Consumer Price Tag Fraud @ Meidi-ya Supermarket Singapore

Their latest tactic to make money especially during the crowded weekends when people just grab without looking or checking.

Meidi-ya cannot place the blame on lousy staff.

Price tagging cheaper items with prices of more expensive items.

Sweet turnip weighed & priced as sweet potato. Sweet potato is a more expensive item by weight. This fact was made known to me by the cashier who keyed in my items.

She kept quiet until I stopped her at checkout.

I always monitor the screen & saw there were 3 sweet potatos. I said, "There are only 2 sweet potatoes. Why is there a third?".

I looked in my bags & saw the turnip being price tagged as sweet potato. She didn't look surprised. And remained waiting for payment.

I said, "This is an incorrect pricing. Are the prices for the turnip & sweet potato the same?".

She said no, sweet potato costs more.

In that case, shouldn't she be correcting it? Instead she still stood there, hoping or thinking I would accept the difference which I am sure many people will do to avoid a delay.

However, think about this. If you shortchanged the  supermarket even 5 cents, will they let you go? It is unfair for the customer to pay more due to "wrong" price tagging by their staff.

I said there's a weighing scale over there (near the cashiers) where she could just pop over to weigh the turnip correctly.  But she said the scale cannot be used to weigh turnip. Turnip must be weighed in the vegetables section that has a scale that can weigh turnips.

So she had to close her counter, telling another waiting customer that she would be leaving. Then she ran off to the vegetables section. Total delay.

2 customers waited. Myself & the other woman who stayed. All because the turnip was intentionally weighed wrongly.

Intentionally because the staff cannot claim they can't read.  Also, the cashier said they "anyhow press" the scale during price tagging. This is negligence. 

After a while, the cashier rushed back to her counter.  She said she had to key in all the items in my bags all over again. All because of 1 turnip.

I asked, "Did you scold the staff there?".

She gave a pained expression, "They anyhow press.".

I said, "What about the manager?".

She gave a slight smile & shrugged it off.  Meaning the manager is a hopeless ass.

Meidi-ya is wasting customers' time.  No wonder the cashiers tell me they get scolded. This cashier admitted she had also been scolded over this matter.  She even said it happened to another customer over a carrot.

With such trouble, it's no surprise she either pretends not to see the wrong pricing, hope the customer will not know or customers know but allow it to pass.

Last week, at the meat shelves, I saw whole shelf section of Iberico Pork price tagged as beef.  And all the packets clearly show a sticker that says "Iberico Pork". Yet they were weighed & tagged as beef.

I intentionally asked this cashier which was more expensive. Beef or pork?

She said, "Of course beef.".

I won't ask how much more expensive beef versus pork. But during weekends when I see women just grab packets of pork off the shelves,  Meidi-ya is making a lot more money than is legit.

Bro said that what Meidi-ya is doing is the opposite of what shoplifters do. Shoplifters put cheaper price tags onto more expensive items.

Meidi-ya tags cheaper items with more expensive prices.  Why aren't expensive items tagged with cheaper prices? Is Meidi-ya supermarket having cash flow problems?