Mall habitues warned on sales promo scam

By Manuel T. Ugalde

LEGAZPI CITY – To all mall habitues, be warned!

Not all prices during highly advertised sales promotions in malls offering a provocative and enticing discounts of up to 50 percent, are genuine. This, after a customer discovered that the price on the items he purchased based on the pasted price tag appearing on the products concerned, turned out a plain hoax.

The customer claimed that the boasted sales discount during the vaunted sales promo in one of the giant malls in Legazpi City have his bought items a promo tag price that was even higher than the price that appeared on its old-covered tag price. The victim said that the boasted advertised sales promotion with enticing discounts was a plain deception.

According to Celeste Cano, 33, her father-in-law had bought two pieces of sling bags during the 3-day sale promotions period at the Gaisano Mall Metro in Legazpi City on March 18 as gifts for her two young kids… The cost of one of the items bearing Kcross brand name was at P414, as shown in the tag price pasted on the product item, while the other item in black color free size was pegged at P499. The two items were covered by a machine issued official receipt of Gaisano Metro, bearing 836695 numbers. Celeste claimed she tried to examine the difference between the original price and the advertised promo price of the purchased products by lifting the price tag that covers the old tag price to find out the discounted amount. To her surprise, however, the covered old price tag for the item Kcross sling bag brand showed a lower tag price of P390 against the boasted promo sale price tag of P414, or a difference of P34 pesos higher.

The mall habitue wondered in stride that the boasted sales promotion of big discounts was only a deception design to entice the public avail the advertised rush sales. She urged the public to see to it the products they are buying during the highly advertise sales promotions in malls are indeed discounted, to avoid stress.

Celeste Cano added that the other item bought costing P499 of different brand, it seemed, was not covered by the sales promo saying the price tag pasted on the item was the same price that appeared on the old covered price tag.

On the promo leaflets distributed from the Gaisano Malls regarding the 3-day sales promo that began March 17 to 19 at the Gaisano Mall Metro, a discount on sales between 20 to 50 percent on selected items would be enjoyed by customers. As usual, the boosted sales promo at the Gaisano Malls dubbed as its annual “sidewalk sales” was mobbed with a whooping crowd during the three-day period.

Interviewed sales ladies disclosed they have nothing to do with the prices saying the bar code for every item covered by the sales promotions are prepared by the company or products supplier concerned who are tenants of the Gaisano Mall, adding their job as sales workers is simply to paste or install the price cost on every item covered by the sale promo.

Reacting to the Gaisano Metro Mall incident, a retired public works employee Emmanuel Monforte of Legazpi City said even in food houses, deception also exist among established food chains. Monforte said one internationally known food chain at the Ayala Mall in Legazpi have in its display outside the store a meal item offered, however, bearing a lower price that differs the price tag appearing at the counter screen inside. So, if you have short money and you want to avail the items cited outside the food house, chances you would be short-changed, if your cash is not enough, the senior citizen lamented.