The truth about your chain store Pick 'n Pay and Spar. When asking the locals where is the best place to shop, you will get two answers.
a) Spar - Spar is cheaper and cater for the lower income market.
b) Pick 'n Pay - The more upper market store in Caledon. The local and farm workers don't go there as they can't afford it.
After investigation this is the shocking truth that revealed what consumers should know.
20 Items was purchased at Pick 'n Pay. Soap, Toothpaste, Coffee, Milk, Cheese etc. The same items was bought by Spar on the same day. Pick 'n Pay had some items R3.00 to R4.00 more expensive than Spar and vice-verse. No two items was the same price, but always a couple of rand more or less in price. In total there was a difference of R2.65 between the 2 stores, which is pretty impressive for a R380 grocery bill. Should you have taken the time and of bought 50% of the list at Pick 'n Pay and 50% at Spar you would of saved R47.00 - Not so impressive.
More Facts about your favorite Chain Store.
Pick 'n Pay in general has a practical layout, looks good and you have a feeling that the management are on top of their game.
So on top that they
cheat their customers over and over on a daily basis. In one week I was in conflict three times with the management and staff over product prices on the shelf that differ from the plu codes on their cash registers.When I confronted a manager about this and told him that my invoice was R169.00 overcharged on R1350.00 bill the answers I got were never minded, not satisfactory and and I was told that they have to update the prices almost on a daily basis and it's a difficult task to keep control of every little thing in the store. "Why do you have to change your prices on a daily basis? And why does the consumer has to be overcharged if you are not doing your work." I was furious. Caledon is not a big city and people here get minimum wage. You can buy only so much with R500 per week and ripping people off with 10% to 15% is not cool, especially when earning that wage or surviving on a pension fund of R1300.00 per month.
I also queried the fact that their vegetables are so expensive. Let's take Sweet Potatoes. They were charging the consumer R28kg (R28 000 per ton) I was told that it's the market. Needles to say I jumped on Google and learned that the highest Sweet Potatoes was for the year of 2014 was in the 1Q at a price of R3886 according to the South African Bulletin for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. So a whopping 900% (R24 000) )per ton is made between agents and Pick 'n Pay once it leaves the market.
When I told the manager that Pick 'n Pay Hermanus is asking R16.00 per kg, and ask why the R12.00 difference, (after all, it's the same distributors and the same route) she jumped on the phone and called Hermanus as if I was throwing a stone in the dark and making up the story.I never got a straight answer and guess what, the fuel increase was mentioned.
I wanted to know how can a Pick 'n Pay in N1 City Mall ask R30.00 per kilogram for neatly cut pork chops vs. Caledon Pick 'n Pay that charges R72.00 per kg and it looks like it just came from wrestling match. No good explanation. It's as if the only answer they can give me is a fuel price related answer. I think we all understand the effect of the constantly increasing fuel prices, but we also know that Chain Stores does not drive to Cape Town for one box of butter.
So many times have I seen old ladies staring at the meat prices......then just sadly walk away.
Stock control is also not a key game for Caledon Pick 'n Pay. Due to their expensive prices people skip some of the products and no-one purchase them. Once they hit the "special" stage,\ people tend to buy it, but oh boy.....you have to cook the meat the same day or it can go to the bin. We have chucked food many times, not even our dog Luke was interested.
I also had bad experience with Pick 'n Pay staff. They seldom greet you, when the cashier are in a conversation with the packer, they just keep on talking as if you are not there. I really miss the good old day when people greeted you with a friendly smile and good service.
Spar is no angels either. Apart from the staff being much friendlier and the owner manager working around the clock to give their clients the best, I still believe they can review their butchery products. I'ts too exspensive and out of average compared to the rest of the Spar's I have visited in the last year.
They desperately need a new block man in the butchery, the cuts are not appealing to the eye and stock rotation/control needs serious attention. If you pay R86.00 p/kg for lamb or sheep chops, it's considered a reasonable price. But when you get home and you have to throw it to the dogs due to the fact that it's green on the bottom side and smells. It can hurt you financially and leave you fumigating.
Pick 'n Pay and Spar, you need to step it up and give the people of Caledon what they are paying for.
