Which? calls on supermarkets to ‘Price it Right’

New research carried out by Which? has revealed that nearly three-quarters of consumers (74%) feel that supermarkets are trying to mislead them by using confusing pricing practices.

Which? wants to see an end to supermarkets confusing consumers with hard-to-read and inconsistent unit prices that make it difficult for shoppers to identify which products and promotions are the best value for money.

Richard Lloyd, Executive Director of Which?, said: “With household budgets squeezed and rising food costs among the top worries for consumers, it’s all the more important that stores make it as easy as possible for people to spot the best value products. All food and drink should be clearly and consistently priced by weight or volume across all stores, including products that are on special offer. While there are some changes that supermarkets can make voluntarily, it’s now time for the government to change the law so that supermarkets ‘Price it Right’ across the board.”

Under current legislation, retailers are required to provide both a selling price and a unit price for food. The unit price is the price by weight or volume that allows shoppers to compare the true cost of products, even if they come in different sizes.

Which? is asking for consumers to support the campaign by signing a pledge calling for supermarkets to use clear, simple price labelling, at: which.co.uk/unitpricing and tweet their pictures of confusing unit pricing to @whichaction using the #priceitright