No. 306 Consumer Report
An analysis on 2018 supermarket price is featured in the latest issue no. 306 Consumer Report, an increase of 1.8 percent year-on-year was recorded in the average prices of the 350 products surveyed by the Consumer Council. The highest percentage increase was recorded in the average retail price of rice while the lowest was found in fresh produce with a decrease of 7 percent.
Price of rice in supermarkets increased almost 10 percent
The Council collected prices of 357 products from 100 supermarkets in its 2018 supermarket price survey work, a total of 450000 price data was recorded. 3 categories of products recorded year-on-year price decrease, the biggest price drop of 7.6 percent was found in fresh produce while the greatest price increase of 13 percent was seen in the prices of rice as many rice brands recorded average price increase of over 20 percent in 2018. Snacks and tissue papers also recorded an increase of about 3 percent.
Increased number of users comparing prices in app
The analysis reviews that the number of users of the “Supermarket price information platform” app continues to grow, there were 2,000 new users in 2018 and 8 million page views, meanwhile, the Council added the new “frozen food” category in mid-2018 in response to consumers’ request.
Consumers are suggested to check the supermarket price report on its website, mobile phone app, wechat account, or get hard copies in public libraries, the “Supermarket price information platform” also includes functions such as “Supermarket price watch”, “Rankings of products with price differences of over 50%”, and “Smart choice” for consumers’ convenience to look for the cheapest products.
Almost 2,300 complaint cases received last year
A feature on the number of cases received in 2018 is included in the latest Consumer Report. Over 5,000 cases were received in 2018, which was about 0.5 percent less than 2017, and there were 2,290 complaints and 2,753 inquires respectively. The top five categories of the most complaints received were jewelry (201 cases), public transportation (166 cases), food and beverage (163 cases), personal care products and services (148 cases) and food services (144 case), which amounted to about 35 percent of the total number of complaint cases received in 2018. In 2018, there were over 20 complaint cases on disputes about electronic payment methods, the Council will strengthen its consumer education work as e-payments become widely popular and common, business platforms are also suggested to enhance the transparency of their terms and conditions to avoid any disputes with consumers.
Consumer Report issue 306 also talks about how consumer rights are protected when defects occur in renovation projects and recent works of the Consumer Council. Consumers may access the magazine online on the Council’s official website and WeChat official account. Consumer Report is now also available free of charge at the Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 26, Edf. Clementina Ho), and the service counter of the Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, libraries, and bookstores.
For inquiry, please call the Council’s hotline: 8988 9315.