Warning -Short shelf life goods in Superquinns

Murt10

Not so much a bargain alert as the opposite in fact.

I was in Superquinns in Lucan today. I went to the fridge where they have all the perishables that go out of date tommorrow or the next day. These items are normally marked down to 50% off but there seems to be a policy of now only reducing them to 30% off.

They can keep it. They want me to buy something for 30% off its full marked price that I have to use within 1-2 days. How many of us buy these "bargains" and still end up binning them because they went out of date so quickly.

Their meat etc. is no better or worse than is available in a local butcher and their prices at 30% off are more or less similar to what the butcher charges without reducing his prices, so there is obvviously no saving for the customer there.

I would have thought that in the present economic downturn, and the increased competition for market share, that Superquinns would be trying to attract additional occasional shoppers into the shop, not scare them away. These occasional shoppers, well speaking for myself anyway, go into Superquinns looking for bargains, and do a full shop while we are there.

Maybe I'm wrong, but if If I were in the retail business, I think I would value these customers very highly. You already have your fixed costs - wages lighting, insurance etc. The money you get off the occasional shoppers, is additional to what your normal regular customer would spend, so they have an immediate positive effect on your bottom line. Your regular customers are still going to come in and spend the same amount as they always spend.

Well so long Superquinns. It was nice while it lasted.


Murt

brettmirl

Should this should be in Consumer Issues?

Those items are still in date, so they don't really have to mark them down at all.

Plus if you are buying stock from that section, you are aware that they are short-dated, or at least should be.

So I'm not really sure what your issue is?

Basq

Moved to Consumer Issues.

ScouseMouse

How do you think they are paying for the special offers all over the radio. All the supermarkets do this. Have a headline item cheap but add it onto something else. Last week it was lyons tea really cheap. Before that is was a pound of butter....

Redpunto

DOnt see a problem with it, my local supermarket "JCs" does that all the time, he has great offers but you do have to check the date just to see how much time is left on it.

MOH

Was in a health food shop last weekend with a basket of stuff marked half price, as it was past it's best before date. Picked up a packet of some type of oat biscuits to check the date, they were best before September. 2007.

rgfuller

Murt10 wrote: »

Not so much a bargain alert as the opposite in fact.

I was in Superquinns in Lucan today. I went to the fridge where they have all the perishables that go out of date tommorrow or the next day. These items are normally marked down to 50% off but there seems to be a policy of now only reducing them to 30% off.

I have noticed that if you are there in the morning the goods placed in that section are 30% off but if you turn up later in the day they are 50% off as I guess that provides more incentive to shift the items before they have to remove them from sale.