The worst supermarket pricing errors our campaign team have seen

Despite that, these pricing stuff-ups haven’t stopped – and probably won’t until supermarkets face some serious consequences. So, that’s what Consumer NZ is calling for as part of our new Price it Right campaign. We want the government to introduce a mandatory supermarket pricing accuracy code.

The code would:

• have clear pricing rules

• require supermarkets to compensate consumers when pricing errors occur

• require consumers’ rights be clearly disclosed instore and online

• introduce much higher penalties, similar to those in Australia, possible.

Thank you to the thousands of supporters who have already signed our petition! We’re planning to hand over the petition at parliament on August 19 so if you haven’t yet signed, we’d love it if you could add your name this weekend.

Our campaigns team have had this issue front of mind for a long time now. So, this week I asked each of them to tell me which pricing error from the past couple of years has stayed with them most – the one that inspires them to keep fighting for change.

Here’s what they chose.

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Jessica Walker, acting head of research and advocacy, chose this photo sent in by member Elizabeth, of a multi-buy deal on avocados at her local Pak’nSave.

Elizabeth had noticed that the deal was more expensive than buying the avocados individually. The unit price is also incorrect – four avocados for $4.50 works out at $1.13 each.

“The dodgy multibuys have annoyed me more than anything else since we asked people to send in their examples of dodgy pricing and promotional practices,” Jessica says.

“While the naysayers might argue that you would only get charged for the individual price for four, which is lower than the advertised multi-buy price, that's really not the point. The big bright lettering makes you feel like you're getting a better deal. I think this sort of signage leads to people buying more of something than they want or need, possibly more than they can actually afford, and potentially leads to food waste too. Some shoppers don't read the small print, and quite frankly, they shouldn't have to.”

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Aneleise Gawn is our consumer advocate, and her choice of problematic pricing is one that she noticed at her local New World - and is also coincidentally avocado-related.

The supermarket had displayed two different prices for a single avocado – $1.69 and $1.99. She grabbed an avocado from the cheaper pile and carried on shopping. After she got home, she realised she’d been charged $1.99.

You can read what Aneleise did next in our article on what to do if you’re charged more than the advertised price.

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Abby Damen, communications and campaigns adviser, says she’s felt particularly frustrated for those members who’ve sent in examples of the price at the checkout not matching the price on the shelf.

“One of my first tasks when I started working at Consumer in 2023 was working with our legal team to process the hundreds of examples of dodgy and misleading supermarket pricing we’d received from supermarket shoppers. The difference in price was often just a few cents – so people would often say they hadn’t bothered asking for a refund but rightly complained to us on principle,” Abby says.

“This example was one of the worst though - it scanned as $9 more expensive than the shelf price! Absolutely wild. She did get it refunded.”

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Sahar Lone, our communications and campaign manager, acknowledges her choice isn’t an error but still finds it frustrating to see.

“This example shows how confusing the supermarket aisles can be to navigate. It also highlights the common misconception that buying in bulk always saves money.

“Griffin's gingernuts 500g twin-pack has a "Club Deal" red price tag and is $5.59. Above it is a "Super Saver" price of two 250g packets for $5. It shouldn't be that hard for people who just want to buy their favourite biscuits.”