Cost price 'may not be best deal' - Indo today

dudara

From today's Independant

Cost price 'may not be best deal'

SHOPPERS were warned yesterday that the cost price pre-Christmas offers, currently advertised by many major retailers, may not be as good a deal as they appear to be.

And last night, an online consumer expert added bluntly: "Do not pay attention to the words people use."

It is illegal for stores to sell goods below cost price so consumers could be lured into believing they really can't do any better than that, according to shoppingbill.com, the consumer website.

Not so, unfortunately, as one thrifty customer discovered when she bought 15 tins of biscuits which she believed could not be had for less elsewhere. The woman paid €14.74 for the one kilo tins of Jacob's 'Afternoon Tea' at Dunnes Stores, feeling safe in the knowledge the deal could not be bettered.

She was furious a few days later to discover the same tin of biscuits on sale in Supervalu for €12.75, a saving of almost €2 a tin or €30 for the bulk buy.

Dunnes said they had sold the biscuits at cost price, as advertised.

Alan Clayton, of shoppingbill.com, said Dunnes had no obligation to take back the biscuits. The same biscuits had been advertised at the same slightly dearer price in Superquinn which also claimed that was the cost price.

Consumers should still take the time to shop around, Mr Clayton advised.

Grainne Cunningham

Hagar

Dunnes may well have sold the biscuits at cost price. My experience in the wholesale trade was that different customers paid different prices for the same goods. It was all down to the size of a particular order. Super Valu / Centra are part of the Musgrave group and have enormous buying power. They could well be buying many products cheaper than Dunnes and therefore able to under sell Dunnes cost price.

LFCFan

How can €14 be cost price when you can buy the same thing, retail, for around €7 up the North? There is no way that something up the North could be half the price retail as it is cost down here. Another example of the serious ripoff culture there is in Ireland.

Ste.phen

Not so, unfortunately, as one thrifty customer discovered when she bought 15 tins of biscuits which she believed could not be had for less elsewhere. The woman paid €14.74 for the one kilo tins of Jacob's 'Afternoon Tea' at Dunnes Stores, feeling safe in the knowledge the deal could not be bettered.

FIFTEEN tins of biscuits?
holy flurking schnitt....

helll,

sceptre

Igy wrote:

FIFTEEN tins of biscuits?
holy flurking schnitt....

Guess what all her friends are getting for the christmas. Better than tins of Danish butter cookies I reckon.

Tom Dunne

Yeah, same happened to me with the 24 bottles of Miller in Superquinn for 24 Eurons. The same box is 21.99 Eurons in Tesco, both advertised as "cost price". I have already bought two in Superquinn

Still, 24 isn't too bad a price. Guess what everyone is getting to drink in my house this Christmas?

LFCFan

€15 for 24 bottles of Miller in Newry. Heading there next week to stock up for Xmas

Genghis

I always have a laugh at the Tesco ads for 'Cost Price Beers and Spirits'. They have to, under law I understand, put up both the curent price and the promotional (i.e. 'cost' price). In some cases the difference is very sleight - under a Euro on a €20+ purchase. Now, do you expect us to believe that that is all you ever make on alcohol sales, Tesco?

dudara

At the moment Tesco have all these pre-budget posters up advertising great savings on drink. Who are they kidding. A euro off a litre bottle of gin, oh that'll keep the chislers warm