“Specials Not Always Cheaper’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31333, 1 April 1967, Page 16

“Specials Not Always Cheaper’

I Buyers should make I sure that “specials” I offered in shops were I in fact being sold at a I price lower than usual, I says the April issue of I “Consumer,” the jourI nal of the Consumer I Council. I One store in Wellington I which the magazine’s staff I visited advertised five speI cials, but three were dearer I than the regularly-priced I items at other stores. I Similarly, the article says, I buyers should not be misled I by unrealistic reductions. An

example was the price of a 4oz jar of coffee, regularly advertised as a special: “Usually 8s 4d, this week 6s 9d.” It was doubtful if any store sold the product at 8s 4d; 6s 9d had in effect become the regular price. On a grocery order which at normal prices would have cost £4 18s BJd, the magazine saved Ils 3jd by “shopping around.” The shops were in in a central area and within a radius of 200 yards. It took half an hour to make the purchases. Shopping around is essential, the magazine says. Buy-.

ers should list what they want to buy, study the newspapers for advertisements of grocery lines and find out where there are special?, and which shops will give the best

buy. Discount stores were springing up throughout New Zealand, but it was observed that while many items were sometimes greatly reduced it was also possible to find items at a correspondingly higher pricethan other shops. Had the magazine’s staff shopped at the nearest discount store the saving would have been even greater on some items. - However, the article says, it does not pay to travel too far to take advantage of reduced prices: it would be foolish to spend Is bus fare to save 9d on the price of an item. At the time of the experiment the chain supermarkets were the cheapest, with the discount stores cheaper in some items but more expensive than the supermarkets in others. Shops operating in groups were not usually much more expensive than the chain stores, but most of them offered a free delivery service, which could be very useful. A factor which tended to increase the grocery bill was the growing number of nonfood items bought at supermarkets and food stores. These could include toilet goods, waxes and polishes, and small hardware items.

Cooked or frozen foods, preprepared individual portions

and “convenience” foods meant the buyer paid for someone else’s work, and while they made the housewife’s work load lighter, they also made her purse lighter.