TheCruncher

So you got slightly less product, but you paid slightly less to compensate for this. It was labeled as a promotion, but seeing as you were planning to buy the product anyway, this would not have influenced your buying decision.

I'm struggling to see why this is such a big deal, I have to say.

I never said i was planning to buy the product anyway, at least not at this particular shop, but was fooled in the believe that I had a deal.

And as i have said already the few baht aren't a big issue, it is the way it was brought, because if they do it with this article they most probably use the same malicious practices for other articles where the difference is more than a few baht.

Cruncher said, “You still don't get it do you? It never used to cost the slashed through price. If you want to quote me then you should quote me completely and not take my post out of context. Below is the missing part. When I came home I noticed that they had reduced the size of the package from 900 gram to 800 gram, so promotion my arse. The 800 gram size has never cost the slashed through price, because it never has been available in this size, the slashed through price was from the 900 gram package. Because I knew the old price since I buy this product for years already, though from a shop where it is always 5% discounted, the slash through price fooled me in thinking it was still the same size as before but discounted now. Would you agree that a Toyota Vios was sold at the normal price but had a label with the price of the Altis slashed though as being the normal price? Let me know if you want me to make a drawing for you to understand.”

Cruncher, you do seem to be challenged. Perhaps you should make that drawing for your own cognizance.

You stated, “Since I'm not senile yet I know the strikethrough price is indeed the price it always was, so I took advantage of the promotion and bought a pack.”

If you knew the slashed-through price was the original price for a 900g box, why is it false advertising to offer an 800g box for 10% less? It certainly is not a deal, but they were not falsifying the promotion and labeling the 10% less-priced box 900g, were they?

As I said, idiot pricing for the math or detail challenged.

I knew the slashed through price was the price this brand of detergent was sold previously, I didn't realize that that the package now was reduced in size but was fooled into believing there had been no change, because honest people don't label it as a promotion and put the slashed through price of a different article on the label and claim that is the normal price.

Ah yes, now we have it, " . . . I didn't realize that that the package now was reduced in size but was fooled into believing there had been no change . . . "

You didn't realize the package size was reduced, so you were fooled into believing the package was the same size.

Okay, in your case we will call it "fools pricing" since the lower priced fooled you into thinking it was the same size.

No in my case we call it a scam, because the slashed through price is a price that has never existed for this size of package.

My view is that it is not necessarily a Scam. If for example the OP had with him a photo of the product/ package from his last purchase he would have had that one piece of additional information to perhaps make a more informed decision before his purchase. I think he assumed that the company was out to get him, and trick him. Things like this go thru some people's mind, especially if you're mind is looking for a promotion.

My mind was not looking for a promotion, it was clearly labelled as a promotion including yellow label and slashed through price, though a fake one.

I know the price from the 900 gram package very well, since I buy this particular product fro years already, and it is priced exactly the same everywhere but at Makro.

As I said earlier, I was first wary of the size as being reduced, but since the label clearly mentioned the old price slashed through without any remarks of the reduced size, I was fooled into believing it was still the same size.

At Makro on Sunday it was clearly marked on the price tag that the package was reduced from 900 to 800 gram

Ah, now you change your story. Initially you said, “When I came home I noticed that they had reduced the size of the package from 900 gram to 800 gram . . .” Now you say, “I was first wary of the size as being reduced . . .”

Maybe you originally did not see, " . . . it was clearly marked on the price tag that the package was reduced from 900 to 800 gram"

I don't change my story since I posted this long before you started to split hairs, and it was not clearly marked that the package was reduced, It was clearly marked at Makro, which is a different supermarket as the one that makes false promotions.

I also noticed that Top Charoen has a promotion.

Posted 2016-01-09 11:10:42

Actually when I picked up the package I was suspicious already that the size was reduced, but since they published the old price on the label, I was convinced it was the same size.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/884979-they-got-me-again/?p=10287976

Cruncher said, “You still don't get it do you? It never used to cost the slashed through price. If you want to quote me then you should quote me completely and not take my post out of context. Below is the missing part. When I came home I noticed that they had reduced the size of the package from 900 gram to 800 gram, so promotion my arse. The 800 gram size has never cost the slashed through price, because it never has been available in this size, the slashed through price was from the 900 gram package. Because I knew the old price since I buy this product for years already, though from a shop where it is always 5% discounted, the slash through price fooled me in thinking it was still the same size as before but discounted now. Would you agree that a Toyota Vios was sold at the normal price but had a label with the price of the Altis slashed though as being the normal price? Let me know if you want me to make a drawing for you to understand.”

Cruncher, you do seem to be challenged. Perhaps you should make that drawing for your own cognizance.

You stated, “Since I'm not senile yet I know the strikethrough price is indeed the price it always was, so I took advantage of the promotion and bought a pack.”

If you knew the slashed-through price was the original price for a 900g box, why is it false advertising to offer an 800g box for 10% less? It certainly is not a deal, but they were not falsifying the promotion and labeling the 10% less-priced box 900g, were they?

As I said, idiot pricing for the math or detail challenged.

I knew the slashed through price was the price this brand of detergent was sold previously, I didn't realize that that the package now was reduced in size but was fooled into believing there had been no change, because honest people don't label it as a promotion and put the slashed through price of a different article on the label and claim that is the normal price.

My view is that it is not necessarily a Scam. If for example the OP had with him a photo of the product/ package from his last purchase he would have had that one piece of additional information to perhaps make a more informed decision before his purchase. I think he assumed that the company was out to get him, and trick him. Things like this go thru some people's mind, especially if you're mind is looking for a promotion.

My mind was not looking for a promotion, it was clearly labelled as a promotion including yellow label and slashed through price, though a fake one.

I know the price from the 900 gram package very well, since I buy this particular product fro years already, and it is priced exactly the same everywhere but at Makro.

As I said earlier, I was first wary of the size as being reduced, but since the label clearly mentioned the old price slashed through without any remarks of the reduced size, I was fooled into believing it was still the same size.

At Makro on Sunday it was clearly marked on the price tag that the package was reduced from 900 to 800 gram

How can you know for a fact that particular size was never offered at that price?

Quite simple, because that size became only available very recently.

And that was clearly mentioned on the price label at Makro which I checked on Sunday.

Falsely advertising the article that the normal price is that of a different article has nothing to do with math or detail challenged people. It's lying with a straight face.

What false advertising? What lying with a straight face? It was plainly stated six for $0.99, nine for $1.59. Your choice. The question is, why did so many numbnuts order nine?

I was talking about MY experience from the OP. They had labelled the 800 gram package as being previously the price of the 900 gram package.

It seems that many don't read the OP properly before commenting.

I have no issues with the reduction in size, but they should not falsely label the article as being sold at a higher price previously

Cruncher, you stated, “ . . . the washing detergent I always buy for my front loading washing machine had a yellow price tag. This indicates that it is reduced in price, and indeed it showed the old price with a strike through, and the temporary promotion price which was 10% lower. Since I'm not senile yet I know the strikethrough price is indeed the price it always was . . .”

So, having a yellow price tag means a reduction in price, does it? So, showing a price with a slash through it and another price 10% less, means it used to cost the slashed-out price, but it now costs the 10% less price?

Indeed, it used to cost the slashed-out price and the new price is indeed 10% less. How interesting.

As I said, it is just another form of idiot pricing for the detail challenged. Was the 10% less price box not plainly labeled 800g?

You still don't get it do you? It never used to cost the slashed through price.

If you want to quote me then you should quote me completely and not take my post out of context. Below is the missing part.

When I came home I noticed that they had reduced the size of the package from 900 gram to 800 gram, so promotion my arse.

The 800 gram size has never cost the slashed through price, because it never has been available in this size, the slashed through price was from the 900 gram package.

Because I knew the old price since I buy this product for years already, though from a shop where it is always 5% discounted, the slash through price fooled me in thinking it was still the same size as before but discounted now.

Would you agree that a Toyota Vios was sold at the normal price but had a label with the price of the Altis slashed though as being the normal price?

Let me know if you want me to make a drawing for you to understand.

Gonna be quiet in Pattaya in the next few months.

In marketing terms, it's called "idiot pricing." Idiot pricing takes advantage of people who are math or detail challenged--size/unit/weight/quantity/price.

A famous idiot pricing ad from the states was done by a McDonald's marketing campaign. The TV commercial featured an American basketball star enjoying eating Chicken McNuggets--the ad showed a pack of six for $0.99 and a pack of nine $1.59. The athlete, with a big smile, said something like, "who can eat only six?" The ad didn't run long and the athlete sued Mickey D's. The point being, the ad was playing on the math challenged.

Falsely advertising the article that the normal price is that of a different article has nothing to do with math or detail challenged people. It's lying with a straight face.

What false advertising? What lying with a straight face? It was plainly stated six for $0.99, nine for $1.59. Your choice. The question is, why did so many numbnuts order nine?

I was talking about MY experience from the OP. They had labelled the 800 gram package as being previously the price of the 900 gram package.

It seems that many don't read the OP properly before commenting.

I have no issues with the reduction in size, but they should not falsely label the article as being sold at a higher price previously

In marketing terms, it's called "idiot pricing." Idiot pricing takes advantage of people who are math or detail challenged--size/unit/weight/quantity/price.

A famous idiot pricing ad from the states was done by a McDonald's marketing campaign. The TV commercial featured an American basketball star enjoying eating Chicken McNuggets--the ad showed a pack of six for $0.99 and a pack of nine $1.59. The athlete, with a big smile, said something like, "who can eat only six?" The ad didn't run long and the athlete sued Mickey D's. The point being, the ad was playing on the math challenged.

Falsely advertising the article that the normal price is that of a different article has nothing to do with math or detail challenged people. It's lying with a straight face.

I get that feeling sometimes from some Thai people. Just ignore it as long as you're not really injured. It's not worth getting into a lather over. There's xenophobia here, and everywhere.

Why you think there is xenophobia here.

I just went to Diary Queen in Big C extra this evening, and standing in queue in front of the cashier ( a new one I admit ) with my money in hand to order some ice cream, when it's my turn she pretend I'm not there however looking in my direction a few times.

This goes on for about 2 -3 minutes, after which a Thai lady comes stand in the queue behind me.

The cashier than looks as if she looks through me to ask the Thai lady what she want to order.

I then ask her quite loud if I'm invisible after which one of the regular girls jumps in and serves me.

The OP not being observant enough to notice the size/volume/weight difference of the package does not make this a "scam".

It seems that you are even not observant enough to read the OP.

Stop blaming Thailand only for things. The US has been doing this for years now.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/u-s-companies-shrink-packages-as-food-prices-rise/

Thanks for the link, I only don't see any mention of it that in the US they also use the price of the old ( Larger size ) package as a reference for the new ( smaller sized ) package.

May be I missed something in the article, but the odds are that you missed something in the OP.

How is it possible that supermarkets in Thailand still get away with this scam,

"supermarkets in Thailand "

It happens everywhere in the world. Prices stay the same or are reduced slightly while the quantity or volume of product is decreased,

How is it possible farang don't see it happening in farang land or being done by western manufacturers, but think they've been so clever in spotting a "scam" only in Thailand?

Better read the OP again very slowly, then look at your comments again.

They did the same with beer some time ago. You just have to suck it up.

Garbage bags in Tesco - price reduced, but only 7 bags per pack, previously 10!

No problem with that, as long as they don't stick a promotion label on it saying that the normal price is that of the 10 pack.

Caveat Emptor. (Let the buyer beware) This is a practice that has come about not only in Thailand but nearly ever other nation. In order to keep prices within reason, they just decrease the amount of product. It is the same in the US. The same in restaurants. We are paying today the same prices for less food.

Most supermarkets have a tag on the shelf below the product that breaks down the price per OZ or Grams. Read it. If not, check the product as they all have the volume marked.

We are not being ripped off. We are victims of the economy. Companies need to stay in business in a competitive market. Profit is NOT a dirty word. It is the only reason companies are in business. If they didn't make a profit, their shareholders ( you and me in our pension programs) will be in an uproar and the product would disappear from the shelves. As workers we always attempted to get the best salary that we could. Companies are no different and they must stay competitive with other companies in a global market or they will certainly fail.

Solution to this is to just be prudent in your business matters as well as in your shopping. Get used to this trend as it will continue at least for the next few years. Less product for more money.

There is a big difference between reducing the size to keep the price within reason and announcing that it is a temporary promotion reduced from a price that has never existed for this size of package.

The latter is against the law in most countries I know of.

They can do this because most farangs are are DUMB enough to never check the amount of the contents.If you can not tell the weight between 900 and 500 grams then YOU fit into this category.As you said "They got me again" then this must be only one of many of your similar adventures.

I suggest you read the OP again, very slowly this time, and then apologize for the insinuations you made to my competency.

In al fairness, this is an invention from outside Thailand and applies to literally any and all household items like tooth paste, carbonated soft drinks (Coke is sold meanwhile in 285ml bottles compared to 330ml before), detergent, UHT-milk (946ml instead of 1 litre) and so fort.

Some shops show the price per comparable unit, i.e. fabric softener per 1ltr on the price tag affixed to the shelf. Otherwise use the little grey cells and work out the better deal. Result is better deal and the brain keeps trained

You miss the point.

I don't dispute that they reduce the size, but that they stick the price from a larger sized package to it as being the normal price.

I can't be bothered reading all the posts. So if no one else mentioned it, it is not a Thailand 'scam' but a worldwide marketing strategy. Maybe it's time you went home to discover the supermarket 'scams' in your own country.Thailand won't seem so bad after all!

No it's not the same worldwide.

In other countries packages are also reduced in size to cover a price increase, but there are clear written and enforced consumer laws over there, that they can not falsely announce that the same size of package was previously sold at a higher price.

You are comparing the new packet size from the 'dodgy' supermarket with the previous package size from Makro? If not, maybe you need to revert to using Makro again or at least check their packaging sizes/prices. Eventually the old/bigger stock will run out so interesting to see what Makro does to their prices once that happens.

Good to note that this soap powder manufacturer joined the band of companies that are doing incremental downsizing of products. I share your disappointment that transparency in sizing/pricing is not enforced here. In the UK and other countries, the 'unit cost' is also mandated on price labels for even better consumer judgement on best value for money. Generally, I don't think they do that here but I could be wrong.

I wouldn't call one of the largest supermarket chains in Thailand a dodgy supermarket.

A manufacturer of washing detergents doesn't make a particular size of package for a particular supermarket, as that would cost more to produce, so we can be assured that the size at Makro now also is 800 gram.

The only difference will be that at Makro it will now also be priced lower as previously, but it will not be displayed as a temprorary promotion. The supermarket in question even had the guts to write that the promotion will end on 14 january.

If the " PROMOTION " hadn't caught my eye I wouldn't have bought the detergent, since I know it is 5% cheaper at Makro and I still hadn't run out of detergent, so would just have picked it up on my next visit to Makro.

Note I said 'dodgy' as you are the one calling the supermarket on their suspicious pricing regime, not me.

I never suggested that they make different packaging for different vendors. You still haven't clarified if you are comparing 2 purchases from the 'dodgy' place or one from the 'dodgy' place and one from Makro.

If you bought TWICE from the 'dodgy' place then your contention that you usually purchase from Makro is somewhat challenged. Unless you are a sucker for 'promotions'.

If you bought the packages from the 'dodgy' place and then Makro, then any comparisons are totally irrelevant and there's nothing at all assured about product size or cost.

Since they are brazenly continuing this 'promotion' to mid-month, you should bring this up with store management at the 'dodgy' supermarket. Thanks for the alert (for what it's worth).

Let us know how you get on.

<removed> I never said I bought from this supermarket before, you don't need to purchase to see the price label you know.

Since I use this particular powder for years already, not just 2 times because there are not many detergents available for front loading machines, over time I know the price of this product at every supermarket I visit frequently.

Outside promotions, it is priced the same in every supermarket but Makro, where it is always 5% cheaper.So I always buy from Makro, since you don't need this article daily, and I visit Makro at least once a month.

I haven't been in Makro recently, but will have to go there anyway tonight, so will report about the current situation there.

I have really no urge to bring this up with the store management, as we all know that it will be a waste of time, but in case you still don't get it my thread was to point out that supermarkets in this country still get away with this kind of practices which are banned in the civilized world

So I've been to Makro this evening and the detergent is there now also reduced to 800 grams, which i think were no doubts about that it would be.

It was priced at the same price as at the "dodgy" supermarket, so the usual 5% discount didn't apply today, but at least there wasn't a label that tried to fool the customers in believing that the new price was a temporary promotion.

Well, here in the USA, it took several months before I noticed the cartons of Orange juice that I buy literally weekly had been reduced in size from 64 to 59 ounces.

But did the 59 ounce package also carry a sticker that said you were getting a promotion, because the smaller size was previously priced like the 64 ounce package?

Sure it's a scam but it seems the Thai can't see through it.

What about this one: (forgive me if i mention wrong prices).

a 700cc bottle of Red label is 800 baht.

a 1000 cc bottle Red is 1000 baht.

Which one would you buy? The Thai take the cheap one though.

Same with Coca cola. 24 baht for 1.5 litre and 25 for a 2 litre.....

Things getting cheaper when you buy more isn't a scam - that's how shopping generally works.

I know that is how it works in the civilized world, but I'm sure Thian made a honest mistake when posting, because in Thailand that isn't the case.

I'm sure every member can give plenty of examples, but let us just start with the one from Red Label as Thian quoted, and proof that your opinion isn't how it works in Thailand.

Red label 70 Cl = 609 Baht at big C or 8.07 per unit

http://www.bigc.co.th/johnnie-walker-scotch-whisky-red-label-700-ml.html?___store=default&___from_store=mainstore_thai

Red label 1 liter is 999 Baht at the same shop or 9.99 Baht per unit.

http://www.bigc.co.th/johnnie-walker-scotch-whisky-red-label-1-liter-pack-12.html?___store=default&___from_store=default

This is happening a lot in the US, or rather HAS happened.

Eg, since I was a kid a big bag of sugar was five pounds. (yeah, there were ten-pounders, but not as common). Those big bags are now four pounds.

A big container of ice cream was a half gallon, but is now 1.5 quarts.

Seems a lot of people who have been grabbing these things off the shelf haven't noticed the reduction in size.

It is not the same, everey where in the world they reduce the sizes of the packages to encourage spending, they only don't fool the customer in the believe that the current size was previously a higher price.

It is not about not noticing the reduction is size, but about the supermarket falsely declaring that the reduced size was previously sold at a higher price, when that smaller size never has been available before.

You are comparing the new packet size from the 'dodgy' supermarket with the previous package size from Makro? If not, maybe you need to revert to using Makro again or at least check their packaging sizes/prices. Eventually the old/bigger stock will run out so interesting to see what Makro does to their prices once that happens.

Good to note that this soap powder manufacturer joined the band of companies that are doing incremental downsizing of products. I share your disappointment that transparency in sizing/pricing is not enforced here. In the UK and other countries, the 'unit cost' is also mandated on price labels for even better consumer judgement on best value for money. Generally, I don't think they do that here but I could be wrong.

I wouldn't call one of the largest supermarket chains in Thailand a dodgy supermarket.

A manufacturer of washing detergents doesn't make a particular size of package for a particular supermarket, as that would cost more to produce, so we can be assured that the size at Makro now also is 800 gram.

The only difference will be that at Makro it will now also be priced lower as previously, but it will not be displayed as a temprorary promotion. The supermarket in question even had the guts to write that the promotion will end on 14 january.

If the " PROMOTION " hadn't caught my eye I wouldn't have bought the detergent, since I know it is 5% cheaper at Makro and I still hadn't run out of detergent, so would just have picked it up on my next visit to Makro.

Note I said 'dodgy' as you are the one calling the supermarket on their suspicious pricing regime, not me.

I never suggested that they make different packaging for different vendors. You still haven't clarified if you are comparing 2 purchases from the 'dodgy' place or one from the 'dodgy' place and one from Makro.

If you bought TWICE from the 'dodgy' place then your contention that you usually purchase from Makro is somewhat challenged. Unless you are a sucker for 'promotions'.

If you bought the packages from the 'dodgy' place and then Makro, then any comparisons are totally irrelevant and there's nothing at all assured about product size or cost.

Since they are brazenly continuing this 'promotion' to mid-month, you should bring this up with store management at the 'dodgy' supermarket. Thanks for the alert (for what it's worth).

Let us know how you get on.

<removed> I never said I bought from this supermarket before, you don't need to purchase to see the price label you know.

Since I use this particular powder for years already, not just 2 times because there are not many detergents available for front loading machines, over time I know the price of this product at every supermarket I visit frequently.

Outside promotions, it is priced the same in every supermarket but Makro, where it is always 5% cheaper.So I always buy from Makro, since you don't need this article daily, and I visit Makro at least once a month.

I haven't been in Makro recently, but will have to go there anyway tonight, so will report about the current situation there.

I have really no urge to bring this up with the store management, as we all know that it will be a waste of time, but in case you still don't get it my thread was to point out that supermarkets in this country still get away with this kind of practices which are banned in the civilized world

You are missing the fact that the new sized pack could well have been sold previously at the price advertised before the promotion in one of there stores. In which case it is correct and as you state you usualy buy elsewhere you may not have noticed the size reduction. Wonder when macro sell there stock if the next delivery will be of the smaller size

The price in one of their other stores has nothing to do with justifying a FALSE promotion.

I'm afraid it does as long as it's been sold by the supermarket at a certain price anywhere in the country it is not a false promotion

You are just making things up to justify your apologist attitude. If the price in another store was of any significance, then I'm sure I could also claim back money if an article was cheaper in another store.

By the way the 800 gram packages hasn't been available before, ANYWHERE.

I should add for you also, as I did for other members, learn to read.

I NEVER claimed I paid too much, I was tricked into a FALSE PROMOTION.