Which? launches new campaign against misleading ‘special offers’
Consumer watchdog Which? has launched a new campaign following its latest research into supermarket discount deals and multi-buy offers.
With rising food prices one of the top worries for consumers, the Which? study of supermarket special offers found that 81% of consumers polled said that they were looking out for deals in supermarkets to help them save money.
Which? analysed more than 70,000 grocery prices and found a number of examples at supermarkets of what it described as misleading multi-buys and dodgy discounts where the offer ran for much longer than the item was at the higher price.
Through its new campaign ‘Make Special Offers Special, Which? is calling on the government to make the rules for special offers “simpler, clearer and stricter” and to introduce tougher enforcement action to clamp down on any rule breaking supermarkets. If the changes are not made swiftly, Which? said it will consider using its formal legal powers to ensure the practice is tackled.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: “We’ve found dodgy discounts across the aisles, and with rising food prices hitting shoppers’ budgets hard we think supermarkets are not playing fair. The stores have had long enough to sort their act out, so we’re saying enough is enough, it’s time to Make Special Offers Special.”
