Nakumatt to audit pricing system following outcry over discrepancies
Shoppers at a Nakumatt supermarket outlet. The chain has begun an audit of its pricing systems following consumer outcry over price discrepancies. PHOTO | FILE |
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MD Atul Shah said the discrepancies were isolated and inadvertent.
Mr Shah also moved to assuage the aggrieved customers, saying the problem could have been attributed to the lack of timely updates on the price variations at the branch level.
Retail chain store Nakumatt has begun an audit of its pricing systems following consumer outcry over discrepancies in the shelf prices and those at the tills.
Managing Director Atul Shah said in a statement that the alleged price discrepancies were undergoing internal review to ascertain the circumstances that could have led to the slow update of shelf price stickers. He said the discrepancies were isolated and inadvertent with corrective measures already instituted.
Customers who had fallen victim to the price differences went on social media using the hashtag #Nakumattontrial to highlight their experiences as well as raise other issues with the retailer.
However, Mr Shah moved to assuage the aggrieved customers, saying the problem could have been attributed to the lack of timely updates at the branch level.
“We want to ensure and guarantee our system integrity particularly on these pricing concerns,” he said.
He also said the retailer employs a one-price policy across all its branches in Kenya.
“All price changes, are centrally managed from our Nairobi headquarters and are dictated by corresponding price change advisories dictated by respective suppliers,” Mr Shah said.
The retail chain, according to the MD, will also employ digital price checker kiosks at strategic points within its premises to assist buyers in making purchase decisions before they proceed to the tills.
“Our customers will now confirm product pricing by simply scanning the product barcodes at these stations before heading to the tills...Shoppers are encouraged to lodge their complaints with the duty managers at the branches,” he stated in his response to concerns raised on Nakumatt's official Twitter page.
The Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) joined the fray of complaints on social media, further urging Kenyans to be cautious in their dealings with the retailer.
The watchdog said it would be lodging a general complaint and pursue remedial action for consumers who suffered losses and still have no knowledge of the same.
“The Federation intends to use the latest Nakumatt supermarkets case to offer an unforgettable lesson that retailers have a responsibility, not shoppers, to ensure that there is no discrepancy between display and actual till prices,” Cofek said in a statement on its website.
“We will be demanding an apology as well as a forensic audit of Nakumatt billing and pricing system integrity and compensation for direct and consequential costs to consumers,” it added.
