Many companies cheat consumers through gimmick packaging

BY MADHU AGRAWAL

A popular branded shaving-cream has been introduced with the pack having prominently printed as 33-percent extra with break-up as 94 gms as original weight and 31 gms as 33-percent extra thus making total pack of 125 gms.

Such break-up of pack-weight to exhibit 33-percent extra quantity packed in normal pack is befooling the customer. Companies must be allowed to print extra free quantity only when earlier normal pack with same printed Maximum-Retail-Price MRP might have been earlier introduced in the market. But since the company never introduced 94 gms normal pack in the market, such a tactics of break-up of 125 gms pack (94 gms normal and 31 gms free) is cheating with customers, which must not be allowed.

Packing-policy needs to be rationalised legally to compulsorily pack all commodities in true metric spirit only in packs of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 gms or mltrs or ltrs or kgs or units only so that consumer may judge comparative prices of a commodity marketed by different companies. Any liberty to pack in units other than suggested ones gives manufacturers cheat consumers through gimmick packaging.

Drug-manufacturers cheat consumers through gimmick packaging by packing commonly advertised medicines like cough-lozenges in eight per strip rather than normal ten because consumers judge prices per strip. Many drug-manufacturers have started packing medicine in strips of 15 rather than 10 to shoot up sale, because most chemists sell medicines only in strips. It is necessary that suggested metric-system of packaging may be applicable on medicines also unless exemption is sought from competent authority for dose-wise administration.

Writer is Guinness Record Holder