Shoppers may want to think twice before snapping up "buy one get one free" deals at supermarkets, as the Consumer Council warns the promotions are not always as sweet as they look.
The reminder came after the watchdog analyzed the online pricing and promotional arrangements of 222 packaged food and household items at three major supermarket chains using its “Online Price Watch” (OPW) tool between September last year and July.
During the survey, 48 products at two supermarkets offered bulk-buy deals like "Buy 1 Get 1 Free," "Choose Any 2 and Get 1 Free" and "Get 1 More for HK$1," with some per-item prices barely changing — leaving a real discount far below 50 percent.
However, some items were even pricier per unit during promotions, far short of a 50 percent discount. For instance, a 150ml bottle of sesame oil normally selling for HK$10–14 went up to HK$20–22 during two "buy one get one free" promotions — at most HK$4 cheaper, and sometimes HK$1 dearer.
Considering some discounts fell short of consumer expectations, the Council urged shoppers to look beyond sale prices and compare costs with and without promotions.
The watchdog also warned that bigger packs aren't always of better value as the survey found larger packs sometimes cost 2 to 35 percent more per unit than smaller ones across seven product groups.
Additionally, it encouraged shoppers to refer not only to the marked selling price but also to the unit price per 100g or per 100ml.
Across the three chains, the watchdog found that the lowest average prices recorded among supermarkets varied, and there was no fixed “discount day” applicable to all supermarkets.
To facilitate smarter price comparison, consumers are advised to use its dedicated OPW, which collects daily prices for about 2,800 products from nine online supermarkets, health and beauty stores, cosmetics shops and pharmacies.
Notably, shoppers could compile their regular shopping lists and compare the total cost of a basket of goods across different online stores with its “Budget” function.
Noting that many overseas markets operate unit pricing policies, the Council suggested adopting the practice to enhance price transparency and help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.
