There has never been so much abuse in German stores as last year

In 2021, the authorities registered 47 products that were capable of deceiving customers. In 2022, 76 such products were already identified, and last year their number continued to grow, reaching 104. The appeal focuses on the fact that the majority of average buyers do not notice these tricks, and emphasizes that it is necessary to constantly monitor the packaging and price of individual goods in order to be suspicious of multi scams.

Bild, Germany’s most read daily newspaper, cites a specific example: the packaging of Pringles chips changed continuously between 2006 and 2022 (200g, 170g, 195g, 180g, 165g, 190g, 185g), while the price almost doubled. This is just one of many examples of how companies play tricks with their products and prices.

Consumer protection organizations also draw attention to the fact that among the scams there are also those where the description of a product changes over time without drawing the attention of the customers. For example, a recommendation for a syrup or concentrate can be changed to recommend consuming more concentrate for the same amount of liquid, so that the customer consumes it more quickly and buys more of it.