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The Hong Kong Consumer Council has cautioned that supermarket promotional deals, such as "buy-one-get-one-free" and bulk-buy offers, may not always provide the savings customers expect. To ensure informed choices, the council advises shoppers to compare the unit prices of products instead of relying on promotional labels.

The council conducted a survey on 222 products sold by AEON, ParknShop, and Wellcome supermarkets between September 2025 and July 2025. Their findings revealed that in certain promotional campaigns, the actual discounts were less attractive than anticipated. Specifically, 48 products were offered under bulk-buy promotions, including "Buy 1 Get 1 Free," "Choose Any 2 and Get 1 Free," and "Get 1 More for $1."

However, the council discovered that for some of these products, the single-item price during promotional periods was higher than during non-promotional periods. This meant that the actual discount offered fell significantly short of the roughly 50% consumers might expect. For example, a 150ml bottle of sesame oil sold under a "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" campaign was priced at HK$20 or HK$22 per item, which was much higher than its original price of HK$10 to HK$14.

This resulted in an average price of HK$10 or HK$11 per item, translating to a maximum discount of only about 29% compared to the pre-promotion price.

Another example highlighted a 410ml bottle of soy sauce for steamed fish, which had an effective discount of about 16% during a bulk-buy promotion, and a 280g pack of rice vermicelli, where discounts ranged from zero to 29%, despite both being sold under similar schemes.

The council also noted that larger pack sizes did not always translate to better value. Out of 15 product groups analyzed, seven showed that the larger pack cost between 2% and 35% more per unit than the smaller version during certain periods.

Adding to concerns over promotion value, the council received 359 complaints about supermarket practices in the first eight months of 2025, a 16.9% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Of these complaints, about 20% were related to service quality at physical stores, followed by disputes over product quality and pricing.

To help consumers make more informed decisions, the watchdog recommended comparing products based on their "unit price" and historical selling prices, rather than solely relying on promotional formats or pack sizes. The council also directed shoppers to its 'Online Price Watch' platform, which provides shopping-budget calculations and target-price alerts for roughly 2,800 products across nine retailers.