"Specials" at Harris Farm Market, not what they seem!

I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about Harris Farm Market’s latest pricing displays. They’re popping up at many of their in-store displays and this is just one example. Also, I don’t have a photo but the worst example I saw was “5 for $10” for Lindt chocolate with fine print underneath saying “or $2 / ea”.

How can it be a “special” when the price is the same for the individual product? It seems like this was designed just to trick people into buying two or more items!

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I suspect that if you can’t work out that 2 for $6 is the same as $3 each, you probably deserve all you get.

@Fred I have children who have intellectual disabilities, and they have know way to know that this is not a good deal. Do they really deserve to get ripped off because they can’t figure out that 2 for $6 is the same as $3 each? They see the word special and take it at face value. Don’t assume that everyone in the world is capable of doing basic maths just because you can. It’s not a choice they made to be intellectually impaired and they shouldn’t be discriminated against because they’re incapable of understanding this.

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Who knows what the person meant. Perhaps the bit at the bottom means just that- if you buy two that’s equivalent $3 each. Perhaps not. Did you ask? Was it just human error and they meant $4 etc.

Price promotions play a big part in luring shoppers into supermarkets. (More about the consumer psychology applied in the shopping aisle.)

We’re interested in your thoughts and experiences, so please keep sharing.

A good point, NubglummerySnr, but I very much doubt that consideration for people with intellectual disabilities was the purpose of the signage. Still, if it helps, that’s good.

It is really just an advertising ploy and the fact we are posting it here means it has probably worked .

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@Fred, my main gripe is that you stated that anyone who can’t do the maths deserves what they get. People don’t choose to have poor abilities when it comes to maths.

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I accept the slapping. I hadn’t considered people with intellectual disabilities, and they certainly deserve assistance. I accept that unreservedly.

I’d still like to know why they did it. If it was to help people in those circumstances then I say good on them. We’ll never know, of course.

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Bingo. Give that man some bacon.

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Then all is forgiven. :slight_smile:

Exactly - the whole reason is for it to signal that you should buy more because it will be cheaper! So frustrating.

As some here have mentioned, that’s fine for me because I can take the time to read the sign shopping. What about busy mums looking after two kids and just picking things up off the shelf at a glance? It’s easy to miss. Or, like @NubglummerySnr has mentioned, those who might not be able to do the maths.

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We have been laughing about this ever since Harris Farm arrived in our area a decade ago. Not sure why they do it as it doesn’t mean anything. Maybe its for those who only want to buy 1 item and cannot do simple maths without their calculator!

I’ve noticed when buying products at Harris Farm, often they mention items are on special, but don’t always show the regular price like the supermarkets do. I end up buying the items if I feel they are good value, but it is good to know what kind of discount we are getting.

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I really like the fact that special prices are always the same if you don’t buy the two, or whatever…unlike supermarkets where the “buy two” price is never halved for buying one. Love Harris Farm.

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That is one of the things I love about Harris Farm! Yes it is just advertising to make you buy more but we live in a world of advertising trying to make us buy more, so why shouldn’t Harris Farm join in. You have the option to buy 1 unlike supermarkets which never half the price on their “buy two” price. All that does is encourage over consumption on food!
With regard to the comments about people with intellectual disabilities, Harris Farm very clearly states the price for 1.

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Anything with the word ‘special’ or ‘sale’ should be approached with caution. What is more disturbing is going into HF on a Saturday morning at 7am to see a price of ‘2 for $6’ and walk out 15min later and seeing sign being changed to $4 each.

I can’t see what the fuss is about. Perhaps the “normal” price is $3 each. Personally I prefer a store that tells you the single price is a proportion of the multi-buy price. Personally I hate the Coles specials where you can "Buy 2 for $7!!!” but the single price is $3.90 or some such (in minuscule writing at the bottom of the ticket). Storm in a teacup. There’s nothing misleading here.

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They are specials in the sense that the single price is lower than the regular price. I prefer this a lot to Woolies or Coles which force you to buy multiples to get the sale price. At Harris Farm, if blueberries are 3 for $10 I can still get just 1 at $3.33. At Woolies et al they have a separate price for 1 which is always higher to encourage extra purchases. Certainly not fair on people with limited income - and worse still on perishables. Happy to buy 2 10-packs of toilet paper, but not 3 punnets of blueberries at once.

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Over 25 years of managing young marketing staff I cease to be surprised by their propensity to create deceptive advertising and price promotions.

Quite often these promotions defy logic and belief - thereby acting as a disincentive to buy!

As I have often muttered - “It looks good on a spreadsheet, so it will look good to the customers…”