Just when Woolworths is coming out of the economic doldrums, it has staged a gigantic ripoff of battlers across Australia by refining an American-style marketing blitz designed to gouge more dollars than ever out of struggling families.
Have a close look at the above pictures.
They all appear in one of Woolworths Ipswich stores, 40km west of Brisbane.
The first Multibuys picture is for 3 packs of ice creams for $15 which is an even $5 a packet. But if you buy a single packet - which is the most many families can afford in a week - you are slugged $5.99 or 19.8% more, for the privilege.
But it doesn't stop there. The sign proudly proclaims a saving of $2.97 for the 3-pack buy. Nothing about the 99c ripoff for a single pack buy!
Look at the pizza ripoff in the next picture. Two pizzas for $10 which should mean $5 each. Don't be so quick with your sums because Woolies will force you to pay $6.79 for a single pizza.
This is a whopping ripoff of 35.8% above the true single price of $5 dollars. But according to Woolworths, you save $3.58 for buying two of these fat-laden offerings.
The deception continues with their Nestle Ice Cream pack which costs $12 for two.
No, it's not $6 for one but a massive $7.49 or 24.8% above the correct half price.
None of this is a genuine discount for volume buying. It is just a price slug for battlers who can often afford only one item or who only want one item.
It is a reprehensible marketing ploy by Woolworths who are not helping battlers in these tough economic times but ripping them off, hand over fist.
Consumer Watch recommends consumers vote with their feet and their hip pocket.
Send Woolworths a message: Don't buy 2, don't buy 1, don't buy any!
PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au
Click "Home" below to see all posts on this website.
If "Home" does not appear, all posts are currently displayed.
