Multipack Items

[Greedyfly]

Am I right in thinking that it is NOT illegal to split and sell multipack items singley as long as you price the item clearly?

Thanks

GF

[B00]

Nope- we're not allowed to do that either (the powers that be seem to think we'd then damage what we want to eat ourselves). We have to waste it off which just about breaks my heart as I hate to see wastage. We do occasionally perform 'surgery' on the product by sellotaping it all back together and reducing it, but again, it's at a loss and usually doesn't sell anyway.

[murraymints]

ah...s'no fair !

[gingejbee]

BOO: "MT's comments are sound and largely correct". Really?
MT said that items removed from a shrink wrapped multipack are missing a barcode...his whole argument depended on that premise. As I stated, some products have barcodes and some don't...KitKat Chunky and John West tuna (the two I happened to check earlier) DO have individual barcodes. So, I think MT's comments are neither sound nor largely correct....and don't make for his robust argument.

[B00]

Well obviously you're right and im wrong ginge- it's not as i I see these items day in day out every day for a living is it, and it's not as if I said "largely is it? :-)

[B00]

Another thought...

Also items in multipacks are sometimes smaller, so therefore selling them as a complete item is a bit naughty as I bet the price is not decreased to reflect that.

[ivor4781]

a lot of "chocolate" multipacks have smaller versions of the product,if the seller is selling them for the "normal" price of the standard one he's doing wrong

[ivor4781]

boo.ya just beat me lol

[gingejbee]

.....which is why, some four hours ago, I said it "depends on product, size, manufacturer"

[MTbowels]

gingejbee, I'm afraid you are mistaken. I don't doubt that you have come across products in multipacks that do have barcodes. However, that is not the norm. The majority of multipacked items do not. I suggest you ask any supermarket worker if you remain in doubt - I say supermarkets as like it or not, they have greater experience of volume sales.

I'm reluctant to throw my weight around over this, but I've worked as a senior executive with two of the largest UK food manufacturers, been a retail manager and area director with one of the big four supermarket groups and I'm thoroughly familiar with the thinking behind barcode implementation.

When you come across a barcoded multipack item, there are specific reasons for it which include uncertainty over quantity purchasing by the buyer, short coding considerations, stipulations by export purchasers where the laws are not the same as he UK, discount retailers sales where multipack sales are not suitable for the store and many others. It's not as simple as it seems.

Go along to your local Farm Foods branch where you'll find cases of 330ml cans of Coca-cola, Tango, 7Up and the like. Both Farm Foods and Coca Cola will tell you if you ask them nicely that they know that the majority of the sales will be to owners of takeaways, mobile food stalls, small retailers etc as the cost per can is considerably cheaper than they can achieve from Booker etc. Examine a can in the pack. They have a barcode. Despite the fact that the seller may not have EPOS equipment, the cans still bear a barcode. The logic? It is simply that the manufacturer cannot tell where the product will end up on sale.

Boo is absolutely correct. Multipacks opened by a customer are one of a supermarket manager's worst nightmare. Each container in the pack becomes unsaleable by normal means in an instant.

[MTbowels]

Incidentally, as BOO says, one of the few means of selling opened or damaged multipacks was by offering them to staff. This was the norm for many years in supermarkets. However, it soon became apparent that shelf-fillers were not averse to damaging packs deliberately to take advantage of the discount.

Nowadays, we have special arrangement with most major manufacturers to return damaged products and products in torn packaging.

[gingejbee]

MTB: you and BOO are addressing the practicalities of individual multipack items and not the legalities...which the OP was questioning. It's obviously difficult/infuriating/awkward/potentially wasteful when multipacks are split...but selling the individual items without a barcode (for example, on a market stall wouldn't be unlawful). Selling the same items without proper ingredient listing/weight indication/allergen information would be. This is why I answered yesterday as I did.
We've all had our opinions aired now...I'm finished with this topic!

[MTbowels]

gingejbee, I did address the legality of selling the content of multipack products singly in my 2300 post yesterday. It's in the penultimate paragraph.

You seem to attach some significance to disclosure of allergens, ingredients and weight information to the individual items. Regretfully, there are no mandatory requirements for this information along with others which yo have not mentioned. Successive governments have put guidelines in place which are constantly meddled with by Brussels, but there are many misconceptions about what should be disclosed.

I'm grateful you've aired your opinion as you state. I haven't done so - I've provided factual up to date information based upon current practice derived from years of experience in the food manufacturing and retail industry. Knowledge is everything.