Source: Global Times
[Global Times reporter Hao Shuangyan] Not enough goods, pictures to make up? According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on the 23rd, the people of the country recently went to a number of supermarket chains and found that some shelves did not have goods, but were put on the store with pictures of vegetables and fruits and other goods on the cardboard to cover up the shortage of goods. The matter also sparked discussion on social media in the country.
Supermarket in the UK. Image source: Visual China
The Guardian reported that Tesco, a large British supermarket, placed cardboard with asparagus, carrots, oranges and grapes on the shelves of vegetables and fruits. Judging from the pictures circulating on the Internet, these cardboards are mixed between the shelves with real goods, which has the effect of being fake and real from a distance. One netizen commented on Twitter: "Well, delicious asparagus... Image. Someone else joked: "I like the asparagus in England to grow so big." One side raises bamboo shoots in water and soil, and it must be so. ”
In addition to Tesco, consumers have found similar situations in supermarket chains such as Sainsbury and Bozi. In the context of Brexit and the new crown epidemic, the shortage of truck drivers, farm pickers and packers in food processing factories has caused many supermarkets to face a crisis of commodity supply, so they have to make this decision.
According to the Daily Mail, there used to be 4 million jobs in the UK's supply chain from agriculture to food, but now there is a labor gap of about 500,000. Ian Wright, president of the British Food and Drink Federation Trade Association, believes supply chain issues will continue to have an impact on the UK. "It could get worse," Wright said, "and it won't get better anytime soon after it gets worse." ”
However, some insiders said that replacing products with cardboard is not only because of the shortage of goods, but also a marketing strategy. British retail analyst Brian Roberts says cardboard with fruits and vegetables is just one strategy to fill the space with a variety of materials, such as putting a few bottles of ketchup or mayonnaise in a meat freezer, filling the aisle with stacks of beer, or putting up large posters or other marketing materials. Roberts said that although he only began to see some supermarkets use cardboard instead of fresh food last year, in fact, some supermarkets have already adopted similar practices. Tesco, which has often boasted of its ability to guarantee adequate supply, has boosted sales, saying it has long ago used cardboard with pictures of fruits and vegetables, which has nothing to do with the recent supply chain crisis.