A retail expert considers it “fraud” .. and consumers are demanding to compel companies to return to the previous weight

Reducing weight and changing packaging.. New market practices to raise prices

• The consumer is required to pay attention to the price, weight and expiration date when purchasing goods.

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• Ibrahim Al-Bahr: “Consumers’ observation of weight change, and their reluctance to buy the commodity, are enough to reduce these practices significantly.”

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Consumers said that companies indirectly raise the prices of goods, by reducing their weight and changing the design of the packaging, so that the consumer does not notice a decrease in weight.

Through "Emirates Today", they called on the concerned authorities to strengthen oversight, impose heavy fines on companies that resort to these practices, and oblige them to return to the previous weight.

At a time when two officials in two food companies attributed these practices to the continuing repercussions of the “Covid-19” pandemic, such as the increase in freight prices, and the increase in the prices of some basic raw materials, which affected their profitability, an expert in retail affairs considered this “fraud” and unacceptable manipulation. To raise the prices of some commodities in a way that consumers do not feel, as the company reduces the weight of the commodity, while making changes to the shape of the packaging, so that the consumer believes that the weight has not changed.

The expert stressed the importance of supporting oversight from the competent authorities, and carrying out continuous and intensive field visits to detect unacceptable manipulation and fraud.

oil bottles

In detail, the consumer, Ahmed Bilal, said that he “bought a type of oil that he always uses with a volume of 1.5 liters, but he discovered after purchasing that the volume is 1.25 liters, although the price is the same,” pointing to a remarkable change in the design of the oil bottle.

He added that he "did not check the weight or size of the commodity before buying, because he was used to buying the same type."

Bilal considered reducing the weight of the commodity as an indirect increase in the price, and a reduction in the quantity in the package, calling on the field authorities to strengthen oversight, impose heavy fines on companies that resort to these practices, and oblige them to return the weights as they were.

rice weight

In turn, the consumer Noura Al Shamsi said, "Companies are now resorting to a new way to raise the price of goods indirectly, so that many consumers do not notice a change in weight, especially since companies change the shape of the package, while reducing the weight of the commodity," demanding the imposition of fines. Big on those companies, and obligating them to return to the previous weight.

Al-Shamsi stated that "she was exposed to such cases, when she bought a package of rice that she used to buy weighing five kilograms, and when she examined the weight, she found that it was 4.5 kilograms, despite the same purchase price."

canned food

Consumer Ashraf Anwar reviewed his experience, saying: “He noticed that the weight of some types of canned food such as beans and corn, which he used to buy is less, compared to the weight of the package previously, although he bought it at the same price,” stressing that he did not notice the change in weight until when He found old cans that weighed more than the ones he had just bought.

Anwar agreed with his counterparts on the importance of imposing deterrent penalties and financial fines on companies that resort to these practices, and asking them to return to the previous weight, as these companies raised the price by reducing the weight.

For his part, the consumer, Akram Samir, pointed out that he noticed a decrease in the volume of the type of shampoo he uses from 850 to 700 milliliters, with the price remaining the same, which requires monitoring and confronting these practices with full force, so that they do not spread in the market.

Repercussions of "Corona"

In addition, the Strategy Officer at Agthia Company, (MD), said that some companies resorted to these practices as a result of the continuing repercussions of the “Covid-19” pandemic, such as the increase in freight prices, and the increase in the prices of some basic raw materials.

He revealed that these companies are based on the fact that some consumers do not read the data on the commodity, most notably the weight, before buying.

In the same context, the sales official in another company, (A.B.), said that “several companies have experienced pressures during the recent period, as a result of the rise in raw material prices, freight prices, the decrease in the number of shipping lines, and the conditions that the market is going through in general, which affected It has a significant number of aspects, most notably the decline in its profits.”

To raise prices

As for the retail affairs expert, Ibrahim Al-Bahr, he considered it a fraud.

He told "Emirates Today": "Companies circumvent in order to raise the prices of some commodities in a way that consumers do not feel, as they reduce the weight of the commodity, while making changes to the shape of the packaging, so that the consumer believes that the weight or size of the commodity has not changed."

He explained that "there are companies that have resorted during the recent period to reducing the weight, while the prices remain the same, as we see new weights that are lower for some commodities, then these companies gradually withdraw the goods of the old weight from the market."

Al-Bahr stressed the importance of supporting oversight from the competent authorities, and carrying out continuous and intensive field visits, to detect unacceptable manipulation and fraud, which contradicts the rights of consumers.

At the same time, he stressed the existence of a great role for the consumer to reduce these negative practices in the market, by supporting the consumer culture, indicating that the consumer should pay attention when buying a commodity to three main elements: price, weight, and expiration date.

He said, "Consumers' notice of weight change and their disengagement from buying the commodity is enough to significantly reduce these practices in the market."

«Economy»: illegal practices that require fines and withdrawals of goods

Previously, the Ministry of Economy considered the practices of reducing the weight of a commodity while keeping its price illegal, and confirmed that it would fine sales outlets and suppliers of goods whose weight or quantities had been reduced while keeping their prices the same, and also announced that it would withdraw these goods from the market, in cooperation with the competent authorities. As part of its efforts to maintain price stability in the market.

The ministry called on consumers to activate their positive role in the market control process, to enhance the climate of consumer protection in the country, through constructive interaction with the Ministry of Economy, by communicating on the ministry’s toll-free numbers: the public call center at (8001222), and the consumer protection call center Call (600522225) and report on commercial practices harmful to consumer protection, submit complaints, and put forward their suggestions and observations for the development of the consumer protection environment in the country.

It is noteworthy that raising the prices of any commodity in the market requires an official written approval from the Ministry of Economy.

• Two officials in two companies: the repercussions of "Covid-19" affected profitability.

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