This archive report was first published on 6 October 2019.
On a recent shopping trip, I made a disturbing discovery that left me questioning the integrity of some of Kenya's largest supermarkets. As I was preparing to host guests at home, I carefully noted down the prices of every item I picked to keep track of my spending. However, when I got to the till, I was shocked to find that the cashier's total over-shot mine by about Sh200.
When I expressed my surprise at the discrepancy, the cashier dismissed it, saying only the prices at the till mattered. I protested that shelf labels were meant to guide shoppers and if there was any discrepancy, then it meant shoppers were being misled. This experience felt familiar, as I had encountered the same issue twice at another giant retailer within a span of two months.
As I reflected on my shopping habits, I realized that I often fail to pay attention to prices, especially when I have a full shopping trolley. I wondered how many others are like me, and how much extra money supermarkets might be making due to mismatched prices. If 125 out of 200 shoppers leave an extra Sh200 behind, that's a significant amount of money in just one day.
My next shopping trip took me to a small shop in my neighbourhood, where each item has a simple handwritten sticker with the price. I did my calculations and was pleasantly surprised when the cashier's numbers matched mine. I was willing to pay more for items rather than lose money through inconsistencies.
However, my experience at a small branch of the same retailer that had received bad press for mismatched pricing years ago was not as smooth. Despite the supervisor's assurance that prices would match, there was a mismatch on one item, which turned out to be my mistake.
As I left the supermarket, I couldn't help but wonder how widespread this issue is and how many customers are being misled by mismatched prices.
