[Archived] name and shame

[Ozz]

It's not just the cost of fuel that's rising. The standard pack of Lurpak butter, I think it is 200 g, cost £1.20 about 18 months ago. I bought some from Morrisons last night and the price is now over £1.60. That's over a third up.

And I'm positive there is a cartel in the supermarkets, as when one shop puts the price up the rest do the same.

If those price hikes are reflected across the typical shopping basket then it's no wonder we are stuck in such a massive slump.

[RoyRover]

I was reading on the MSN website the other day how in Saudi Arabia I think, it costs 3p a litre for petrol! So you can fill your car up for less than what a litre of the stuff costs in this part of the world. The tax is just unreal.

My dad comes from very close to the Irish border, so whenever he goes to visit my granny he will nip across the border to fill up. It used to be dirt cheap and you could find yourself saving £30 - £40 on filling your car up. But like most things in the south is now really expensive. It's still cheaper than the UK, but not nearly as much as it used to be.

I know a few dodgy boys who just fill their cars up with red and hope that they never get dipped by the police.

[adopted scouser]

I know a few dodgy boys who just fill their cars up with red and hope that they never get dipped by the police.

You'd be amazed how many diesel cars are running on gas oil these days

[Al]

You'd be amazed how many diesel cars are running on gas oil these days

Who can blame them when the government rip you off so blatantly? It's the same with cigarettes. Folk on holiday wouldn't fill their suitcases with them if they weren't seven quid a packet over here. It's worth the risk. If you are caught you just have to say 'fair cop' and let them confiscate them. It's very rare that you get stopped on holiday flights.

[adopted scouser]

Who can blame them when the government rip you off so blatantly? It's the same with cigarettes. Folk on holiday wouldn't fill their suitcases with them if they weren't seven quid a packet over here. It's worth the risk. If you are caught you just have to say 'fair cop' and let them confiscate them. It's very rare that you get stopped on holiday flights.

I agree, rip off Britain

[Ozz]

It's not just the cost of fuel that's rising. The standard pack of Lurpak butter, I think it is 200 g, cost £1.20 about 18 months ago. I bought some from Morrisons last night and the price is now over £1.60. That's over a third up.

And I'm positive there is a cartel in the supermarkets, as when one shop puts the price up the rest do the same.

I needed to nip to the Corner shop last night for some butter (We had a run on toasted crumpet...). It is a Londis, which I presume is a Franchise operation. Normally I would expect to pay a premium for goods purchased here, but to my surprise and delight I found the aforementioned 250 gram pack of spreadable slightly salted butter was only £1.49-a whole 11pence cheaper than my local Morrisons.

And 11pence less than Asda.

And Tesco.

And Sainsbury.

So despite being fined near record amounts for price fixing in 2006 (LINK) isn't it amazing that the big four supermarkets are all selling one of the staples of every households shopping basket at exactly the same price? Whilst the guy who probably gets his stock from the local cash and carry can under cut them by nearly 7%?

Meanwhile the rising cost of groceries means that more and more people are suffering and we are seing a rapid rise in the amount of people in need of handouts.

Families Struggling

[ABBEY]

ha 3 arches has dropped to 142.9p whilst everwhere is 137ish.

[PAFELL]

i read somewhere it does NOWT extra and is a complete rip off.

Heard the same. Got to fill my van up tomorrow, gonna cost a fortune. Cheaper to have an MOT and a service.

[thenodrog]

I agree, rip off Britain

Some is some isn't. I read a couple of years ago that (despite massive profits made by supermarkets who continually brainwash us into believing that they are cheap) that Britain had the 2nd lowest priced food in the world (as a %age of the average wage), and second only to the USA. I think levels of obesity back this up too. Food prices are rising in this country and they will stay at these more realistic new levels so we all need to get used to it.

Food is rising now and the reason is all down to worldwide supply and demand. Incredibly there are now double the number of people walking on the surface of the planet today than there were on the day that President Kennedy was assasinated! There is not much more food produced around the world than just a few years ago but with the rise of the Asian economies with their massive populations there are far far more people willing and able to pay for it.

Lamb in particular is real evidence of this change and especially now that EU 'headage' subsidies have been withdrawn from producers in the face of much media originated public and political pressure.

For years the large retailers imported low cost lamb from NZ and coupled with CAP subsidies kept the price of lamb (and beef) in this country artificially low by doing so. Now however much of the NZ lamb goes no further than the new asian markets. To compound this the weak £:euro allows the French etc to plunder our home produced lamb markets for themselves. If you want lamb now you simply have to dig deep

In contrast Pork is ridiculously cheap at the moment but it cannot stay that way for much longer so fill your freezers whilst you can. Massive hikes in the cost of the ingredients of pig feed will have to filter through very soon or we will simply not see pork on the menu. Factor in also that 40% of the massive US maize/corn crop and 60% of the UK rapeoil is destined to be gulped up in the making of bio fuels and it's obvious thet we will soon have to make the choice of whether to eat whilst sitting in the dark or driving the car to work!

[Ozz]

I needed to nip to the Corner shop last night for some butter (We had a run on toasted crumpet...). It is a Londis, which I presume is a Franchise operation. Normally I would expect to pay a premium for goods purchased here, but to my surprise and delight I found the aforementioned 250 gram pack of spreadable slightly salted butter was only £1.49-a whole 11pence cheaper than my local Morrisons.

And 11pence less than Asda.

And Tesco.

And Sainsbury.

So despite being fined near record amounts for price fixing in 2006 (LINK) isn't it amazing that the big four supermarkets are all selling one of the staples of every households shopping basket at exactly the same price? Whilst the guy who probably gets his stock from the local cash and carry can under cut them by nearly 7%?

I complained to the OFT about this and this was the reply.

Dear Mr Jones

Thank you for your e-mail of 23 June concerning the price of Lurpak spreadable butter at various supermarkets.

By way of background, the mission of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to make markets work well for consumers. We achieve this by promoting and protecting consumer interests throughout the UK, while ensuring that businesses are fair and competitive. Our primary duties include the enforcement of competition law, and the application of consumer protection legislation in respect of matters that adversely affect the collective interests of UK consumers.

The main law covering competition in the UK is the Competition Act 1998 (the Act). In brief, the Act contains two main prohibitions. The Chapter I prohibition prohibits price fixing or other anti-competitive agreements which prevent, restrict or distort competition. The Chapter II prohibition prohibits conduct which amounts to an abuse of a dominant position.

In general, the price that a business sets for a particular product or service is a matter for its own commercial judgement. The OFT does not have a role as long as prices are not arrived at by agreement, or do not reflect an abuse of a dominant position or anti-competitive practices in the UK.

Although the selling of items at identical prices by different retailers might seem to suggest anti-competitive behaviour, this is not necessarily the case. For example, one company might have independently decided to price at a level identical to another or both may have independently decided to behave in the same way.

It is also the case that retailers are aware that consumers tend to be particularly sensitive to price. As you have illustrated, consumers compare the prices offered by different retailers for the product they require. Consequently, this can lead to prices being the same, with retailers wary of losing business if their prices are higher than their competitors.

Before any formal action can be taken under the Act, we would need firm evidence to suggest that the pricing behaviour of the companies is as a result of some form of agreement.

The above being the case, we will not be taking further action under the Act at this time. We appreciate the time you have taken in bringing this matter to our attention. Our view not to make further enquiries into this complaint at present does not preclude the OFT from revisiting the matter should further information be provided to us.

Yours sincerely,

[Baz]

I complained to the OFT about this and this was the reply.

Dear Mr Jones

Thank you for your e-mail of 23 June concerning the price of Lurpak spreadable butter at various supermarkets.

By way of background, the mission of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to make markets work well for consumers. We achieve this by promoting and protecting consumer interests throughout the UK, while ensuring that businesses are fair and competitive. Our primary duties include the enforcement of competition law, and the application of consumer protection legislation in respect of matters that adversely affect the collective interests of UK consumers.

The main law covering competition in the UK is the Competition Act 1998 (the Act). In brief, the Act contains two main prohibitions. The Chapter I prohibition prohibits price fixing or other anti-competitive agreements which prevent, restrict or distort competition. The Chapter II prohibition prohibits conduct which amounts to an abuse of a dominant position.

In general, the price that a business sets for a particular product or service is a matter for its own commercial judgement. The OFT does not have a role as long as prices are not arrived at by agreement, or do not reflect an abuse of a dominant position or anti-competitive practices in the UK.

Although the selling of items at identical prices by different retailers might seem to suggest anti-competitive behaviour, this is not necessarily the case. For example, one company might have independently decided to price at a level identical to another or both may have independently decided to behave in the same way.

It is also the case that retailers are aware that consumers tend to be particularly sensitive to price. As you have illustrated, consumers compare the prices offered by different retailers for the product they require. Consequently, this can lead to prices being the same, with retailers wary of losing business if their prices are higher than their competitors.

Before any formal action can be taken under the Act, we would need firm evidence to suggest that the pricing behaviour of the companies is as a result of some form of agreement.

The above being the case, we will not be taking further action under the Act at this time. We appreciate the time you have taken in bringing this matter to our attention. Our view not to make further enquiries into this complaint at present does not preclude the OFT from revisiting the matter should further information be provided to us.

Yours sincerely,

In other words Oz, they know it happens but have no proof.

[Ozz]

Well for those of a weak mind and are easily influenced, I suggest you watch this Panarama 30 min documentary on how you are being fleeced on a daily basis. Dozens of big four supermarket

TV and paper ads withdrawn by ASA.

BBC i player, Hurry Up.

[ABBEY]

Well looks lke the robbing gits at devaspeed garage have stopped selling fuel... Serves em right

[SAS]

Well for those of a weak mind and are easily influenced, I suggest you watch this Panarama 30 min documentary on how you are being fleeced on a daily basis. Dozens of big four supermarket

TV and paper ads withdrawn by ASA.

BBC i player, Hurry Up.

I find tesco's half price campaign quite amusing.

Selling turkey for £50, tins of sweets £10 whole salmon £16 per kg (never seen whole salmon priced above £12 per kg anywhere.

Then they half this price which then comes in line with normal prices...