1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: He ever do for c Ellen, You're welcome to tell 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: me what you think. Ninety two ninety two is the 3 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: text number. Obviously the standard text fees apply now supermarkets. 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: Supermarkets are in trouble today with the Grocery Commission, aren't 5 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: they for the dodging pricing. So he's taken a crack 6 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:18,319 Speaker 1: at them for those times where you go up to 7 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: you look at the thing on the shelf and it 8 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: says five ninety nine, and you go to pay for 9 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: it and it's eight ninety nine. And he reckons that 10 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: when that happens, they actually need to give you the 11 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: product for free. And the problem he reckons is also 12 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: so big that Kiwis could be losing tens of million 13 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: dollars a year on this now. Jim Rasmussen is the 14 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: head of Research and Advocacy at Consumer New Zealand. Hey, 15 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: Gemma cured to headther you into this. 16 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 2: And what the commissioners saying. I think that it is 17 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 2: a step in the right direction and that we know 18 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 2: the supermarkets have been guilty of pricing discrepancies and that's 19 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 2: something that is costing New Zealanders tens of millions of 20 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 2: dollars a year. However, I think that what he's calling 21 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 2: for isn't going far enough. 22 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: No, because it feels like it's now my job to 23 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: go through the receipt but I don't have time for 24 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: Why can't they fix it at their end? 25 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 2: Well, that's a great question. So you look at the 26 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 2: Commission and there is a growth routing, there's a market 27 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 2: commissioner himself, and then we also have these major supermarkets 28 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 2: who have historically made pretty good profits. We think that 29 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 2: it should be the role of the Commission to actually 30 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 2: be looking into the supermarket pricing discrepancies and really monitoring 31 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 2: it a little bit more carefully. But on top of that, 32 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 2: we also think it's a really fundamental part of running 33 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 2: a business. It's getting your pricing accurate and correct. And 34 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 2: the fact that after a market study the supermarkets can't 35 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: even do this is not really acceptable. 36 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: They say it's just mistakes, right, it's not deliberate on 37 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: their part. They say it's mistakes. He agrees it's mistakes. 38 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: So if it's just mistakes, is there any way really 39 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: to actually get them to fix this problem or is 40 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: this just one of the things that happens when you 41 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:05,559 Speaker 1: go to the supermarket. 42 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: Well, I think that's a question about what is a 43 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 2: reasonable level of mistake. And yes, they are dealing with 44 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 2: hundreds of thousands of products and they all need to 45 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 2: be priced. But from our research, we've found sixty five 46 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 2: percent of shoppers are noticing pricing inaccuracies when they go 47 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 2: to the supermarket, and about twelve percent are spotting them frequently. 48 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 2: The Commissioner himself has said that tens of millions of 49 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 2: dollars are being lost every year, and last year we 50 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 2: collected about six hundred examples from the public which highlighted 51 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 2: the issue which is now being investigated by the Commerce 52 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 2: Commission and could be the grounds for meaningful enforcement action. 53 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 2: And when I say that, I mean fines. So I 54 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 2: think the question is is there a problem here or 55 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: is there not? And if there is a problem, which 56 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 2: Consumer n Z thinks there is, is simply reporting on it. 57 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 2: And when we say reporting that, you going to the 58 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 2: supermarket telling the supermarket there's a problem, the supermarket telling 59 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 2: the commissioner there's a problem. Is that enough? 60 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: So what should a fine be if I end up 61 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: paying I don't know, let's say eight ninety nine four 62 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: something I thought was five ninety nine. What should they 63 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: be paying for that? 64 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 2: Well, do you mean you the shopper. 65 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: I'm the shopper. I mean, I'd much rather be the 66 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: supermarket owner at this stage, but I am, unfortunately the shopper. 67 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 2: So we think for the shopper, we think that they 68 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 2: should be able to get a full refund and be 69 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 2: able to keep the product. And that's not wallworth HEAs 70 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 2: in line, whereas food stuff says, we'll just give you 71 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 2: the difference. So the Commissioner has asked for a more 72 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 2: generous refund, which we think is great. But you know, 73 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 2: on the supermarket side, in the past there has been 74 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 2: cases where the supermarkets have been caught doing this a 75 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 2: little bit more prolifically. So there was an example of 76 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 2: Pack and Save Mangaday, which was prosecuted by the Commerce 77 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 2: Commission and was fined seventy eight thousand dollars. This didn't 78 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 2: really have the impact in terms of stopping supermarkets across 79 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 2: the board from cleaning up their pricing discrepancies. So we 80 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 2: think that really there does need to be quite a 81 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 2: strong signal for them to really do anything about this. 82 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 2: And this is about investment and innovation from the supermarkets 83 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 2: actually putting in the resourcing to ensure that they're pricing 84 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 2: is correct. 85 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: Okay, so we don't often give the supermarkets a shout out, 86 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: but shout out to all works for actually doing this 87 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,039 Speaker 1: already and giving you your money back and the product yet. 88 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 2: Absolutely yeah, and I think that also when you look 89 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 2: at the letters that the Commissioner has sent to the supermarkets, 90 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: will Work seems to be acknowledging there's a problem, that 91 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 2: they are working to take positive steps. It may be 92 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 2: taking a little bit long, but they do seem to 93 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 2: be a little bit more on board with this process. 94 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 2: So absolutely shout out to them for that. 95 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: Jemma Listen, thank you very much for talking us through. 96 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 1: It's Jim Harassments are the head of research and advocacy 97 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: at Consumer New Zealand. For more from Heather duplessy Ellen Drive, 98 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: listen live to news talks. They'd be from four pm weekdays, 99 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.