Poundstretcher customer's fury as price of water rises by 60% to 'rip off' price

23 October 2023 , 18:50

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Joyce Deacon with her water bottle outside Poundstretcher in Melksham (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)

A woman is fuming after Poundstretcher increased the price of a water bottle - from £2.50 to £4.

Joyce Deacon, 73, says the bottle she bought for £2.50 during a summer sale was valued at £4 when she returned just over a month later. She complained to staff and even wrote to head office over the discrepancy at the store in Melksham in Wiltshire.

She said: “I was absolutely fuming. I want other people to know companies are ripping people off all the time. It makes me feel horrible because discount stores are meant to help people on low incomes.”

Mrs Deacon was 'absolutely fuming' when she saw the price increase (Newsquest / SWNS)

Mrs Deacon queried the increase with staff at the store - who reportedly confirmed the bottles were the same stock and explained prices were set by head office. She reluctantly parted with £4 for the replacement bottle and she also sent a complaint to the chain’s head office.

Poundstretcher confirmed they had received the complaint and, after investigating the issue, found the item had been sold at £5 earlier this year and was on a half-price sale over the summer. While this sale has finished, the retailer emphasised that the current price of £4 is still £1 lower than the original valuation.

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There are more than 350 Poundstretchers across the UK (Newsquest / SWNS)

Mrs Deacon maintains that, as far as she could see, there were no promotional stickers on the bottles suggesting they were on offer when she originally bought one.

She remains convinced that a price of £5 is far more than the drinks container is worth. She added: “That bottle is worth £3 at the most and no more. There were no stickers or anything on it, and I just feel like they are trying to rip me off. It doesn’t seem like a lot to some people, but when you’re a pensioner every penny counts.”

The budget chain opened 30 locations across the UK last year and currently has more than 350 shops nationwide. However, a number of branches have closed in locations such as Basingstoke and Grimsby over the past year or so.

The retailer lowered its retail workforce from 4,645 staff to 3,640 in the year to help reduce costs, according to its latest annual accounts. A spokesperson said: “The national challenges around lorry driver shortages and global challenges around container shortages impacted our ability to maintain stock levels, which resulted in a number of stock shortages across the estate.”

Jason Hughes