Colruyt products ordered through Collect & Go are sometimes more expensive than the products in the store, according to a new study of costs. Customers who opt for the Collect & Go service often pay more for their products than in a physical Colruyt store, according to a De Standaard study. This difference applies to both branded and home brand products, and the fresh food department.
Orange juice, soy milk, cheese spreads and chocolate from famous brands can be 20 to 43% more expensive, the report found.
Products ranging from baby wipes to smoked salmon were also found to be one third to a half more expensive at the collection point, while one kilo of pears was a quarter more expensive at Collect & Go.
"We compare per channel. In the physical store we compare prices with physical competitors, with Collect & Go with online stores," explained Guy Elewaut, marketing director at Colruyt, to De Standaard. Sometimes a competitor runs a promotion only online or offline, he added.
The impact this has on a full shopping basket remains somewhat limited, due to the sporadic nature of the products in question. Research showed that on almost 90% of purchased products did not have a price difference between online and offline.
As a result, according to De Standaard, the impact on an entire shopping basket is small, with customers paying about 1 to 3% more for the Collect & Go service, excluding the service costs of 5,50 euros.
The Brussels Times
