Supermarkets misleading shoppers with promotions, Which? survey finds

A Which? study of 75 popular products found that big-name retailers are using multibuy promotions and special offers to give shoppers the impression they are saving money when they are not.

Analysis of more than 70,000 prices found that some multibuys could cost shoppers more, while some discounts ran for a longer period of time than the original price.

In one example, Sainsbury’s and Tesco customers were paying £1 for a pack of a popular yoghurt or £2 for two packs during a promotion, meaning there was no cost saving on the yoghurts.

In another case customers were paying 50% more for a packet of rice.

It comes at a time when many consumers aim to save money on their groceries in a difficult economic environment. 

According to Which?, four in 10 consumers are likely to cut back on food spending in the next few months, while 81% are looking for supermarket deals to help them save money.

But the Which? research suggests that the deals may not always be the money-saving option, despite eight of the leading retailers signing up to a new code to deliver honest prices.

Which? found that Sainsbury’s sold packs of Carex Antibacterial Handwash at £1.80 for just seven days before launching an offer that stated ‘Was £1.80 now 90p’, which ran for 84 days. 

And Tesco sold Flash All Purpose Cleaning spray at £2 for just 17 days, before selling at a ‘half-price’ deal of £1 for 47 days.

The supermarkets blamed the examples identified by Which? on simple mistakes while the new code was introduced, rather than a deliberate attempt to fool customers.