Sainsbury's to cut price of Valentine's Day cards for husband cards after charging 50p more
'Less dogs for the money too!'
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Your support makes all the difference.Supermarket Sainsbury’s has changed the prices on their Valentine’s Day cards after being caught charging more for cards for husbands.
Julie Marlow was picking out a Valentine’s Day card for her husband when she noticed a price discrepancy on cards marked “For My Husband” - which cost 50p more than the “For My Wife” version.
Calling out the supermarket chain on Twitter, Marlow wrote: “@Sainsburys usually love your cards but what’s going on here? Why do I have to pay 50p more for a card for my husband than he has to spend for virtually the same card?” alongside a picture of the two similar cards.
Apart from the intended recipient, the two cards look almost identical - with the For My Wife card featuring a second dog wearing a rhinestone collar but costing just £2, compared to the £2.50 for the other card.
According to Dr Panos Sousounis, a lecturer in economics and finance at Keele University, who spoke to BBC, the unfair pricing may have been based on assumptions about women’s shopping habits.
He said: “Retailers think that women are more willing to spend more money on a Valentine’s card so they price it a little higher.”
However, whether women are more likely to spend more or not, the supermarket has promised to re-price the cards after tweeting to Julie the pricing “doesn’t seem right.”
And in a follow-up tweet, a representative for the supermarket wrote: “I can confirm that this was an error and has since been rectified. Both cards are now £2.”
As Brits spend almost £40.2m on Valentine’s Day cards each year, each penny makes a difference.
The card pricing error comes just days after the store announced they would be selling Valentine’s Day cards for same-sex couples for the first time ever, with prices starting at £1.99.
This Valentine's day, maybe give the gift of love with a handmade card instead.
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