Carrefour's 3x2 Promotion: Hidden Price Inflation and Customer Complaints

Carrefour and the 3x2: Customer Complaints

Carrefour's flagship promotion promises three products for the price of two. On paper, it is one-third free. In practice, according to a cascade of complaints targeting the French chain, the discount is swallowed by the labeling itself: items included in the 3x2 offer arrive on shelves with prices higher than those outside the promotion. Carrefour is Spain's second-largest supermarket by market share, so this is not a neighborhood anecdote.

The pattern has been around for a long time. In April 2022, a photo circulated of a can of Budweiser beer sold for 0.75 euros and offered in 3x2, making each unit 0.50 euros. This was practically the price it already had at other establishments without any promotion. A discount that does not discount.

What does the Carrefour 3x2 promotion hide?

The official mechanics are simple: when buying three products from the same category, the cheapest one is free. The problem lies in the selection. Items included in the promotion are usually those with the highest price on the shelf, so the theoretical savings are diluted. By late 2022, cases had already been reported, such as salmon from a well-known brand, whose price had been inflated just before entering the 3x2, resulting in the offer costing more than the previous price.

The company's response, according to collected accounts, has been to ask for the specific store where each episode occurred and little else. There is no public explanation regarding the criteria used to set prices for products included in promotions.

Savings packs that cost more

The 3x2 is not the only suspicious format. The so-called savings packs, large containers promising a better price per unit, have become another focus of criticism. One case detailed by a user: a 500-gram pack of cream cheese for 4.95 euros compared to the 350-gram family pack for 3.85 euros with a second unit at half price. The math resulted in 700 grams for 5.77 euros, meaning the savings format was more expensive per kilogram.

The issue repeats with the price per kilogram, which is where almost all decisions are made. There are accounts of avocado packages where the price per kilogram did not add up because the bags were 450 grams instead of 500. And price comparisons, such as a store-brand cream cheese at 1 euro for 300 grams versus a brand that, on offer, exceeded 8 euros per kilogram.

Not everything is a complaint. There are also purchases that work out well when the discount is applied without tricks: three wedges of Grana Padano that usually cost 2.99 euros each, which, with the promotion, came to 5.78 euros in total instead of 8.97.

Those who really maximize promotions

There is a current that argues the opposite: that Carrefour, played well, is the cheapest chain for those willing to take the trouble. The key is the ChequeAhorro, the balance accumulated with certain offers and usable only within the chain itself. This is supplemented by the 30% coupon, the 5-euro vouchers arriving in the app, and a rule detailed in the thread: 50% discounts return to the check, while 3x2 and 70% off the second unit are deducted at the moment.

The profile that gets the most out of it is the large family. By linking the card to the Superfamilias program, VAT on fresh products is waived, and with the Mi Abono card, 6 euros per month in exchange for a 15% return on spending in fresh goods, the combined savings range around 20-25%. This is also stackable with promotions and coupons. An example: a 50% Iberian field-fed ham of 169 euros reduced to 145, plus a 15% discount to the check, plus VAT discount for large families and 5 euros for online purchases. The final difference is enough to debate whether the time spent tracking it is worth it.

For a single person or a childless couple, the calculation changes completely. The system is designed for large carts and repeated purchases: those who buy little have nowhere to amortize either the check or the card.

The digital receipt and double refund

A final open front is the fine print. One customer reports that the chain displays a sign in its centers with customer rights stating that double the difference must be refunded when the charged price does not match the marked one. Several accounts claim that at checkout, only a single refund is applied, and the remaining half must be claimed separately. In one case, the manager compensated the customer after admitting the error and committing to remind customer service staff of the rule.

This is added, according to some accounts, to the paper receipt: now downloaded from the app, those who want a physical copy must request it from customer service. Other customers claim they still receive it. Less paper and more friction to verify if what was charged matches what was advertised.

Is it still worth shopping at Carrefour?

It depends on two variables not found in any flyer: how much time one is willing to spend comparing prices and how much product is purchased each week. Some have stopped shopping there after years, convinced that errors always fall on the same side. And others fill their carts with toys for cents, taking advantage of a marketing department error.

Both things are true at the same time. What does not add up is the narrative of automatic savings: in this chain, the discount does not come with the promotion, it comes with the calculator. How many carts will be filled this week without anyone checking the price per kilogram?