Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Consumer New Zealand is doubtful Black Friday deals at four big retailers are actually a bargain.
The organisation spent 12 weeks tracking the prices of ten products from Noel Leeming, Harvey Norman, Farmers and Briscoes.
Head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen told Morning Report for ten of the 12 weeks there were claims of good deals at some of these retailers, but in reality, the prices were not shifting that much.
In the lead up to Black Friday, Rasmussen said there was a lot of marketing and hype but in order to adhere with the Fair Trading Act, retailers could not mislead a consumer about an opportunity for a sale.
“The retailers are very aware of what the rules are and how to kind of skirt that fine line. So we would say that Briscoes and Farmers, the way in which the sale pattern is going up and down … that is actually within the rules because there is a genuine opportunity for a sale and then it is going back to a regular price.
“What we feel with Harvey Norman in particular, and Noel Leeming to an extent, is that there is potential that they could be misleading the customer because the price isn’t changing that much but the customer is very much getting an impression that there is a huge deal, sale or special opportunity to be had early ever single week and we think that’s a little bit sneaky, that’s not quite right.”
Rasmussen said retailers used persuasive language and scare tactics, both in store and online, for consumers to think they are getting a good price and need to buy now.
Such tactics include signs that say “super deal, huge deal, massive stock sell-out” or online messages saying there are only one or two products left, or someone else just put the product in their cart.
Rasmussen said it was important that people use websites such as PriceSpy and PriceMe to research prices of products to see if they are getting a good deal – or could find it cheaper.
“We are aware that shoppers are definitely a lot more vulnerable to sales at the moment, particularly with the cost of living being as high as it is so we would encourage people to just take a beat, don’t be sucked in, think about what your wants and needs are and to use sites like PriceSpy and PriceMe to really get a gauge.”
She reiterated that retailers were getting good at “skirting” the rules and would encourage the regulator to look at some retailers to ensure customers are not being mislead.
She said it was not fair to leave the onus on the customer to figure out what was or was not a good deal – saying it should be on the retailer.
RNZ has contacted Noel Leeming, Harvey Norman, Farmers and Briscoes for comment but has not yet ad a response.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
