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Uchumi in major shocking move
Rank: Member Joined: 5/8/2009 Posts: 263 Location: Gigiri, Nairobi
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The Uchumi deception
 Got this from a friend.
Let us dispel the rumous by counterchecking what she wanted me to believe.
She said.
Let me share this with you. It's been bothering me for a while but today I've decided to vent out.
For quite sometime, I've been a regular shopper at Uchumi Supermarkets (Ngong Hyper, Nairobi West, Adams) and for over two years I have watched as Uchumi rip off Kenyans.
I consider myself part of this rip off because I did not talk about it all that time. Inside me, I believed that it was one of the strategies Uchumi were using to recover. Perhaps it was fine to just let them steal, so as to recover, because otherwise the other Supermarkets would monopolize the market and prices would not be favorable.
I am the type that love using a written budget for shopping, and I always do track changes in items' prices. For a long time I've watched price variances between what you see at Uchumi shelves and what comes out at the payment till. For many goods at Uchumi, the prices you end up paying at the till are always much higher than what you see on the shelf. Their is also a deliberate practice NOT to have items placed in such a way that the price tags you see on the shelf match the items against which they are displayed. I did raise the issue a few times with their Customer Care person (the ones who are always on reach in the shops) and all they could tell me was that they will look into it. Of course they believed me to be stupid, because I never told them I'd been tracking this weird practice for a long time. And I'd thought it would stop once they recovered, but I was wrong.
One day (abt two weeks ago) me and my friend went shopping (Ngong Hyper). She picked some small packet of popcorn which was labelled to cost about KES 40. At the till, it ended up costing about KES 85. I don't remember the actual figure, but I do remember this incident because I had to use money I had reserved for other purposes to pay for the popcorn, and we ended up disagreeing with my friend.
Having gone past that incident, there is this time (10th March 2010) that I again went shopping at Uchumi Ngong Rd Hyper. I decided to buy some "Fresha" Yoghurt and I took my time to find the actual price for the 250ml container. It was labelled (on the shelf) as costing KES 35. I believed this was okay for 250ml, because next to it, there were Ohlalah Yoghurt, 500ml, whose cost I believe most of you know. Come to the payment till and the damn thing was priced at KES 85! My shock!!
I took one of the attendants to the shelf and asked them to show me the price for that item and for sure it was labelled at KES 35. He could not explain why at the till it was KES 85. I asked them to void the item from my purchase list. Receipt attached.
Again come 17th March 2010, I passed by Uchumi Nairobi West to buy a few things. One of those was Jik Colors, 2.5litre container. This item was marked on the shelf as costing KES 390. When I got to the till, the machine showed the price at KES 435, and this made me pick a war with the supervisor. I brought him the price tag from the shelf and asked him why there was a variance of KES 45 between what's on the shelf and what's at the till. The guy could not find an explanation. On this date, I ranted so much and told them that I had only one choice: I was either paying 390 and taking the Jik, or I was not paying anything but still take the Jik and the price tag from the shelf and go find an avenue for complaint/redress - with evidence. Now on this occasion, I paid the actual amount for the goods I'd bought, but to cover for the variance, the supervisor and the guy at the till agreed to pretend that I paid KES 45 above what I had paid, and so I went with my shopping without being ripped off. See the attached receipt.
As a warning to those who like Uchumi (I still shop at Uchumi anyway, but my eyes are more open), please be checking the prices produced at the till against what is on the shelf. Uchumi is minting millions by stealing from Kenyans this way. We are way too trusting, that it doesn't occur to you that you could be paying more than you get from Uchumi (or other Supermakets). The trick is that the computers are fed with prices higher than you see on the shelf. Without checking (and very few pple have the time to do this at the till), Uchumi will continue to rip you off, and the figures are that high. With Uchumi, you are safer if you always carry your shopping list to the supermarket. Always indicate the prices of the items and counter-check with those the next time you go shopping.
However, you can disregard this advise if losing KES 40 is not such an issue to you.
>>>>>>
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases;
It will never pass into nothingness;
But still will keep a bower quiet for us,
and a sleep full of sweet dreams,
and health, and quiet breathing. - Keats
>>>>>>>In life,there are three classes of people,
1. Those who make things happen,
2. Those who watch things happen
3. And those who ask what happened.
Where do you fall?
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Rank: Elder Joined: 3/31/2008 Posts: 7,081 Location: Kenya
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...Hii ni porojo tupu...why didn't she insist on paying the price indicated on the shelves?
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Rank: Member Joined: 11/30/2009 Posts: 105 Location: kenya
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that email is doing rounds everywhere...maybe its subbotage against uchumi, MAYBE the early worm is eaten by the early bird
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Rank: Member Joined: 2/26/2010 Posts: 108 Location: Jabini
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Rank: Member Joined: 4/26/2008 Posts: 90
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It is true. I experienced it yesterday. But the price became less 200 to 150
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Rank: Elder Joined: 4/22/2009 Posts: 2,863
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I dont know anything about Uchumi but i had a similar experience with Nakumatt Thika Road. When it was demolished the other day,i said GOOD RIDDANCE. IF YOU EXPECT ME TO POST ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT ASENO, YOU MAY AS WELL SIT ON A PIN
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 11/30/2006 Posts: 635
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sounds like laziness on the part of the staff. Price changes are effected sand they don't bother to make new price tags at the shelves. possibly
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Rank: Elder Joined: 12/13/2006 Posts: 2,589
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I'd have to agree with @gathinga on this, I doubt it's a deliberate effort to short change customers, it has happened to me not once , not twice. I also doubt it's only Uchumi who do it...I got the email and could relate with even Nakumatt but can't remember a similar incident happening at Tuskys... BEER IS LIVING PROOF THAT GOD LOVES US AND WANTS US TO BE HAPPY!
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Rank: Member Joined: 2/27/2010 Posts: 109 Location: NAIROBI
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where is the damn attached receipt again?
that "i shop only at uchumi to help them recover" is meant to?
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Rank: Member Joined: 11/30/2009 Posts: 105 Location: kenya
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it has also happened to me at ukwala. Bought yogurt labeled 60 bob, at the counter it turns out to be 66 bob. Uchumi have refuted these claims in today's dailies the early worm is eaten by the early bird
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Rank: Elder Joined: 6/19/2008 Posts: 4,268
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While it may be true that there could be discrepancies on a few item, i doubt this is a deliberate move to defraud customers. I shop at Uchumi and even for a monthly shopping, my budget variance is negligible so it is not like every item has a discrepancy.
sometimes you find, the price indicated is may be for a different brand of the same item. eg, sometimes back i went to buy rice. I know i buy CIL at around 290 or so for 2 kgs. but where i found it, the price was around 255 or so.... and i was excited that they are giving discounts only for the counter to change and i raised concern. when we went back to the shelf, the price indicated was for another brand i think "guru" or something but it is still rice, 2 kgs but the attendants may be did not bother putting the CIL at its right place.
So, it does happen.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 3/31/2008 Posts: 7,081 Location: Kenya
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...idle customers also cause this confusion. You find a packet of Omo placed next to a loaf of bread and one is likely to read the Omos price as that of bread.Uchumi is not as swift as let's say Nakumatt in putting things back where they are supposed to be. Customers also remove the tags and put different ones...
...Listen to this confession... In the early Ninties, just after graduation, I walked into a Mhindi shop in Bishara street with the aim of buying my 'then sweetheart, who is now my wife' a teddy bear. The one that pleased me most was costing Ksh 4,500. Next to it was one costing Ksh 1,500. I had only Ksh 1200 for my sweethearts teddy bear. So beacuse there was only a Mhindi cashier and a very bored shop attendant who kept on yawning several times, I told him to leave me alone so that I can make my choice. I exchanged the teddy bears so that the one for Ksh 4,500 was in the plastic bag labelled Ksh 1,500 and vice versa.
...My next task was now to go and bargain. As usual I started by splitting the price and offered Ksh 750. We settled at Ksh 900. I paid still complaining how teddy bears were expensive in that shop. I used Ksh 200 to add some flowers (have never bought others since then!!!) on the teddy bear. ...and that is how I won myself a wife....
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 11/9/2009 Posts: 2,003
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Rank: Elder Joined: 12/13/2006 Posts: 2,589
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@Magigi if that was you then you're truly a desereved winner! BEER IS LIVING PROOF THAT GOD LOVES US AND WANTS US TO BE HAPPY!
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Rank: Member Joined: 4/19/2010 Posts: 227 Location: Nairobi
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I have been looking for a forum to rant and thank God I have...On Saturday I went for my monthly shopping at Tuskys..First, I paid five shillings more for one packet of spaghetti(they were six...) When I got home and wet through the receipt, I found out that they had conned me of 1000 ksh!!! This is because I bought one 8 pack of Tissue and in the receipt, they indicated that I had actually bought 9 packs of 8 six pack tissue...1000 kshs!! Thats alot of money!!
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Rank: New-farer Joined: 3/15/2010 Posts: 88 Location: sudan
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@Muk U wa high on some stuff that is not local --- how can u not notice 1000shs difference or u swim in some money pool!!
The Brave may not live forever - but the cautious do not live at all: Richard Branson
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Rank: Elder Joined: 11/19/2007 Posts: 2,047
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@ pretty,it means that you paid almost twice the cost of your shopping every time you shopped at Uchumi and you continued to shop huko? sikuamini. I don shop at Uchumi though so let me not comment much
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Rank: Member Joined: 3/24/2010 Posts: 677 Location: Nairobi
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The only unfairness in this thread is that it is labelled uchumi only. It is also very rampant in tuskys and nakumatt. I have changed supermarkets a couple of times because of this nonsense. Uchumi ngong road keep giving less change at the till. Luckily am keen. But if its a shilling or two from each customer, how much do they fleece@ the end?? Tuskys and nakumatt do not label correct price and ive come to believe its on purpose. Especially nakumatt mega and the tuskys at busstation and near railways...if its just 'laziness' why has it become so rampant with SO many complaints. It is tact to fleece customers especialy those paying by credit card. I dont know who else to complain to because last i raised it in nakumatt,looked like i was speaking to myself. I am not understanding people claiming ignorance for them? Is it because it has not happened to you?
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Rank: Member Joined: 4/19/2010 Posts: 227 Location: Nairobi
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@Amir i wish I was swimming in money...Sometimes my shopping goes up to that amount that I paid that is why I did not notice until i was home the next day..Oh and i wish i was high too.. @Dash, this really annoys me or when they give you 50 cent coins knowing very well that they are not accepted in the local shops!!
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