Supermarket giant Asda has issued an apology after a huge change it made to in-store prices which are not complying with consumer laws. Weetabix, dishwasher tablets, cotton buds and tumble dryer sheets are among the items the Express identified as not displaying price labels correctly in store.
Normally, retailers must display the unit price on shelf labels in order to help consumers work out how expensive an item is, which is especially useful as manufacturers continue to shrink packet sizes but often keep the sticker price the same, in what is known as ‘shrinkflation’.
But shoppers reported in October that Asda had begun to display labels on key items in stores without unit pricing available.
Following reports on social media forum Reddit, the Express visited a major Asda store, Pudsey Leeds Supercentre on Tuesday, November 24 and found and photographed several examples of labels which did not appear to comply with legislation.
For example, a box of 72 Weetabix was displayed at “£6.50 each”, and a pack of 48 Weetabix was priced at “£5.48 each”. A pack of 12 Weetabix is listed at “£2 each”. None of these items displayed the price by weight or by number in the box.
The 72 pack is costing consumers 9p per biscuit, the 48 pack is costing 11.4p per biscuit, and the 12 pack is costing 16.6p per biscuit.
In this way, we can work out that the ‘cheapest’ box of Weetabix is actually the most expensive, but this information is not being given to customers as it legally must be.
Under The Price Marking Order 2004, retailers are required to display the price of an item by weight or volume and it must be clearly displayed in proximity to the item.
Asda has now confirmed to the Express that it is looking into the problem with the shelf labels and is “rolling out a fix”.
Other items we identified as not having compliant shelf labelling included:
- Calgon dishwasher tablets 15 pack – £5.98 each
- Calgon dishwasher tablets 45 pack – £11.98 each
- Zip Value Pack fire lighters 40 pack – £2.98 each
- Bold laundry pods lavender and camomile 70 pack – £14.98 each
- Johnson’s Baby Cotton Buds regular 200 pack – £1.28 each
- Lenor Tumble Dryer Sheets 34 pack – £1.98 each
- Asda Wheat Bisks 24 pack – £1.90 each
- Asda Wheat Bisks Chocolate 24 pack – £2.50 each
- Persil Capsules detergent pods 48 pack – £8.98 each
- Lenor tumble dryer sheets summer 34 pack – £1.98 each
Trading Standards, when approached by the Express, declined to comment on this specific case, but confirmed that goods packed by count (such as these examples) should be priced per biscuit or per washing tablet.
The Department for Business & Trade sets out: “The PMO also requires traders, where applicable, to display the ‘unit price’ – which is the price which would be charged for the relevant unit of the goods, depending upon how the goods are sold.
“Unit pricing can be a useful tool for consumers. It allows consumers to compare the price and value of similar products. This can be helpful when making a decision between similar products that are sold in different sizes or quantities.
“For example, when choosing between three bottles of apple juice of differing sizes, the unit price will let consumers know which bottle of juice is the cheapest or most expensive, allowing them to pick the one which is the most suitable for their needs
“Pricing should be clearly displayed. This makes it easier for consumers to compare product prices.”
An Asda spokesperson told the Express: “We are aware that shelf-edge labels which should have displayed the price per unit did not carry the correct information on a minority of products.
“We’re rolling out a fix to resolve this issue, and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
