On board shops - ‘weasel words’ discount

[9265359]

I noticed today that the webpage for the DUTY FREE prices has some nice ‘weasel wording’ on it

 

“Enjoy a saving of up to 15% on every item compared to its average UK high street price”

 

https://www.pocruises.com/onboard-activities/shopping
 

“Up to” - hmm… so one item could have a 15% discount and everything else 0% and that offer would still be fulfilled. 
 

Quite a change from the past when they guaranteed the 20% VAT saving on everything. 

[Josy1953]

53 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

I noticed today that the webpage for the DUTY FREE prices has some nice ‘weasel wording’ on it

 

“Enjoy a saving of up to 15% on every item compared to its average UK high street price”

 

https://www.pocruises.com/onboard-activities/shopping
 

“Up to” - hmm… so one item could have a 15% discount and everything else 0% and that offer would still be fulfilled. 
 

Quite a change from the past when they guaranteed the 20% VAT saving on everything. 

Even worse, one item could have a 15% discount and everything could be 15% more than the UK average.

We always look at the prices ashore if there is something that we see onboard that we think we would like to buy and have usually found it better to buy in the shops ashore.  We have a friend who still smokes and asks us to get cigarettes for him, we usually find that tobacco products are cheaper in the shops ashore than in the ship shops.

[david63]

It's called marketing!

 

Like all things you have to do your homework. I have generally found that alcohol in particular is cheaper in the local supermarket (especially when on offer) than it is on a ship and you don't have to lug it back home.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, 9265359 said:

I noticed today that the webpage for the DUTY FREE prices has some nice ‘weasel wording’ on it

 

“Enjoy a saving of up to 15% on every item compared to its average UK high street price”

 

https://www.pocruises.com/onboard-activities/shopping
 

“Up to” - hmm… so one item could have a 15% discount and everything else 0% and that offer would still be fulfilled. 
 

Quite a change from the past when they guaranteed the 20% VAT saving on everything. 

Crickey what a shock. In the high St superdry had a sale . Upto 50% off. That's a first ...using the term...upto.🤣

[lincslady]

'Up to' has been around for ages, and drives me nuts.  For everything, including cruises.  It may mean that officially everything is reduced, but of course it could be just  by 1%.  I hate being taken for an idiot, even if I am sometimes.  

[pete14]

I agree with what people are saying about this being a common but unwelcome and in some cases misleading marketing ploy but just to say that whilst onboard Aurora recently, my son bought himself an expensive watch which was about 25% cheaper than he could have bought it for online. The 10% loyalty discount reduced the price and increased the saving further. 

[yorkshirephil]

Same old same "old, up" to or "from" seem to be the favourites. We called at Morrisons on the way home from hospital as I knew they had Jam shed at 3 for £20 and Mrs YP likes a babycham which is not always easy to find. My favourite jamshed is tempranillo but that was £8.25 a bottle and not in the offer, but apart from a lighter coloured label it was not clear. Sainsbugs have jamshed tempranillo at £7 bottle. Supermarkets have been masters of subterfuge for as long as I can remember. You just have to be canny. The upside was that if you spent £35+ you got 5p off a Lt of fuel which had just gone down to 137.7 full price so all in all I did OK.

[jeanlyon]

I have never found anything in P&O shops that isn't cheaper in an ordinary shop.  So I never buy anything at all.  

[9265359]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

Crickey what a shock. In the high St superdry had a sale . Upto 50% off. That's a first ...using the term...upto.🤣

True, but disappointing that P&O has resorted to such deceptive practices, particularly when they are making at least 20% more profit than the High Street. 

[david63]

Just now, 9265359 said:

True, but disappointing that P&O has resorted to such deceptive practices, particularly when they are making at least 20% more profit than the High Street. 

It is not actually P&O but whoever the concession belongs to at the time that is operating these practices

[zap99]

1 minute ago, 9265359 said:

True, but disappointing that P&O has resorted to such deceptive practices, particularly when they are making at least 20% more profit than the High Street. 

I got an email today from RC. From £311. That is in May, Southampton to Laharve back to Southampton 2 nights. Inside cabin £311. I guess their headline in accurate. Unfortunately everybody is at it. Supermarkets, shops, cruises, airlines. Us experienced consumers won't be fooled....Will we ?.🤔

[david63]

42 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Us experienced consumers won't be fooled....Will we ?

Probably not - but how often have you had a marketing email with a "too good to be true" price and you have gone and had a look?

[ovccruiser]

Bear in mind, duty free is not profit free and the term "up to" is I think a term that must be used when advertising, no longer allowed to say 100% but now have to say up to 100%, there be be the odd one I guess 😄 

[yorkshirephil]

16 minutes ago, ovccruiser said:

Bear in mind, duty free is not profit free and the term "up to" is I think a term that must be used when advertising, no longer allowed to say 100% but now have to say up to 100%, there be be the odd one I guess 😄 

Maybe that is what Paul Ludlow should have said; up to 99.9% of passengers were happy.

[zap99]

31 minutes ago, david63 said:

Probably not - but how often have you had a marketing email with a "too good to be true" price and you have gone and had a look?

Quite often TBH.🤣

[yorkshirephil]

33 minutes ago, david63 said:

Probably not - but how often have you had a marketing email with a "too good to be true" price and you have gone and had a look?

I like the ones where they offer "Huge" discounts on the 10 top selling cruises, obviously not selling that well but clearly it is still fooling some people.

[9265359]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

Us experienced consumers won't be fooled....Will we ?.🤔

Well there seems to be lots of people fooled by all the supermarket’s ‘increase the price to offer a fake discount with a loyalty card’ schemes. 

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

Well there seems to be lots of people fooled by all the supermarket’s ‘increase the price to offer a fake discount with a loyalty card’ schemes. 

We are having a coffee in the little posh coffee shop in Tesco. There is an Aldi, M&S and Tesco all together. They won't fool us with their fake bargain offers. Just in case, DW has got the Clubcard

🤣

[Harryjacobs]

Just off Arrcadia last week and they were selling 1lt Gordons Gin (amongst others) 2 for £25.  Thats £12.50 for 1 litre.  You will not find that in UK supermarkets

[twotravellersLondon]

44 minutes ago, Harryjacobs said:

Just off Arrcadia last week and they were selling 1lt Gordons Gin (amongst others) 2 for £25.  Thats £12.50 for 1 litre.  You will not find that in UK supermarkets

 

Absolutely true... but we just can't be bothered lugging bottles of booze back home for a saving of £15 quid.

[majortom10]

They were selling 5 bottles of Dead Mans Fingers Rum on Arvia in September. I challenge anyone to get anywhere that price in UK. In my local supermarket it was over £20 a bottle.

[terrierjohn]

6 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

I like the ones where they offer "Huge" discounts on the 10 top selling cruises, obviously not selling that well but clearly it is still fooling some people.

I guess there would be many on here who would love to be on a poorly selling cruise, with lots of space and sunbed availability.

[Enjoyacruise]

I flew from Manchester to join the Arvia on November 10th. On joining the queue to drop off my luggage I was given 2 P&O vouchers for £30 to spend in the shop onboard. Yes, I thought there must be some small print about a minimum spend.

 

Anyway I kept them and there was no small print. But still not really believing matters asked at one of the onboard shops and was told that as long as I bought something costing £30 or more the vouchers would be honoured.

 

So I bought a box of the Caribbean cakes (for presents) and a P&O pencil which took me to £30.25 and thought "well done P&O". Although travelling on my own they honoured both vouchers. My second purchase came to £36.00

 

So if offered these vouchers when flying to meet a cruise don't throw them away!!!!!!!!!!!!