menu
Friday, November 15, 2024
histadrut
Created by rgb media Powered by Salamandra
© Davar- All rights reserved
News

Israelis Wary About Removing Requirement for Price Stickers

A proposed reform would allow supermarkets to display their prices through electronic signs rather than physical stickers, but a new study from the Histadrut Consumer Authority finds that most consumers think the grocery stores, not the shoppers, would benefit from the change

מוצר עם מדבקת סימון מחיר (צילום: עינת אלחדף)
A price sticker on a package of straws. (Photo: Einat Alhadaf)
By Nizzan Zvi Cohen

As the cost of living in Israel continues to rise, Israelis are especially attuned to price tags on the items they buy everyday. More than three-quarters of Israeli consumers believe that allowing stores to sell products without physical price tags will result in stores raising their prices abruptly with no oversight and in consumers losing their ability to keep track of what they’re really paying. That’s according to a new study by the Histadrut Consumer Authority and the Geocartography Knowledge Group.

More than 600 Israeli consumers representative of the population took part in the study, which was carried out in response to an initiative driven by supermarket chains to allow stores to use electronic price signage instead of the physical price stickers that have been mandated for 25 years. In September, the state Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority published the proposal to amend the law in a call for public comment.

The proposal was presented as part of the “What’s Good for Europe Is Good for Israel” reforms to reduce Israeli standards regulations. The Ministry of the Economy (which contains the Consumer Protection Authority) is currently evaluating the proposal, which supporters say would save grocery stores money by removing the need for employees to apply price stickers by hand.

Most of the study’s respondents said that the change would not benefit consumers. More than half said it would result in increased prices, and less than 10% said it would result in lower prices. About 70% said the reform is in the best interest of the businesses, not the consumers, and only 11% said consumers would be served by the change.

About 86% of the respondents said that price stickers make it easier for them to compare prices among various products. More than three out of every four consumers said that getting rid of the price tag requirement would make it harder for them to comparison-shop.

“This is a regulatory proposal that will make things easier for retailers, but the consumer will not enjoy its fruits, because it doesn’t contain a mechanism to ensure reduced prices,” Yaron Levinson, director of the Histadrut Consumer Authority, said. “The Israeli consumer prefers the simple sticker, which provides certainty regarding the price and the ability to compare, over the shining electronic signs. It can be said definitely that Israeli consumers are opposed to proposals to change the way prices are displayed.”

“It’s inconceivable that during this period of rampantly rising cost of living a decision is made that will lead to even higher prices,” Levinson said. “The Histadrut Consumer Authority is opposed to the proposed changes. Technological advancement is a welcome thing, and if a proposal is made to implement technology in such a way that benefits workers and contributes to fairness, the authority will happily support it. The study’s findings will be passed on to the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority with the goal that that authority will recommend to the Ministry of the Economy not to change the system of price display practiced today in Israel.”

This article was translated from Hebrew by Leah Schwartz.

Acceptance constitutes acceptance of the Website Terms of Use