“This week there are great prices on, among other things, coffee and ground beef. For members, 2 for SEK 79 applies to coffee from Arvid Nordqvist and ground beef 800 g for SEK 69.00/piece,” read an Instagram post from the local Coop store Coop Ålidhem.
DO NOT MISS: The ICA store’s rules can be discrimination: “Forbidden”
A seemingly ordinary advertisement with the aim of attracting customers to the grocery store in Umeå. One detail, however, did not go unnoticed by a customer: It is not clear from the advertisement that you have to buy goods for at least SEK 200 in order to take part in the offer.
The Instagram post was reported to the Advertising Ombudsman (RO) because the notifier found the post misleading.
READ MORE: The panic move: That’s why the shelves are empty at Coop in Denmark
Coop’s discounts underwent changes at the turn of the year
News24 has previously written about how Coop’s various member discounts have changed in more ways than what was communicated to customers.
– In general, from February 1, 2024, members receive a percentage discount on regular prices, not as before on the entire receipt, Coop’s press secretary Marcus Björling told Nyheter24 at the time.
READ MORE: Coop changes the membership – here is the discount that disappears
Coop regrets the loss
Regarding Coop Ålidhem’s advertising, the criticism was passed on to Coop Nord, which owns the store.
Coop Nord claims that the purchase requirement of at least SEK 200 was omitted in the post and regrets this, according to the newspaper Fri Köpenskap. As a result, the Instagram post was taken down and Coop Nord has apologized.
RO agrees with the notifier and considers the post to be misleading. Since the purchase requirement was not in the advertisement, customers cannot be expected to know about it either.
According to the newspaper the RO considered that a correction had been desirable but that this had not changed the misleading nature of the advertisement. As a result, RO has taken down the Instagram post.
DO NOT MISS: Empty shelves at Coop – this is why