee then packs the cake(s) for the customer,” said the spokesperson. According to her, the supermarket chain has been using this method of pricing per piece for a long time.
Suboptimal, they find at the office of the supervisor. “Now they are all packed per 4 and you should also expect the price per packaging unit to be clearly stated on the packaging”, the ACM spokesperson emails, without commenting further on whether Albert Heijn is follow the rules or not.
That is ultimately up to the judge, she says. And they will also check whether you, as a consumer, could have known that it was the price for one cookie, and not the whole package.
Update 11:52 am:
At first we report that it was five biscuits in a package, but there are four. That has been adjusted.
2023-08-02 09:38:22
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