That the Czech consumer cannot rely on fair treatment by food suppliers and sellers is a relatively well-known fact. The last time he became convinced of this was last year, when food prices rose senselessly in domestic stores. And with the justification that inflation is high. But as it soon became clear, the sellers were primarily increasing their own margins. In Germany or Poland, for example, prices did not rise nearly as much.
Mostly unobtrusively
But now another threat is facing Czech customers. Confectionery manufacturers are facing an unprecedented increase in the price of cocoa beans. Today, it is historically the highest ever. At the same time, one could expect that this will soon be reflected in the prices of end products such as various chocolate bars or chocolate bars. Cocoa is in a whole range of products, and this time the problem is further exacerbated by the fact that sugar is similarly significantly more expensive.
The first companies, such as Lindt or Hershey, have already announced that they will have to raise prices. However, according to economist Lukáš Kovanda, this can have specific effects on the Czech market. Manufacturers and sellers know that today the prices of confectionery are already at their maximum, and if they were to rise even more significantly, it would probably mean a sharp drop in demand.
“Consumers in the Czech Republic should therefore pay extra attention when purchasing chocolate confectionery. Their manufacturers can adopt a strategy of subtly reducing the volume of the packaging while maintaining the price, which is, of course, only a way to give the customer the false illusion that he is still getting the same amount of candy for the same money.” stated Kovanda in his analysis.
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Get ready to cheat
At the same time, it has been proven that shrinking the packaging does not bother customers so much. Some don’t notice it and others don’t calculate how much they were actually protected. However, it is nothing more than a sharp and sharp increase in price. For example, if a bar of chocolate is reduced from 100 to 80 grams, it means a 20 percent increase in price.
Also read: A large retail chain did terrible things in the Czech Republic. You wouldn’t allow that anywhere else. He faces a liquidation fine
It is possible that the first manifestations of shrinking packaging and price increases will come before the Christmas season. That’s when people buy the most sweets for the whole year, and they don’t want to deny themselves of them under any circumstances. For sellers, it can be a strategy to get customers used to higher prices or smaller packages. However, it will only start in full in 2024, when the current stock will be sold out.
Foto: Shutterstock
2023-11-04 13:00:00
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