Is Atlantic Superstore Being Up-front With Their Custormers?

[Buddyboy546]

I expect any store I go to to at least be trustworthy. I think that's a reasonable expectation for an honest shopper. Lately I have been having increasing doubts about Atlantic Superstore. Here are a few examples why.

Some time ago Superstore began offering product in multiples. Signs would say "Two for $4" and in small print it would say "or $2 each." The company responded to me that offering multiples has become an industry standard but that, unlike competitors, Superstore (Loblaws) does not charge higher prices for single purchases. Well that has changed. Now they do. Now it is common to see something like "Two for $4" and in tiny print you have to put your glasses on to see "or $2.29 each." Are they trying to trick us?

Some years ago we switched to metric. Now all the meat is labelled completely in kilograms and I am quite used to it. Lately the cost of most meat has skyrocketed. It continues to be packaged and labelled in kilograms but the bold shelf labels suddenly changed and now state something like "$5.99 a pound." Again, if I strain to put my glasses on to read the tiny print the label says "or $xx a kilogram." Are they trying to trick us?

My wife buys fresh blueberries regularly. The price goes up and down like a yo yo bearing no relationship to the season or current level of supplies. They usually offer two different sized packages of blueberries, one labelled in grams, the other in pints. How does the shopper compare prices without reaching for a calculator and converter. Legal? Yes. But, are they trying to trick us?

Walk through the fresh vegetable aisles. Most of the produce is labelled and priced in kilograms on the packages but the shelf labels are in pounds. Why the mixture? Are they trying to trick us.

Recently virtually all of the fresh bread was suddenly being sold in reduced sizes, smaller than the old standard 670g loaf. My favourite fresh round sourdough loaf was the same size but weighed just 450g. The bakers just let less dough rise far more so it looked the same on the shelf but weighed far less. At first the company denied any changes had been made. However the store baker confided in me that everyone was upset about it and sales of fresh bread had plummeted. After many months it seemed that head office relented and loaves returned to the 670g size, with many exceptions. Were they trying to trick us?

I could go on. Remember we are talking about an absolute basic necessity here (food) being sold at a major retailer. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is almost certainly a duck? Am I alone in experiencing these frustrations? Does anyone else bother to let the manager and head office know about such deceptive practices.

[Natalka]

No, they aren't trying to trick you. It's always been buyer beware - to watch out for all of these things, and be a diligent shopper.

[annedougherty]

It's business. Not trickery. Buyer beware. If you don't notice...that's your own problem.