Half price discount due to lack of freshness… I know my price
The number and weight of discounted food imminent distribution may change
“There was no problem selling ice cream 10 years ago”
Housewife Kim (54), a housewife in Seoul, buys mostly food ingredients that are sold at a 30-50% discount at the local A supermarket every night at 9:00 a.m. as prices soar to the point where shopping is scary. This is because it helps to save even a single penny, even though it is a product that is nearing its expiration date and has lost its freshness.
Mr. Kim, who was shopping as usual, had an absurd experience while choosing a ‘pack of 5’ cucumbers with ‘30% discount’ written on them. The packaging was the same as the normal priced product, but the freshness of the product, which was sold cheaply, was only 4, one less.
Mr. Kim visited the store again the next day, just in case, but it was the same as expected. The number of cherry tomatoes said to be 50% off was also smaller than normal products, and peaches were 1-2 less than normal packaging.
He said, “I was surprised by the difference in the weight or number of fresh foods that are not sealed and whose expiration date is imminent.” I cry once,” he said.
30% discount (4 pieces) of 5 pieces of cucumber products due to lack of freshness
On the 11th, amid the growing burden on households due to skyrocketing prices, retailers’ trickery tactics are making consumers cry twice. Like Mr. Kim, when choosing a discount product with an imminent expiration date, if you do not carefully compare whether the number and capacity are the same as regular priced products, you may be disappointed.
A 29-year-old Kang stopped by a supermarket near Daecheong Station on Seoul Subway Line 3 tilted her head when she saw a stand selling 50% discount products at regular prices that are about to expire. The ‘1 + 1’ self-cooked shrimp was 9,900 won, but the 50% discount product with less freshness was 4,950 won per piece.
Mr. Kang said, “You can buy two fresh products for 9,900 won, but even a 50% cheaper product for sale was 9,900 won for two.”
Mr. Jang (42), who frequently uses the online mall, ordered two ‘1 + 1’ fermented drinks, but when only three were actually delivered, he contacted the customer center. The online mall said that only three products were delivered because the selling price on the day of delivery was higher than the time the order was placed, and that it would refund one product in the shopping mall money.
Mr. Jang said, “If you want to use the company’s money later, you have to buy another product, so you have no choice but to spend unnecessary money.”
A 50% discount product near the expiration date is actually a regular price product
On the other hand, Mr. Park (56), an office worker in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, was disappointed after buying ice cream at a convenience store close to the sweltering heat. He bought a Häagen-Dazs product, but when he got home, the ice cream had melted and then frozen, and the capacity was dramatically reduced.
Looking at the manufacturing date, Park found out that the product was manufactured in 2013. He inquired at the large mart and heard the answer that ice cream has no expiration date, so it is not a problem. Mr. Park said, “I was amazed that a convenience store was selling a product that I was reluctant to eat 10 years ago at a regular price,” adding, “In addition, I did not understand whether there would be hygiene problems such as bacterial infection if it was repeatedly melted and frozen during the shipping or storage process.” said.
According to the Food Sanitation Act, ice cream does not have to have a separate expiration date. This means that it is okay to sell it regardless of the date of manufacture because it is stored frozen at -18 degrees Celsius or less. However, according to the industry, it is customary to sell ice cream with a shelf life of about two years.
