Bar codes

B

Brian4B

Registered User
Messages
59
I have just returned from mass in a foul mood. On the way home I stood in a queue in my local shop while some assistant tried to find the bar code on a bottle of coke. The woman in front of me had brought her basket of goods to the till, had them checked through but the bottle of coke she had picked up had no code on it. the girl on the till had then to go to the shelves to find a bottle that had in order to scan it. While I initially was cheesed about the time this took I then got to thinking How does a bottle of coke without a bar code appear for sale on our shelves anyway. is this another example of shopkeepers duping the customer by opening special offer packs and selling them individually or is there an innocent explanation
 
is this another example of shopkeepers duping the customer by opening special offer packs and selling them individually or is there an innocent explanation
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Are you in a foul mood because you had to wait or because the barcode was missing or not scanning? Maybe the barcode was simply inadvertently missing or not scanning properly? Unless you have a specific reason to suspect that the shop was splitting multipacks and selling the items individual (e.g. you checked the items on the shelf and have evidence that this was the case)?
 
Definitely the wait was what put me in the bad mood but it was while waiting I got to thinking. There was definitely no bar code anywhere on the wrapper. It wasn't just a case of it having fallen off as the coke bottles have them included on the plastic wrapper which surrounds the bottle itself. I am quite happy to accept that there can be many valid reasons why a company wouldn't put a bar code on in the first place but I just can't think of any at the moment. One of the big reasons for having these codes is so that the till can automatically register prices. If they are not going to be on items then perhaps the old system of individual pricing would be more effective. (and faster so that people like me don't have too much time to think!)
 
Pity more shops don't follow Superquinn's lead-if an item doesn't scan, you get if free.
 
Personally, I'm tempted to incline towards the "another example of shopkeepers duping the customer by opening special offer packs and selling them individually" theory, but — as I've no hard evidence either way — I'll say nothing instead...
 
DrMoriarty said:
but — as I've no hard evidence either way — I'll say nothing instead...
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I can give you plenty of evidence... I finished work in a large multiple three weeks ago now, and it was common practice to split multi-pack promotional coke. You know the 3 for €4 2lt packs?... they were hidden on the bottom shelf whilst we cut open most of them to put on the higher shelves as seperate bottles. I actually asked the manager one day was I ment to do the same with the Club Orange... he said "yep, split anything you can". Althought he made sure there were barcodes on the bottles.
 
Maybe you should tell Coke's Ireland office and see if they want to investigate?
 
Coke Ireland wont want to know. I rang them a while ago after I bought a can of coke in a newsagents in phibsboro that tasted funny. when I was looking for the best before date, I noticed all the writing was in german. Coke ireland said its nothing to do with them what the retailers do.
Didnt complain to the newsagent as I wouldnt have been passing by there again for a while, but I'll remember not to go back in. Hence seen the same type of can with german writing in other newsagents so I avoid.
 
Is there anything strictly untoward about splitting multipacks and selling the items individually? It may be in breach of whatever agreement exists between the retailer and the supplier or cash and carry or whoever but is there any statutory restriction on such activity? And soft drinks are not covered by the Groceries Order so retailers can charge what they like and what the punters are prepared to pay. Neither do I think that there is anything inherently suspect about selling foreign labelled goods as long as, where applicable, the ingredients/nutritional information is legible in English (or Irish!?). A small shop local to us sells bits and pieces past their best before (but not use/display by) dates and individual items from multipacks and I find it a great place for picking up the odd bargain.
 
Neither do I think that there is anything inherently suspect about selling foreign labelled goods
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Agreed. Sorry if I was sounding as tho I was being biased against foreign foods. The german coke didnt taste bad, just different from what Id normally expect a can of coke to taste like. Thats the only way I can put it. I avoid same because of that as I prefer my coke to taste, for want of a better word... Irish.
 
Sorry - my comments were meant generally and not specifically in response to your post about the German Coke. If somebody can point to statutory legislation in relation to splitting multipacks or having barcodes on items then I'd be interested. If not then I guess people just need to get on with it and take their custom elsewhere if they are not happy with specific retailers.
 
I wouldn't think that there is anything 'illegal' about selling multipack contents individually, but most say 'not to be sold separately' etc.

So is the retailer not 'ripping off' the wholesaler/manufacturer by selling multipack items for full price as separates?

It doesn't really matter I suppose, multipack products (such as cans of Coke) are generally no different from separates.
 
Not sure if they're "ripping off" the wholesaler/manufacturer because I, for one, don't know the ins and outs of any agreements governing multipacks but this is arguably neither here nor there as far as the consumer is concerned. If this happens and the consumer objects then they can (should!) always make a complaint to the retailer, manufacturer/wholesaler and/or somebody like the ODCA (although I doubt that they can do anything about it) and/or take their custom elsewhere. Don't forget that there is no hard proof that the original case raised here was definitely one of individual items from a multipack being sold separately so all of this discussion about that issue may be moot in the circumstances.
 
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