"6 pieces of candy 466 yuan", "1 orange 128 yuan", "price assassin" is here again?

　　Chinanews.com, February 7 (Xie Yiguan, reporter from Chinanews Finance and Economics) Recently, "a woman met a candy assassin and sold 6 pieces of candy for 466 yuan" and "a woman found that an orange in a supermarket sold for 128 yuan" appeared on Weibo hot searches one after another.

　　In the incident, the prices of milk pies and oranges, which cost as much as 100 yuan, amazed people, and made the "price killer" a hot topic of discussion again.

"Candy Assassin" and "Fruit Assassin" appear one after another

　　"Candy Assassin" originated from a media report: On February 2, Ms. Jiang took her son to go shopping in Ciqikou, Chongqing, and passed a candy store. After tasting, she chose 4 milk pies for the store to weigh. , and suggested that Ms. Jiang choose another piece, and you can give one piece as a gift.

After the store cut it and weighed it, the total price of the 6 pieces of candy was as high as 466 yuan.

After Ms. Jiang said "I don't want it anymore", the store said that the candy was sold on the spot, 12.8 yuan/50 grams, and charged by gram.

　　Ms. Jiang also said that the price tag of the milk pie was only 12.8 yuan, and the 50 grams was just blocked.

　　Why would 6 pieces of candy be sold for 466 yuan?

The owner of the candy store responded that the raw materials used in the product are very good, and the rent of stores in scenic spots is high, so the cost is relatively high.

The price is 128 yuan/catties, and the price is clearly marked. If customers have objections to the price, it doesn't matter if they ask for less.

　　But these remarks did not make netizens accept: "Sell cakes and change careers?" "This is a proper 'assassin'!" "He could have snatched it, but he gave 6 pieces of candy."

Screenshots of some comments from netizens.

Screenshot from Weibo.

　　Some netizens also shared examples of being cheated because of "not charging by the catty" and "covering the price tag" of the product.

　　The "Candy Assassin" issue is still fermenting, and "Fruit Assassin" is also on the hot search.

　　According to media reports, on February 3, Ms. Huang went to a supermarket under Deji Square in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. When she was picking fruits, she found that oranges and strawberries were priced at 128 yuan each, and pineapples were 980 yuan each.

　　In this regard, the staff of the supermarket said that the prices of the products sold are subject to the supervision of relevant departments and supermarkets. It is reported on the Internet that the oranges are not imported, but are actually Rongan kumquats.

The pineapple flesh is pink and is a rare species.

　　An employee of a kumquat planting cooperative in Rong'an said that the kumquat in Rong'an is a local species, and the price is about 30 yuan for growers, and the online price of a good variety is about 60-70 yuan per catty.

　　According to a reporter from Zhongxin Finance and Economics, in 2021, the area of ​​kumquats in Rong'an County will be 207,200 mu, with an annual output of 190,000 tons and an output value of 2.57 billion yuan.

Among them, the purchase price of Tiantou, a new variety of Rongan kumquat, is as high as 60 yuan per kilogram.

　　Recently, the staff of the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Xuanwu District, Nanjing City also told the media that they are aware of the matter and are currently investigating.

"Price Assassin" is not uncommon and has become a hot spot of public opinion

　　In recent years, hanging green lychees at 1,049 yuan per catty and Huamei at 1,600 yuan per catty have frequently appeared in the newspapers, causing heated discussions.

　　Regarding this kind of phenomenon, some netizens said, "The price has been clearly marked, and there is no forced buying and selling." However, some netizens said, "The clearly marked price does not mean that you can set the price at will."

　　Liu Junhai, a professor at the Law School of Renmin University of China, told the reporter of Zhongxin Finance that clear pricing is not a "shield". When pricing, the actual value of the commodity should be considered, and arbitrary pricing should not be allowed, which will damage consumers' right to fair trade.

　　Liu Junhai also said that if the above-mentioned "6 pieces of candy sold for 466 yuan" was as the customer said, it would be artificially misleading consumers, damaging consumers' right to know, right to choose, and right to fair trade, and suspected of price fraud. Prove your innocence.

　　It is worth mentioning that among the top ten public opinion hotspots for consumer rights protection in 2022 recently announced by the China Consumers Association, the social influence of the topic "'Price Assassin' violates the principle of honesty for clearly marked prices" ranks first.

　　The China Consumers Association believes that this reflects the irony of consumers for some "ordinary commodities" with inflated prices, and also shows that consumers have violated consumption in real life by problems such as unmarked prices, inconsistent measurement units, and irregular price tags. Dissatisfaction with the interests of the rights holders.

Video: A pencil case costs 109 yuan and a pen costs 35 yuan. Have you ever met a "stationery assassin"?

How to put an end to "price assassins"?

　　In July 2022, the "Regulations on Clearly Marked Prices and Prohibition of Price Fraud" issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation came into effect.

This so-called "price guard" regulation requires operators to clearly mark prices in a conspicuous manner and clearly indicate the goods or services corresponding to the prices.

　　The China Consumers Association believes that local regulatory authorities should strictly enforce the law, truly implement this regulation, and put an end to all kinds of "routines" of price fraud in disguise, so that consumers can consume clearly.

Merchants should abide by the bottom line of morality, abide by price laws and regulations, strictly regulate the behavior of clearly marked prices, and prevent consumers from spending "wrong money".

　　"The governance of 'Price Assassin' needs to rely on both moral awareness and the rule of law." Liu Junhai said that first of all, enterprises must maintain self-discipline, with faith in the law and awe of risks.

Consumers also need to "keep their eyes wide open and look at their pocketbooks", and regulatory authorities also need to do a good job in supervision, make full use of the regulatory rights conferred by the law, and sanction illegal pricing behaviors of merchants.

(over)