What Tesco means by 'half-price'

More on Tesco’s prices. Last Saturday a reader was doing his weekly shop in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.

A packet of chicken breasts cost twice the price our reader had expected it to be
A packet of chicken breasts cost twice the price our reader had expected it to be

More on Tesco’s prices. Last Saturday a reader was doing his weekly shop in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.

“There was a pre-packed packet of three chicken fillet breasts for €5.34 with a half-price sticker. I assumed €5.34 was the normal price so I bought two packets in the belief I would get six chicken fillets for €5.34.

“When I got home I checked the receipt only to discover that the half-price reduction on my chicken breasts had not been made at the till.

“I phoned Tesco only to be told that €5.34 was the half-price of these chicken breasts. This means that, under normal circumstances, this packet would have cost me €10.68. At this price the chicken costs over €20 per kg.”

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The chicken he normally buys in Tesco is €10.56 per kg, he says. “Tesco inhabits a different planet than the one I do because, unless these chickens were hand-reared by Buddhist monks on the Ganges delta, I cannot see the justification for this pricing.

“I feel that the way the product was displayed was misleading.

“I realise that Tesco has done nothing illegal but normally when I see a half-price sticker on a product, it indicates that the product is available at half the marked price.

“I just feel that Tesco could make the price of their special offers less ambiguous.”

Conor Pope

Conor Pope

Conor Pope is Consumer Affairs Correspondent, Pricewatch Editor