Snow chains have become popular for Spring Festival travel: some stores are sold out of stock, and the purchase price is 200 yuan a day
The Spring Festival is in the ice and snow season, and "how to drive and travel safely" has become a topic of concern to everyone. Xiaoxiang Morning News reporter found that the recent network platform suddenly rose a wave of shouting to sell snow chains, in Weibo, Xiaohongshu, WeChat group chat circle of friends and some second-hand trading platforms, there is a phenomenon in the name of safety, selling snow chains.
Rubber, hook, stainless steel crampons...... There are a variety of snow chains that are sold publicly, and the price fluctuates greatly, ranging from 4 yuan to 500 yuan.
Can snow chains really help drivers travel safely? The reporter learned from an interview with the merchants in the auto parts city that the industry has two different views on this issue: the merchants who have stocked up said that the snow chains can protect people and vehicles by increasing the friction between the tires and the ground; the merchants who resist the opinion said: "The snow chains are the IQ tax, which not only does not help, but may also bring potential safety hazards to the vehicle travel......
For those who travel by car, is this chain an "IQ tax" or a "safety lock"? This reporter conducted an interview and investigation.
Car snow chains have become a hot product for winter travel, and most buyers are driven in ice and snow days
"It's snowing, you must install car tire snow chains when traveling on snowy days......" In mid-January, a business selling auto parts in Henan shared his tutorial on installing snow chains on car tires on a social platform, less than a week, the post exceeded 2000 likes, many netizens gathered in the comment area to ask them about the brand of snow chains in the video, and the IP address shows that there are Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang, and even "don't like snow" Guangzhou.
Entering the Spring Festival, a cold wave that swept half of China has intensified the sales of snow chains. A reporter from Xiaoxiang Morning News found that recently, on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, WeChat group chat Moments and some e-commerce trading platforms, a bunch of businesses selling snow chains in the name of safety suddenly appeared. "Must bring" "This money can't be saved"...... Under their propaganda, this chain has become a "necessity" for drivers to travel on ice and snow days.
On February 2, the reporter saw on an e-commerce platform that snow chains of various materials have become hot sellers in winter, including rubber models, hook models, and stainless steel crampons...... There are many orders with sales of more than 10,000.
Not only online, but also the sales of snow chains in offline auto parts stores are also hotter than in previous years. Mr. Tang, who has been engaged in the auto parts sales industry for many years, told reporters that since the beginning of this winter, more and more people have come to the store to consult and buy snow chains, and the number of orders has gradually hit a record high. ”
So, what is the demand of consumers to place orders for snow chains? A post-95 working girl who is ready to drive back to her hometown in Xiangxi from Changsha told reporters that she drove home for the first time this year, and did not grab a ticket. ”
Yang Tao, an expert in transportation research and planning, believes that the increase in sales of snow chains is related to the special cold climate this year. In urban areas, the melting of snow and ice can be accelerated by sprinkling salt, and in some remote areas, where the road conditions are poor and the snow and ice melt slowly, people naturally think of using tools such as snow chains to help travel safely.
In addition, according to his analysis, the increase in self-driving trips in the 2024 Spring Festival is also a major reason for snow chains to become a hot seller in winter. The reporter learned that at the press conference held not long ago by the State Council Information Office, Li Yang, Vice Minister of Transport, introduced that this year's Spring Festival has undergone structural changes, and the number of traditional commercial transportation, including railways, highways, civil aviation, and water transport, is expected to be about 1.8 billion passengers, and the remaining 80% will be self-driving travel, which has also made self-driving travel hit a record high.
It was speculated to a high price, and the transaction price ranged from 4 yuan to 500 yuan
However, in terms of transaction price, the sales of snow chains show obvious differences, with prices ranging from 4 yuan to 500 yuan, and the difference is mainly in the material of the product.
On February 2, a snow chain with a price of 4.1 yuan on an e-commerce sales platform has exceeded "50,000" at present. Strip plastic material, easy to install, the platform publicly displayed information revealed that within a week in Changsha alone, there were 300+ people to buy, "cheap" is the reason to attract most consumers to place orders.
The customer service staff of the store said that the product can be used for emergency anti-skidding, suitable for all kinds of vehicles, durable materials, does not hurt tires, and it is recommended to install 10 tires. "Is it safe to be so cheap?" the customer service immediately responded, "Safe dear." ”
In another store, the price of metal snow chains is much higher, the lowest is 264 yuan a piece, the store customer service staff told reporters, compared with plastic products, the quality of metal chains will be better, "the anti-skid effect is better, and the tire protection is also good." ”
A business that does auto parts products trading revealed that the current snow chain has become the industry's "hard currency", the warehouse was "sold out", the purchase price rose by 200 yuan in one day, "the price is rising slowly, yesterday it was more than 100 yuan, today more than 300 will not be able to get the goods." A friend wanted to buy snow chains through his "internal channel" and was told that "it will cost 500 yuan." ”
"IQ tax" or "safety lock"?
The reporter searched the use records of snow chain consumers and found that different consumers have almost different views on this "snow artifact": some think it is easy to use and "save a life", and many people think that this is a chicken rib product "IQ tax". ”
Mr. Zhang (pseudonym), who works in Changsha Zhongnan Auto Parts City, specializes in tire replacement and care, and he unceremoniously gave a "bad review" for snow chains, "It is purely an IQ tax, and has no practical effect.
"It's nothing more than slowing down the speed of driving. Mr. Zhang said.
Not far from Mr. Zhang's store, Master Tang of the auto parts store believes that the principle of snow chains is the same as the non-slip shoes worn by people walking on the ice road. ”
Is this chain an "IQ tax" or a "safety lock"? A consumer who has used snow chains told reporters that she thinks that "whether this chain is useful or not depends on how people use it." Judging from the experience of a certain trip with her friends, it was helpful. According to her, during a trip from Lijiang to Shangri-La, the car was forced to stop when it came to Huanshan Road due to snow and icy roads. ”
Yang Tao, an expert in transportation research and planning, told reporters that snow chains are common winter products in northern cities, and these areas often snowfall heavily, and this year southern cities have also ushered in a wide range of snowfall, plus more self-driving trips, so it has been promoted to the south.
The customer service staff of a store that sells snow chains reminded reporters that snow chains are suitable for short-distance travel, and they should pay attention to the tutorial when using them, and it is best to use them when driving on ice and snow roads.
Lawyer's analysis: It is best to buy snow chains through formal channels
Zhao Liangshan, a lawyer at Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm, told reporters that the act of shouting and selling snow chains in the circle of friends and the owner group is an advertising behavior. According to Article 4 of the Advertising Law, advertisements must not contain false or misleading content, and must not deceive or mislead consumers. Advertisers shall be responsible for the authenticity of the content of advertisements.
Therefore, in the circle of friends and the owner group shouting to sell snow chains, it is best not to contain false or inducing, misleading content, such as exaggerating its function, or the physical object does not match the price. Failure to do so will be suspected of violating the law. Zhao Liangshan said.
At the same time, he also reminded that users who have a demand for snow chains should try to buy them on regular platforms and regular merchants, and should keep their eyes open and clear the true role of snow chains, so as not to jump into the trap set by the seller and be tricked.
Xiaoxiang Morning News reporter Sun Qingyun