Food Lovers Market – Just Another Rip-off Artist

The Afrikaans word for This is…. ‘Skelm’
Check Your Slips or Find Another Trustworthy Supermarket
What Would the Normal Consumer Think if Presented With This?

On Friday Afternoon 1 November 2024 at around 4:00 pm I slipped into Food Lover’s Market on William Moffet in Gqeberha to purchase some essential items for a group of 40 guests.

Over the past years I have learned one lesson from Food Lovers – ‘Only buy vegetables that you intend to consume within the next three days.’

Friday was the occasion for me to learn one more lesson at the hands of Food Lovers Market.

Whilst piling my trolley full of fresh vegetables I noticed a box of cauliflower heads (Yes, cauliflower was on the list!) advertised at 2 for R39.00 OR R24.99 each, so I took four out of the bin and continued shopping, thinking nothing about the fact that some of the heads in my basket had a 30% off sticker and some didn’t. After all they were in the same box, under the same sign, weren’t they?

Thankfully the queue for the checkout was not as long as normal so the egress into paying was quick.

Whilst unpacking my purchases the cashier was very kind to point out an anomaly for me, saying; “Sir, are you aware that you can only get the cauliflower at the special price of 2 for R39.00 if they are marked with a 30% off sticker?”

First reaction from me; “Mam those cauliflower heads were ALL in the same box are there is NO notice on the advertising board that says the special only applies to heads that are marked with a 30% off sign. Please call your manager!”

During the pregnant silence that ensued I did some mental mathematics to check if there was a correlation between the 30% off sticker of the cauliflower heads and the prices as advertised. Conclusion: 30% off of R24.99 is around R7.50, times that by two and you get just below R35.00 for two at 30% off and NOT R39.00 for two as advertised. So, the stickers were WRONG as well.

Along comes the manager who is quite bolshie about my dilemma, refuses to accompany me to the box to see how Food Lovers are being ‘Skelm’ and utters the final nail in the coffin; “That is the price and offer, Sir, take it or leave it!”

I left it.

In hindsight I should have taken 4 of the 30% off marked Cauliflower heads, insisted on paying R24.99 LESS 30% for each. That would have totaled R69.97 and not R78.00 for 4 if I had taken the 2 for R39.00 special.