Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

Petrol price surveys

I  was waiting in a line to pay for some petrol at my local BP garage. The delay was caused by the usual number of people buying sausage rolls, milk, cat food and occasionally petrol.

The phone rang and a member of the staff answered the phone. The caller, presumably a competitor or their agent, asked the price of unleaded petrol and diesel per litre.

The BP cashier looked out of the window at the gantry sign with the price indicators and answered the caller by adding 1p per litre to the price.

Does this go on all the time? Is this kind of lying ethical? Whose interests are served by these tactics? Should a retailer allow themselves to be observed employing these tactics?

I personally feel that it is bad for the retailers brand image and it is unethical. It also serves to hold prices higher. This is unless everyone knows the tactics and it is all a daft game.

And what if the caller were a consumer or a price comparison website? This would then result in less business for the retailer that makes their prices appear higher than they actually are.

All very odd. Any thoughts on this?

Open All Hours

In a scene on Open All Hours Arkwright (Ronnie Barker) says to Granville (David Jason), “They decide what they come in here for and we decide what they walk out with.”

It may be a sitcom, but this is a good summary of what differentiates a progressive retailer from one that is going nowhere. Of course retailers still need to setting about satisfying needs and wants but great retail excites us to purchase things that weren’t on our shopping lists.