Beverages frequently make up and reduce weight but claim no price increases but dark gains

In the summer, the beverage industry entered the peak sales season of the year, but consumers found that this year's beverages "lose weight without reducing prices", industry leaders such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Master Kong, the new packaging of each bottle is reduced in the 50 ml to 100 ml . In the country's frequent adoption of a series of measures to stabilize the price level, many companies have announced that they will postpone the price increase, but some beverage companies have completed the implicit price increase through “downsizing”.

In this regard, the consumer protection department said that the use of consumer inertia, through the packaging "downsizing" disguised price increases, is the consumer's right to know and choose to ignore. People in the legal profession questioned whether companies that are in a monopoly position in the industry tacitly and implicitly increase prices. Is it suspected of illegality? Experts suggest that government departments should be good at using existing legal weapons and deal with risk pre-judgment in areas such as monopoly profits and price alliances.

There are industry analysts, manufacturers are out of consideration for market share. Because many consumers are more sensitive to the price of beverages, even if they increase the price by one or two cents, they will also affect the consumers' purchasing mood. However, if the packaging changes, the capacity will shrink slightly, and most consumers will not be very sensitive.

Ren Hailin, deputy secretary-general of the Zhejiang Provincial Consumer Rights Protection Committee, said that in the current situation of rising raw materials and oil prices, the manufacturer’s own price increase is understandable, but consumers must be clearly stated. The implicit price increase without reduction in price actually violates consumers’ right to know and choose.

Ren Hailin suggested that government departments or industry associations should regulate the outer packaging of beverages, instant noodles and other commodities, and require that the net content must be marked out in a prominent place in a prominent place, or set a uniform net content standard for small packages such as instant noodles and drinks. , Do not allow companies to use their hands in "quantity". In this way, consumers can see at a glance when prices are comparable.

Cheng Xuelin, a lawyer at Zhejiang Guosheng Law Firm, believes that it is questionable whether the tacit price hikes of these companies are behind the "abuse of market dominance" in the anti-monopoly law and guard against implicit price hikes into industry practice.

Experts suggest that government departments should be good at using existing legal weapons to liberalize pricing and free competition in the commodity industry, and deal with risk pre-judgment in areas such as monopoly profits and price alliances.