Non-compliant pricing and ‘unacceptable’ levels of short-weight goods in convenience stores have led to consumers losing ‘millions of pounds’, according to trading standards in Scotland.

As a result, consumers have faced overpaying for items and having an ‘undermining trust in businesses’.

The news, obtained from investigation of small- to medium-sized convenience stores at the end of 2023, follows findings of similar results from two investigations carried out in 2022.

A total of 417 convenience stores were visited, including both independent shops and small- to medium-sized chained businesses.

The results showed a ‘continuing lack of understanding of pricing regulations among managers and owners, with non-compliances often not recognised as criminal offences’. Trading standards also reports that there has been no improvement from the 2022 investigation.

Of the 20,579 products examined:

• 22.4% lacked price indications (4,614 products)
• Unit price indications were found to be incorrect in 34.1% of cases, with 67% of those non-compliant products lacking any unit price display at all
• At the point of sale 5,997 products were checked, with 11.6% being incorrectly charged, and 79% of these being to the detriment of the consumer

Weight checks were carried out on packaged goods at 146 retail outlets, with short-weight products identified at 47 sites.

A total of 1,479 different product lines were checked with 70 (5%) found to contain short-weight packs.

A total of 10,308 individual packs were checked within these product lines and 424 (4%) of these were found to be short-weight, with deficiencies as high as 40% – a loss of up to £2 per pack.

One packer, which produces 1.5 million packs of square sausage each year, was found to have produced packs with deficiencies of as much as 22%, representing a loss to consumers of 44p per pack. If the same level of deficiency were replicated across the packer’s entire production, the total detriment to consumers could be as high as £653,730 per year from that one business.

Alexandra Connell, chair of Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (Scotss), said: “Transparency in pricing is at the heart of fair trade in goods and is a core issue for trading standards teams across Scotland, making sure that consumers pay the correct price for their purchases and that businesses are diligent in presenting goods for sale accurately and legally.

“With a continuing cost of living crisis, it is important that the processes and systems that should be in place are working properly and that consumers pay the correct amount for their shopping. My advice to shoppers is always check prices carefully when in store and make sure you have been properly charged at the till.“

John Herriman, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said: “The vitally important work being carried out by Scottish trading standards in relation to pricing and metrological issues could not be more timely. Price transparency and trust in measurement is crucial to ensure that consumers know that they’re spending their money wisely.”

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