Consumer Council Exposes Misleading Supermarket Promotions in Hong Kong
AM730 · 3 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
The Consumer Council released findings on September 15, 2026, revealing that promotional tactics at Hong Kong's three major supermarket chains may mislead consumers. The investigation, spanning 47 weeks and covering 222 products across PARKnSHOP, Wellcome, and AEON, found that multi-buy promotions such as "buy one get one free" and "second item free" often provided discounts far below the advertised 50%, with some products actually costing more during promotional periods than at regular times. The Council has launched a new price comparison app to help consumers make informed decisions.
Key Points
- The Consumer Council analyzed 222 products across PARKnSHOP, Wellcome, and AEON online stores over 47 weeks, with 48 items featuring multi-buy promotions
- A 150ml Tao Tao sesame oil was sold under "buy one get one free" at PARKnSHOP for an average of 10 yuan per unit, but regular prices typically ranged from 14 yuan, representing only a 29% discount rather than the implied 50%
- During a Wellcome "buy two, one free" promotion for the same sesame oil, the discounted price averaged 11 yuan per unit, which was 1 yuan more expensive than the non-promotional price of 10 yuan in some periods
- Among 15 groups of same-brand products with different packaging sizes, seven groups showed larger packages with higher per-unit costs, with a 2-liter soft drink costing up to 35% more per unit than a 1.25-liter version
- The Council received 359 related complaints from January to August 2026, a 17% increase from 307 complaints during the same period last year
Why It Matters
The findings highlight a potential erosion of consumer trust in promotional pricing, particularly in Hong Kong's competitive retail market where such sales tactics are widespread. The Consumer Council's new "Price Info Pass" mobile application, covering approximately 2,800 products from nine retailers and updating prices daily at noon, aims to restore transparency and empower consumers to verify whether promotional prices actually represent genuine savings . While the Council noted that Hong Kong operates a free market where retailers can set prices freely, it emphasized that artificially inflating pre-promotion prices could constitute an unfair trade practice, with enforcement authority resting with the Customs and Excise Department .
The findings highlight a potential erosion of consumer trust in promotional pricing, particularly in Hong Kong's competitive retail market where such sales tactics are widespread. The Consumer Council's new "Price Info Pass" mobile application, covering approximately 2,800 products from nine retailers and updating prices daily at noon, aims to restore transparency and empower consumers to verify whether promotional prices actually represent genuine savings . While the Council noted that Hong Kong operates a free market where retailers can set prices freely, it emphasized that artificially inflating pre-promotion prices could constitute an unfair trade practice, with enforcement authority resting with the Customs and Excise Department .