Discounters are becoming more brazen: This is how customers are being ripped off at the checkout – without noticing it
Email Share More Twitter Print Feedback Report an error
Spotted an Error?
Please mark the relevant words in the text. With just two clicks you can report the error to the editorial team.
There is no genetic engineering in the plant
But don’t worry: they are genetically modified
Because “food has become cheaper”! More and more customers are paying extra for popular products without really realizing it. FOCUS online says what you need to pay attention to and gives seven examples where customers are now paying a lot more.
Same price but smaller pack! The Hamburg consumer advice center is sounding the alarm: Never before have so many manufacturers tweaked the pack size as they are currently. The customers who suffer are the ones who suffer. Without realizing it, they pay more and are confronted with false statements such as “same price”.
Discounters and supermarkets accept hidden price increases and quickly reject labeling. “Nobody wants price increases, they prefer to hide them,” says a well-informed insider who wishes to remain anonymous. They are concealed using the packaging trick, which is also why manufacturers prefer this trick. Instead of directly charging higher prices.
What’s particularly annoying is that the packs are getting smaller and customers have to buy the product several times. This also drives up raw material prices and transport costs. Consumer advocates show how bad the situation is now.
The Hamburg consumer advice center reports a record, there are more “deceptive packages” than ever before. In 2023, consumer advocates identified 104 products, and in 2022 there were 76. In total, there are more than 1,000 items on the list. Armin Valet, food expert at the consumer advice center, focuses his search on food and drugstore goods.
FOCUS online has several products available.
But where are there major changes to the packs?
Potato dumplings from Bürger: Rewe customers found the product in the 500 gram pack for 2.79 euros. The product has recently been available in a 400 gram pack for the same price.
Extra virgin olive oil from Edekas Gut&Günstig: Olive oil has become more expensive. At Edeka in Munich the bottle costs 10.99 euros. But upon closer inspection, the customer notices that there are no longer 750 milliliters in the bottle, but only 500 milliliters.
Oil Repair 3 Nourishing Conditioner from Garnier Fructis: The company reduced the size of the product by 50 milliliters. The price has remained the same. Specifically, there was a bottle with a content of 250 milliliters, now there is only 200 milliliters, the price has remained the same at 2.79 euros. Price increase? A whopping 25 percent.
Rice pudding from Euryza: By the end of the year, a 1000 gram bag of rice pudding still cost 2.29 euros in the supermarket. Then the pack became smaller and more expensive. Since then, customers have had to shell out 2.99 euros for 800 grams. A whopping increase of more than 60 percent.
Yoghurt Gums from Katjes: Same bag, same design. The contents of the yoghurt gums have nevertheless shrunk – from 200 to 175 grams. The well-disguised “shrinking treatment” leads to a hidden price increase of 14 percent.
Tuc Bake Rolls Sea Salt from Mondelez: Mondelez offers the almost identical bread chips under the Tuc “new” brand with less content. With the additional price increase in stores, the bottom line is that the pack becomes 127 percent more expensive.
And then there are the sponge cloths from Aldi Süd. They cost 95 cents and customers receive five pieces when they purchase. But the product has clearly shrunk. And here is the proof:
How to recognize deceptive packaging in the supermarket
Anyone who discovers labels such as “new size”, “new formula”, “new enjoyment” or “improved recipe” on packaging while shopping should pay attention. What at first glance seems like a consumer-friendly benefit may be a hidden price increase. Consumer advocates recommend taking note of the contents of products that you buy frequently.
FOCUS Online advises: Households should pay attention to the basic price when shopping. The basic price must always be stated per kilogram or liter on the shelf or in the brochure and helps to compare different pack sizes of a product.
For certain foods, such as cheese, sausage, butter or yoghurt, that you buy weekly, you should always note the basic price. If this price increases, you can be sure: the dealer has increased the price.
Such basic price comparisons can be particularly helpful in the fruit and vegetable counter. In many cases, packaged vegetables are cheaper than loose goods.
Be informed, understand, make the right decisionsHere you can get background information on current financial news. Every Friday as a newsletter.
* Fields marked with an * are mandatory. I agree that BurdaForward GmbH, St. Martin Straße 66, 81541 Munich, will regularly send me news on the topics selected above by email. I also agree that BurdaForward GmbH analyzes the use of the newsletter and uses it to personalize its content and offers. My consent can be revoked at any time. I can provide further information here recall.
order