Volkswagen shocked the world when it was revealed it was cheating on emissions tests on a grand scale. Now some television makers may be gaming the energy efficiency ratings of some of their televisions, according to the Economist. In their efforts to compete and sell more, some brands decide to cut corners. Sometime transgressions are major, like at Volkswagen. However, much of the time they are minor, perfectly legal things, that just make you feel like you have been short changed. A recent trip to a Swiss supermarket, revealed one such example, in the form of misleading packaging. The 30 second video below illustrates. [embedded content] The box of fruit bars above, retails for CHF 3.80, which is US$ 3.83. Most of the purchase turned out to be air. The product’s weight is clearly displayed, but it’s difficult to respond intuitively to weight. Another brand employing a similar high-air-to-product-ratio strategy is Toblerone. When the exchange rate went against it in the UK, instead of hiking the price, the company came out with a modified chocolate bar with fewer peaks. Facebook and Twitter.
Topics:
Investec considers the following as important: Editor's Choice, Personal finance, Swiss prices
This could be interesting, too:
Investec writes The global brands artificially inflating their prices on Swiss versions of their websites
Investec writes Swiss car insurance premiums going up in 2025
Investec writes The Swiss houses that must be demolished
Investec writes Swiss rent cuts possible following fall in reference rate
Volkswagen shocked the world when it was revealed it was cheating on emissions tests on a grand scale. Now some television makers may be gaming the energy efficiency ratings of some of their televisions, according to the Economist.
In their efforts to compete and sell more, some brands decide to cut corners. Sometime transgressions are major, like at Volkswagen. However, much of the time they are minor, perfectly legal things, that just make you feel like you have been short changed.
A recent trip to a Swiss supermarket, revealed one such example, in the form of misleading packaging. The 30 second video below illustrates.
The box of fruit bars above, retails for CHF 3.80, which is US$ 3.83. Most of the purchase turned out to be air. The product’s weight is clearly displayed, but it’s difficult to respond intuitively to weight.
Another brand employing a similar high-air-to-product-ratio strategy is Toblerone. When the exchange rate went against it in the UK, instead of hiking the price, the company came out with a modified chocolate bar with fewer peaks.
