Supermarkets and discounters apparently deliberately confuse their customers with prices that are difficult to compare: Loose fruit or vegetables are almost always more expensive than comparable packaged goods. The rbb consumer magazine compared 50 different products and found considerable price differences on several occasions. On average, the loose goods were significantly more expensive than the packaged ones.
Loose lemons cost over 70% more than the packaged goods at Penny. Edeka unpackaged organic carrots, commercial grade 2 were 66% more expensive than the same carrots in plastic bags. The peppers from Rewe, for example, are available both packaged in plastic for €2.58 per kilo and loose for €4.99 per kilo.
This is intentional, brand sociologist Oliver Errichiello explains to SUPER.MARKT magazine: "Packaged goods say: 'This is industrial, this is mass produced' ... That which appears natural, that is, giving the impression of coming straight from the field, is much more appealing to us today. And the unpackaged product, of course, has the appearance of being more natural."
Another hurdle for customers: The products are hard to compare because they are usually not next to each other. Consumer advocate Annett Reinke complains to rbb: "I find that particularly brazen when products reappear in other places in the supermarket at a different price." In addition, different packaging sizes make it difficult to compare prices, for example, for tomatoes. The so-called base price is supposed to help, but this is often difficult to find. Brand sociologist Errichiello criticizes "trying to confuse via stylistic or design elements."
For more information:
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
SUPER.MARKT