- Статьи
- Economy
- Putting pressure on the mass: The trade wants to establish a single weight unit for measuring goods
Putting pressure on the mass: The trade wants to establish a single weight unit for measuring goods
A unified weight unit of goods can be introduced for trade. The deputies of the State Duma made such a proposal to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Rospotrebnadzor. Today, the weight of products can be indicated both in kilograms and grams, which often leads customers to unjustified expenses. The initiative is supported by the National Consumer Rights Protection Union and the Public Council under Rospotrebnadzor, considering it as a measure against possible deception of citizens. In 2023, a bill on setting a single price in kilograms or liters was already submitted to the State Duma, but it was not adopted due to the additional costs of trade to replace price tags. Whether the initiative will find support this time is in the Izvestia article.
Why do they want to ban different weight categories
For retail chains and stores, it is proposed to establish a mandatory indication of the total weight of the product — in grams or kilograms. Yaroslav Nilov, head of the State Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy, addressed the Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov and the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova with such an initiative (Izvestia has the documents).
In the appeals, he notes that today in retail facilities, prices for weight goods, such as cheeses, fruits, vegetables or sweets, are indicated in different ways: per 1 kg or per 100 g. Different units of measurement are often set for the same category, the deputy emphasizes.
"This practice leads to inconveniences for buyers when comparing prices, makes it difficult to choose the most advantageous offer and, as a result, can lead to unjustified expenses," the documents say.
They also note that in order to increase the transparency of pricing and consumer protection, it is advisable to establish a single, universal format for indicating the cost of weight goods in all retail facilities — to express it in kilograms or grams.
— Our customers are regularly misled. For example, a trade arranges a sale, and then it turns out that the goods were simply overstated, and then returned to the original value. Or one price is indicated on the product, but a completely different one is displayed at the checkout. When it turns out, the sellers explain that "they did not have time to rewrite the price tags," Yaroslav Nilov explained to Izvestia.
According to him, another way to mislead customers is when different manufacturers have different units of measurement for the same product. For example, one cheese is sold for the price per package, and the other for 100 g. There may also be an inscription "shock price", creating the illusion of a big discount.
— And the person only at the checkout draws attention to the fact that a package of cheese costs not 120 rubles, but 360 for 300 g. Therefore, we suggest that the full cost of the pack be indicated on the price tag, — he added.
The press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade told Izvestia that the deputy's appeal had been received and was being worked on. The editorial board sent requests to Rospotrebnadzor with a proposal to evaluate possible support for this measure.
The Association of Retail Companies refrained from commenting, saying that they had no information about this initiative. Requests have also been sent to the largest retail chains.
As Izvestia reported, in 2023, State Duma Deputy Speaker Boris Chernyshov submitted to the lower house of parliament a bill "On Amendments to art. 10 of the Law of the Russian Federation "On Consumer Rights Protection." They proposed to oblige retail chains and stores to indicate the price per 1 kg or per 1 liter. The bill did not receive comments from the legal department of the State Duma, but the Ministry of Industry and Trade did not support it.
The Ministry criticized the document. In fact, the proposed regulation imposes on retail the obligation to calculate the price of 1 kg or 1 liter of products, the display of goods and the preparation of price tags will become more expensive, the letter to the state Legal Administration of the president said. The process must be automated, which means that new costs will arise for the modernization of accounting systems, which will also be included in the final cost of products.
What techniques do retail chains use to hide the price?
The use of kilograms and grams does not mislead customers, since the ratio of 1 kg = 1000 g is basic knowledge, said Dmitry Leonov, Deputy chairman of the Board of the Rusprodsoyuz association. At the same time, he believes that the authors of the initiative had in mind another problem related to the psychology of pricing.
— A small unit of measurement (100 g) is often used for expensive or luxury goods (cheeses, seafood, exotic sweets) to make the cost seem lower. A single standard will eliminate this marketing technique," the business representative explained. — The proposal to unify the indication of the price per unit of measurement for bulk products (for example, only for 1 kg or only for 100 g) will simplify price comparison for buyers. When bananas cost 150 rubles per 1 kg on one counter, and nuts cost 100 rubles per 100 g next to it, the buyer has to do mathematical calculations.
In his opinion, unification will allow consumers to instantly assess which product is more expensive or more profitable.
Leading public consumer associations have repeatedly drawn attention to such manipulative practices with the volume, weight, and packaging of goods, because objectively there are significant difficulties for consumers to compare price and weight when buying, Oleg Pavlov, head of the public council at Rospotrebnadzor, told Izvestia.
— That is why we consider such an initiative to standardize the weight indication format useful. This will help consumers to make the best choice for themselves between different manufacturers and products faster," the social activist explained.
Pavel Shapkin, Chairman of the National Consumer Rights Protection Union, believes that for packaged goods, the price should be indicated in full, and not per gram. If the product is sold unpacked, the cost should be indicated either per unit volume or per unit weight.
— Everyone understands that these are marketing tricks to mislead consumers. The buyer always chooses a price option that is attractive to himself. In fact, this is such a bait, because trade does not write down the cost, which can scare you away," the social activist explained.
At the same time, Pavel Shapkin is convinced that legislative regulation of this issue is necessary.
Georgy Ostapkovich, research director of the HSE Center for Economic Studies, believes that the initiative makes no sense, since "Russians already understand and see everything perfectly well." If previously they sold eight marshmallows in a box, now there are only six of them, these are the consequences of shrinkflation, the expert believes.
But for trade, such an offer will result in high costs, since they will have to hire additional people who will work with price tags, which may eventually affect the cost of goods, he concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
