Disturbing Flyer Trend

[foo]

Some grocery stores are no longer publishing meat prices as $ per lb./kg, making comparison shopping impossible without going to the store and calculating price by physically looking at each package.

Few of these advertised "package prices" are good deals, and some seem to be a tad expensive.

Any thoughts or possible actions?

[DianneS]

I've noticed this trend, too and it really irritates me. It appears to me that they are trying to make it difficult to calculate the real price of the meat -- which has been sold for decades on end at price per pound. I generally will not buy meat that is priced this way -- partly because it's hard to know what kind of deal I'm getting and partly because it just ticks me off that retailers are doing this. Why is it that they don't want us to know how much we are paying per pound??? You can bet it's because it's to their advantage, not ours.

Suggestion? I think we should all start e-mailing stores who do this and express our displeasure at their new pricing method.

[FallenPixels]

I was part of a focus group a while back and while the non disclosure means I can't give many details, so many people asked for pricing like this. They did not want to know it was 3.99/lb and get there to find the smallest pack size was 4lbs and they could not afford that cut of meat because it was really over $15, they wanted to know how much a pack would cost them

For the most part, there are weights on them in-store so you can work it out if you are there but it does not help planning

[foo]

Thank you for an interesting perspective. Personally, I have never run into a situation where the package weight selections exceeded my budget. I find most stores make varied package sizes and weights available to meet their customer's needs - some are singles, couples, families, etc. I have to wonder if it was the way the question was asked - "They did not want to know it was 3.99/lb and get there to find the smallest pack size was 4lbs and they could not afford that cut of meat because it was really over $15." A simple remedy would be simply to publish the package weight and or price per lb/kg.I cannot think of a valid reason not to.

[Natalka]

I've seen this in the WalMart flyer and once in a while at Safeway.

I think it's absolutely horrible - I know my meat prices by kg and that's how I figure things out.
I want the prices in the flyers - so I can make my shopping list by comparing prices - not just when I get there to the store.

If you can't find a package size you like, at stores I go to like Sobeys, Co-op, Safeway - someone in the meat dept. will package what you like/need.

[mcminsen]

I think it's just bizarre that they would advertise a pack of meat for $5 and not tell you how big the pack was. Do they actually think that most people don't need or want that info in their advertising? It's kind of like the flyers with BOGO deals on stuff but they won't tell you what the price is so you have to go to the store to find out. It's too manipulative.

[FallenPixels]

Thank you for an interesting perspective. Personally, I have never run into a situation where the package weight selections exceeded my budget. I find most stores make varied package sizes and weights available to meet their customer's needs - some are singles, couples, families, etc. I have to wonder if it was the way the question was asked - "They did not want to know it was 3.99/lb and get there to find the smallest pack size was 4lbs and they could not afford that cut of meat because it was really over $15." A simple remedy would be simply to publish the package weight and or price per lb/kg.I cannot think of a valid reason not to.

The question wasn't asked like that, it was more what general things would you like to see (we were shown different flyer formats etc) and a few people mentioned this without prompting.
I agree though, price it at $5 and say pack size approx 750g or whatever

[Chantel]

I agree though, price it at $5 and say pack size approx 750g or whatever

That seems like a perfectly reasonable happy medium. Everyone gets what they want.

[danip467]

Anytime I've seen this I have been able to find the weight of the package right on the package. Might be an opportunity to get a better or worse deal depending on which package you pick, so just grab your calculator and do the math. Saying that, I never end up buying my meat this way, I always watch for the $/kg deals in the flyers and only go for sales, so if I don't go in unless I know it's for sure a good deal.

[danifish]

We don't buy any meat from the grocery store anymore. After doing some research I came to realize that meat on sale is never great quality, and from a big grocery store in general you can't guarantee where it came from, what the animal was fed, what unnessecary meds were they given etc. They could put what ever pricing they want on it, IMO, the best deals come from your local butcher.

I had no idea the HUGE difference in quality until we started buying meat locally. And yes they sell ALL their meat priced per lbs/kg...

[Murray Brown]

I hate it. I think it's a terrible thing to pull on uninformed shoppers. The price per kg and the total are on the package and as was mentioned the butcher will cut anything down for you. If $15 is too much in total cost (don't you have a freezer?!) then get them to chop it down to $5.

They do this at Walmart and now I see it at Food Basics and I think sometimes No Frills. I've never seen it be a deal. I skip over them in the flyers and don't even pick them up in stores to check. They are obviously targeting impluse shoppers and abusing people without budgets.

Get your chicken (and maybe pork) at 4.41/kg, pork at 6.90/kg and your beef at 8.8/kg. Buy a bunch and freeze it. The cheapest meat sale just gets cost down equal to the most expensive veggie normal price.

[Big Pink]

I'm sure vegans won't appreciate people weighing potential purchases in the produce department...

[FallenPixels]

then they should have a scale in the meat dept or put weights on things
but when I do, I put it in one of the bags they have in the meat dept

[Darth Penguin]

I'm sure vegans won't appreciate people weighing potential purchases in the produce department...

reminds me of the time we went to Pizza Hut and they tried to cut the meat pizzas and the cut the veggis ones with the same untensil...

[Midnightly]

i think this style is the death of the instore butcher, these packages come into the store pre-sealed, pre-packaged, pre priced! it's all done off site and one less service they offer (if your store has a butcher you can ask them to slice a large roast into two or package them into smaller packets)