grocer caught in pricing shenanigans, false advertising non-enforcement, and how to retaliate

Intermarché has a “1+1” promo this week advertising €3.78 for 2 bundles of leeks. I was charged €2.50 for each 1kg bundle (which I later weighed at 1.9kg). When I pointed out the fact that the 1+1 was not applied, they corrected it and I got €2.50 back.

I’m not going the sweat them too much on honest mistakes like someone forgetting to update the register. But what’s interesting here is that the unadjusted/nonpromo price was €2.50, not €3.78. Superficially, they seem to be using the old trick of decieving consumers on what the regular price is when printing the promo.

The price would naturally swing as the market does. So they might argue that market prices increased just at the very same instant they ran the promo. Fair enough, but happens often. Before I started boycotting Lidl, I’ve also seen X+Y promos there where the “regular price” increases the same moment the promo starts. I see no one regulating that.

Belgium has no regulator for false advertising. The ad industry is “self regulated” by:

Jury d’Ethique Publicitaire (JEP)
Rue Bara 175
1070 Bruxelles

It’s a façade. They will not act on reports of false advertising. This is why false ads are out of control in Belgium.

Anyway, the only retaliation in the case at hand is to buy the leeks before they correct the register so you get a better price than they intended (2 for €2.50).

The trick I missed: when produce is priced per piece, you take several to the scale and weigh each of them. Buy the heaviest. Of course it only works when there is a scale available. Hence why I got cheated out of 100g.

I don’t mean to bash Intermarché too hard.. they are still a lesser of evils. I no longer shop at Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour, and Delhaize. They either support Israel and/or their website blocks the Tor community.