Some takeaway merchants increase packaging fees to transfer costs
There are many tricks behind the "packaging fees" for takeaways, and consumers can protect their rights in a variety of ways
Guangzhou Daily (all-media reporter Zeng Fanying, trainee reporter Lu Hui) For dine-in takeout and takeout ordering, the restaurant will charge a certain takeout fee.
Recently, some consumers have reported that there are many tricks behind the "packaging fee", and the topic of "packaging fee" has also aroused heated discussion among consumers.
Consumption chaos: 3 yuan packaging fee for 8 yuan dishes?
"It's so expensive! A box of stinky tofu costs 8 yuan, and there is an additional 3 yuan for packaging!" Guangzhou citizen Wu Jing told reporters.
Recently, she ordered a takeaway from the Hunan restaurant "Meet Xiang": a fried pork set with chili and a stinky tofu. After receiving the coupon, the total order was about 47 yuan, of which the packaging fee was 6 yuan, which accounted for about 10% of the entire order price. 1/8.
She tried to reduce the number of stinky tofu dishes, and the packaging fee was reduced to 3 yuan.
In other words, the packaging fee for this portion of stinky tofu is 3 yuan.
This snack, which costs a lot to pack, contains 3 pieces of tofu, packed in a round packaging box.
Many consumers said that it is understandable that merchants charge "packaging fees", but some restaurants' "packaging fees" are on the high side, and some restaurants charge separate packaging fees for each dish, but in fact the goods are combined and packaged. This phenomenon is common in barbecue Industry is relatively common.
Many barbecue restaurants charge packaging fees based on a single dish. Usually barbecue skewers charge a packaging fee of 0.3 yuan per portion. If you order 10 portions of the same dish, such as chicken cartilage, the packaging fee will be superimposed, which is a total of 3 yuan. However, the actual delivery fee is the same. The single products are packaged together with a piece of tin foil, but they are charged 10 packaging fees.
The same situation occurs in milk tea shops. For example, Hey Tea and others require a packaging fee of 1 yuan for each cup of take-out milk tea. If 15 cups are packaged, a packaging fee of 15 yuan will be charged.
The takeout packaging is the same as the packaging for offline physical stores, and there is no packaging fee for physical store packaging.
Investigation reason: Takeaway merchants use packaging fees to transfer costs
The reporter's investigation found that the takeaway packaging fees are related to the online operating costs of merchants. Some catering merchants hope to pass on part of the costs through packaging fees.
The reporter learned from people familiar with the matter that food delivery platforms usually leave the initiative to set up packaging fees to merchants. There are three setting dimensions for packaging fees. The first is the order dimension, that is, the packaging fees are set according to the gradient based on the entire order amount of the transaction. ; The second is to set a corresponding packaging fee for a single item, so the packaging fee is superimposed on how many dishes the consumer purchases; the third is the pocket dimension, for example, the dishes on an order are packaged in several "pockets", that is, several packages. .
The reporter investigated a number of online takeout stores and found that almost all of them charge packaging fees on a single item.
Most catering takeaways charge a packaging fee of 1 yuan for a single dish, and some charge 2 yuan/portion, such as "Rongyi·The Beauty of Sichuan Flavor".
The more dishes you order, the takeaway fee will increase accordingly.
In interviews, many consumers said that the interface that displays the packaging fee is a secondary interface, which requires active clicking and is not easy to find.
Some merchants' takeout packaging fees are higher than the cost of the meal boxes themselves.
Mr. Huang, a veteran in the catering industry, revealed to reporters that food-grade pp lunch boxes are currently the most commonly used packaging boxes in catering packaging.
Mr. Huang said that boxes that can be "heated" in the microwave and reused cost just over 1 yuan each for good quality, and about 0.5 yuan per box for ordinary ones.
The reporter learned from tableware retail and wholesale stores on Taobao that the bulk purchase cost of common square packaging boxes is about 0.2 yuan. If it is a chain store, you can get a more affordable price.
Many merchants told reporters that for every takeout order, the platform will charge a commission according to a corresponding proportion. At the same time, the majority of the consumer red envelopes and delivery fees will be paid by the merchants.
The merchant of Sanmi Porridge Shop said that if a consumer uses a 7 yuan red envelope, the merchant may pay 5 yuan and the platform will pay 2 yuan.
Many merchants said that the profit per order does not exceed 3 yuan.
Douxi merchant "Xinjiang Fried Rice Noodles" said that the profit per order is very low, usually two or three yuan. If the coupon is slightly larger, it may directly result in a loss.
Under operating pressure, some businesses pass on part of the cost by increasing the price of packaging boxes.
The merchant of Sanmi Porridge Shop said, "Because there are delivery fees and red envelopes, in order to pass on the cost, the packaging fee will be a little more expensive."
In addition, merchants also balance profits by increasing the unit price of dishes on takeout platforms. The braised chicken and rice merchant said frankly, "If the packaging fee is high, the unit price of the dishes will be low. If the unit price is high, the packaging fee will be low. It's all the same." .
Lawyer's statement
Transferring the price to the packaging fee is suspected of misleading consumers.
Regarding takeout packaging fees, Li Fei, a lawyer at Guangdong Lingnan Law Firm, said that if merchants transfer prices to packaging fees in order to achieve low costs, it will lead to consumers making wrong judgments when choosing products, and may mislead consumers. suspicion.
Li Fei analyzed that it is unreasonable to charge packaging fees based on the quantity of each item for foods that require special packaging such as barbecue and hot pot. Packing fees should be charged based on the actual packaging.
As for take-out tea and drinks, if the packaging for online take-out is the same as the packaging provided when purchasing offline, no packaging fee should be charged, otherwise it will constitute a second charge and suspected price fraud.
Li Fei said that the platform settings should take into account the diversification of takeaway food, and can provide flexible settings such as the "total packaging fee" option.
Li Fei said that if consumers encounter unreasonable packaging fees, they can protect their rights in a variety of ways, including complaining to the takeout platform, which is the fastest way; followed by complaints to consumer associations or reporting to the market supervision and management department. , If the food delivery platform fails to handle complaints or jointly makes profits, you can also directly complain to the consumer association or report to the market supervision and management department.
(Guangzhou Daily)