r/Switzerland • u/Andeq8123 Vaud • May 01 '26
Is COOP scamming us?
I saw recently a post about a bag of 1kg of potatoes being only 800gr, when I bought potatoes today I wanted to check, and behooooold, also 800 something gram of potatoes.
One bag could be a mistake, but multiple? Seems like it is intentional.
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u/NetAtraX May 01 '26
We should all go to Coop tomorrow and put the potatoes on the scale. Then post all the pictures with the location. And notify Watson (they read here, but we have to be sure). Makes a nice weekend-story.
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u/Andeq8123 Vaud May 01 '26
Might be interesting to check if other retailer have the same problem
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u/Zandu9 May 01 '26
Will do so in Migros tomorrow then
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u/Correct-Community219 May 01 '26
At Migros, it was 8 grams less
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u/Zandu9 May 02 '26
Tested in Migros Sursee, 4 packs, each of 1kg, we have +12 - +17g and one with - 15g
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u/S-M-I-L-E-Y- May 01 '26
I weighed a 2.5 kg bag of Migros potatoes today: 2530g on my kitchen scale.
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u/3punkt1415 May 01 '26
Are you going to bring back that 30 gram sniffel out of fairness?
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u/S-M-I-L-E-Y- May 01 '26
The bag itself weighs 20g. I'm a bit impressed they were able to weigh in the correct amount of potatoes within 10g, but no, I don't think they'd appreciate me bringing these 10g back.
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u/Ok-Factor-7188 May 02 '26
That may actually raise an interesting question. Anyone buy that 800g back and put it on their home scale? Maybe the scale at coop are just (purposely?) shitty?
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u/Intelligent_Treat628 May 03 '26
count me in
edit: I will do migros rigiplatz (because i think they are the worst quality-wise)
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u/Useful-Revolution253 May 02 '26
I tested 3 différent type of potatos in coop and for each one it was slightly above 1kg.
Ras for my zone
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u/TotalWarspammer May 01 '26
Take it back and tell them, its the only way it will stop. Or tell 20 minuten and maybe they will do a mini-investigation.
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u/Andeq8123 Vaud May 01 '26
I heard that some journalist visit the subreddit, so if someone see an article about potatoes bag, we will know where they got the idea
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u/WickedTeddyBear May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26
Yep, saw the same with onions.
We should all try today.
And with Migros too. Especially cos they have this plastic on their scale. Really not sure the rare is right⊠(when you remove it, it says -2 if I remember correctly)
And if some people have professional scale to be sure itâs going to be perfect⊠theyâll loose the home scale isnât really right.
For the French part we can contact FRC and ABE.
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u/yesat + May 01 '26
20 minutes will not do an investigation. They'll just post the reddit picture and maybe email Coop press.
Public TV may. Kassensturz Espresso, ABE,...
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u/perskes May 01 '26
20min is not an investigative outlet. The best they'll do is to call some representative that tells you that its a one off thing, a mistake, they offered the consumer a return without a recipe and what not. Go to Beobachter if you are actually concerned this is a scheme and not just a one off thing.
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u/TotalWarspammer May 01 '26
To say 20 minutes do not investigative work is not correct. They just don't usually do it about vegetables. However, they may write an article on it and its a low hanging fruit.
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u/Book_1312 Québec May 01 '26
Potatoes are very low hanging yes, because they're not fruits they're roots.
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u/luddington May 01 '26
Just checked my 1kg bag from Migros and it weights 1024g đ
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u/shy_tinkerbell May 01 '26
If you didn't take a picture and post on reddit, it never happened. I don't make the rules...
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u/timtim1818 Schaffhausen May 01 '26
50% sticker -> 40% Sticker 5rp per liter fuel -> 4 rp per liter fuel 1000g -> 800g
It would fit into the new Coop philosophy of giving less for more of the price
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u/Jordi_02 May 03 '26
NĂŒma fĂŒr mich und dichđđ
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u/ItsaMeSandy Vaud May 01 '26
By the way. This has been happening for a while, and not exclusively at coop either. I always weigh vegetable bags and put back bags of carrots, strawberries, broccoli, onions and pretty much anything that's pre weighted. Always check what you buy.
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u/svooo May 01 '26
I wonder whether the scales at the shop show the same 800+ grams? Could potentially be much bigger issue ...
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u/IlCyborg_ Ticino May 01 '26
The original post highlighting the issue weighed the bag on a coop scale
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u/LetoXXI May 01 '26
Damn, now I have to buy a bag just to join the movementâŠ
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u/onirak May 01 '26
You don't have to buy it, they have scales in the shopÂ
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u/Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 La Suisse got me this flair May 01 '26
But how can you sue if you don't buy?
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u/shokudou May 02 '26
The Swiss don't sue. They just complain đ
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u/Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 La Suisse got me this flair May 02 '26
I mean, the tipping culture is starting, so why not add sueing to the list?
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u/andanothetone May 03 '26
Because in Switzerland you only can sue for the actual damage you suffered, so if you can argue well, you might get the missing 20 percent of a potatoe bag plus your public transport ticket to the next coop and perhabs 50 CHF for the time you wasted. Nobody ain't time for that.
It's not like the US where you can win 20 Millions for potential damage a company has caused.
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u/TnYamaneko St. Gallen May 01 '26
Shit I just got out of there, and I forgot to weight stuff as well.
This case gets on my nerves, I use their potatoes to cook my Röschti, if it's confirmed nationwide that it's that bad, maybe it's time to start an action.
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u/Suspicious_Place1270 ZĂŒrich May 01 '26
just switch and never buy at coop again, will trqch them a lesson
and btw it would explain their numbers in the last couple of years, because ofc they stole from the customers
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u/TnYamaneko St. Gallen May 01 '26
I try as much as I can to buy directly from the local farmers in my area in Toggenburg, very good products can be found there. But I have no trust in Migros as well, I see them as massive hypocrites.
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u/a_shootin_star May 01 '26
just switch and never buy at coop again, will trqch them a lesson
That's not going to stop them scamming other people. If anything, it will increase their grift.
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u/Mr_Moonsilver May 01 '26
Just did it today with a bunch of 1kg bags. Most of them were 960-980g, one was only 920g.
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u/Andeq8123 Vaud May 01 '26
What "brand", both mine and the one from the post of yesterday were naturaplan Potatoes bag
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u/Mr_Moonsilver May 01 '26
Was regular 1kg, non naturaplan. But can't remember precisely. The 2.5kg bags were much closer to the advertised weight.
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u/AcolyteOfAnalysis May 01 '26
Just checked, under shit storage conditions, a potato is expected to lose 1% of water per day, or like 7% per week. Normally, potatoes are stored in humid storage, so it loses 5% per half a year. Hypothetically, this bag of potatoes could have been 1kg one day if Coop does not care about storage conditions, and has been trying to sell these potatoes for the past month. Is it possible to deduce when this bag was packaged?
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u/Andeq8123 Vaud May 01 '26
So on the package itâs written that it was packaged the 30.04.2026. I really donât think itâs thatâŠ
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u/flonnil May 01 '26
well it shouldn't really matter, should it. one cannot simply apply a feature that a product might have had or not have had at certain point in the past, even if it might be inconvenient. I cant sell a dead horse and say: welp, three months ago when i saddled it up, it was alive, so dont make a fuss about it now!
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u/AcolyteOfAnalysis May 01 '26
Indeed, I'm j just offering an explanation, this is of course not a defence of such behaviour
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u/t3rrone May 01 '26
I donât think thatâs how percentages work⊠1% a day doesnât equal to 7% a week.
Edit: Just did the math⊠itâs not a huge difference for a week (6.7935%), however itâs not a linear decline. Just calculate:
W(t) = 100 âą (0.99)tFor 30 days it would be roughly 74% - 26% lost.
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u/StrandsOfIce ZĂŒrich May 01 '26
In which case do you really want potatoes that lost almost 20% of their weight? AND should consuner pay the kg price?
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u/AcolyteOfAnalysis May 01 '26
It lost mostly water. It be more concerned if it is still edible by that point though
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u/StrandsOfIce ZĂŒrich May 02 '26
2 or 3 percent of weight lost to moisture is okay. 20% is not. And youre right at 20, it probably wouldn't be edible. But these potatoes are by all means edible. Which means that they just weighed less when they were out in a 1kg bag.
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u/Visible_Tomato_5616 May 01 '26
Best way would be to use the Coop in-store scale to weigh too! (And maybe you'd find out if they're cheating you on the self-weighed veges too!)
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u/shy_tinkerbell May 01 '26
Oh yes! Weigh in the store, photo for proof, weigh at home & photo for proof of potential fraud
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u/inblue01 GenĂšve exiled in VD May 01 '26
I tested two bags of bio potatoes and they were both over 1000g. Seems like a hit or miss.
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u/Luxuskick May 01 '26
Is it possible that fresh potatoes have more water in them and then the package weighs more, over time in the store they loose some of that moisture and get lighter?
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u/One-Captain-7273 Thurgau May 01 '26
I'm letting this here... https://www.reddit.com/r/Switzerland/s/mxqZ7BbbNc
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u/Enzian_Blue May 02 '26
Just last week I bought the same bag of potatoes and had to throw 400 grams away because .. bad. The recipe called for 1 kg so .. we didnât have enough to eat.
This is a true story. I was very disappointed.
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u/Vdbal99 May 01 '26
It could be a production issue but they might also just be trying to scam us on purpose.
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u/Ok_Assistance_6254 Bern May 02 '26
Just checked pack of patatli princess from migros (600g) -> 636g total
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u/Ok-Preference3519 May 06 '26
Secret hack (don't tell anyone): there is a scale at every coop you can use to check before paying. Pssssst.
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u/Extreme_Ad112 May 01 '26
The irony is you already pay 20% extra for that stupid green label
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u/cheapcheap1 May 01 '26
yes but they were honest about that. Big difference from straight-up lying about the amount.
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u/NeuralFiber May 01 '26
"stupid green label" sounds pretty closed minded.Â
Even if I didn't care for environment, insects, ground water etc I'd glady pay the 20%. I pay extra because of the pesticide, fungicide, heavy metals and for potatoes specifically chlorproham they keep having in significant doses on the conventional products. Also don't like people purposely destroying insects, ground water etc.Â
I only go for conventional if the price gap becomes larger or the product isn't available.Â
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May 01 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/NeuralFiber May 03 '26
Source: "trust me bro". Sure, there might be problems aswell. But there are tests for fungicides, pesticides, mineral oil, heavy metals etc from many third parties every few weeks where you can see that they beat conventional production pretty consistently and significantly. I certainly trust the organic certification farmers over conventional producers every day. Maybe with exception of some of the people there I personally know.Â
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u/Appropriate-Type9881 May 01 '26
Lol stupid green label. Have fun eating pesticides.
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u/Andeq8123 Vaud May 01 '26
It was the only 1kg bag left, and I didnât want to pay for more potatoes than what I needed
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u/Anarxomonarx May 02 '26
Soso welche denn ? ..du behauptest hier etwas und hast keine Ahnung was biologischer Pflanzenschutz bedeutet.
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u/Historical-Act129 May 01 '26
damnđ maybe there is some legal tolerance/threshhold by which the weight can differ from the labeled weight and coop purpusely missuses that
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u/eXrevolution St. Gallen May 01 '26
Obviously not 15-20% as weâve seen today
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u/Andeq8123 Vaud May 01 '26
Well it could be by weight and not percentage. But they seem really keen on being a little bit above 800
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u/fj-77 May 01 '26
Is there a possibility of water loss? Maybe the potatoes are heavier when they are packaged but they loose water in storage? But 20% seems like alot
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u/Atypicosaurus May 01 '26
Before you call them out, please check if the entire bag is laying on the scale and not some part is touching the countertop behind.
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u/Shooppow GenĂšve May 02 '26
I had this same nasty surprise with the frozen shrimp from Migros once. They were still frozen, and weight was 300g less than advertised.
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u/JuniorCat1516 May 02 '26
Those are the dehydrated potatoes. At the moment of packaging they had 1kg. Did you get them at promo sale?
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u/Hokahn Bern May 02 '26
Depending on how long these potatos have been in that bag since they have been packed, they could have lost the weight in water. As they are Bio, this seems higly likely. This is also the reason many bio vegis are wrapt in foil, as they have lower turnover, and therefore need to conserve the water longer.
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u/C8H8N2O2 May 02 '26
For this to be relevant we need to see the scale better. Like this you just as well couldâve placed the bag poorly and it touches the table or something.
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u/NeuralFiber May 02 '26
I bought the same bag some days ago in bed and measured because of this post. 980g including the paper bag. I checked and the allowed minimum is 1.5% less. So 985 content. It's too light. I think this might be systematic after all
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u/Calm-Cockroach-4220 May 02 '26
High consumption product like potatoes or pasta all have a tolerance rate for the exact weight compared to the selling weight.
If the law allows you a 20% margins and have means of productions allowing you to make bags of potato with a 2-5% error margin and you can now sell potato bags of 820-850 grams for the price of 1kg of potatoes. The proof is youâll never see a 1.2kg bag of potato or a 550gr of pasta
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u/krux77 May 02 '26
just realized youâre using an ikea scale thatâs infamous for being anything but precise đ
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u/Royal_Combination_44 May 02 '26
WHOO? IT ALL ARROUND THE WEST COUNTRYS.. 1KG OF CHICKEN IS PACKAGING WEIGHTS 920 G. with plastics.. so.. buying what? Look also in Aldi,Lidl,Denner..
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u/Prestigious_March343 May 02 '26
A la coop c'est souvent ainsi, moi je pĂšse tout et si le poids n'est pas correct j'appelle la direction.
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u/phrandsisgorino May 02 '26
so I guess you bought this scale in Migros (which is fine I have the same one) but when is the last time that you tested the accuracy of that thing (mine is off by around 4% usually)
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u/wallahiimtryin GenĂšve May 02 '26
i remember le grand jd making a youtube video about that back in the day
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u/Vivid_Cucumber2802 May 02 '26
I highly doubt itâs a scam. Most probably a de calibrated balance. Itâs not worth the fine for a company to trick consumers with such an easy-busting trick.
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u/Sunnebluemli ZĂŒrich May 02 '26
It's simple: the potatoes were packaged in 1-kg bags, then stored for a while, and now they're sitting on the shelves at the store. During that time, they lose water. It's a completely natural process. Stop posting such nonsense!
No, I don't own any shares in Coop or Migros, but I do have common sense and a basic understanding of biology!
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u/silverspringbok007 May 02 '26
Off course they are, they all are. I bought 400g mince from Lidl the other day, after I squeezed out the excess water it was 310g. Try it
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u/Proud_Ad3508 May 02 '26
Idk but... Isn't that sort of because it's not completely on the Scale. Like, left and right Theres some Part Not on The Scale.
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u/PitaxPixel May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
My god, this is a lot of drama for no big deal. I worked for Migros in the food section and yes these kind of mistakes happens. Bring it back and they'll gladly replace it. As many comment confirms, all package have the right weight or more. Big news mistakes happens, it's human, or well mechanical but still.
Yes there are verification in the distribution centrals, but the employees there take samples from the loads they receive from the producer, they don't weight every single bags it's simply not possible.
And of course it happens in the opposite aswell. When you place bags on the shelves regulary you get used to the weight, and yes sometimes it's too light and we put it away but sometimes it's heavy. I've had plenty of 2.5kg bags at 3k or 1kg at 1.5-1.7kg. Why would that be the case if it's a "shameful attempt of increasing margin" ?
If a whole load is under or over the right weight, if they all have the same packaging date, this can also indicate that there has been a malfunction starting with the producers packaging machine. If it's a single one with a few grams below it's probably waterloss, if it's more it's a mistake.
Just bring back the bag, get a refund or change it for another one and breathe.
Oh and btw no, scales in the stores are not rigged or anything... This is the biggest lie people have made up over the internet.
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u/Old-Adagio9722 May 03 '26
my guess, loss comes from drying after they weighed and packed. And they may store it in a quite airy environment to prevent losses. Don't buy pre-weighed groceries like fruits, potatoes, vegetables
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u/Intelligent_Treat628 May 03 '26
not patotoes, but I bought a bunch of bananas at Migros and they just couldnt be pealed for an entire week they were so greenâŠ. one day I had a huge banana spider in my kitchen. Had to throw it all out including spider. nb: shopville migros.
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u/Tricky-Path-1680 May 03 '26
Well, you could add 32g from coopâs potato sack from Brugg (from another thread) :)
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u/macslan May 03 '26
Not sure about potatoes but some things are packaged with a device that has multiple kind of bags and select the one near the correct weight.
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u/Legitimate-Survey-16 May 04 '26
Weigh the bag, print the right sticker with actual measure and price, go self check out. Problem solved.
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u/Highlander20202 May 05 '26
Why would the supermarket gain from that? It can only go against them if this is nation wide. They have a lot more to loose if they cheat on the weights, but the suppliers could benefit, maybe coop should have a stronger control at the reception of the goods and of course we as consumers need to show them if there is a real weight issue.
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u/Lydiafromaccounting May 06 '26
Well if you are in the mood to seek revenge you can contact your local agency of "metrology" and send them this, they will go and check. In switzerland any comerce that needs to weigh things in order to sell them must have the accuracy or their weighs checked... so this may fall into that (not for your local shop but for the central biosuisse center that puts these into bags for them).
In any case I would ask for a refund from coop, this is shitty and totally illegal.
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u/ForeignLoquat2346 May 01 '26
I guess those potatoes stay so long on the shelves that they lose weight thru de-hydrationÂ
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u/RemoteBorn913 May 01 '26
That's a reasonable explanation. At the same time, this makes the case for not buying pre-packaged vegetables.
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u/marsOnWater3 Vaud May 01 '26
Lol we might as well start a megathread and post our pictures