Bought with trust at Olive Young discount event... but you can buy it at 'half price' at this 'place' in store [Heotdari Economy]

(27)Big Price Gap Between Store and Online Mall
Same Price Principle for Online and Offline, but Actually Different
Price Comparison Essential Even for the Same Product

CJ Olive Young operating in downtown Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Editor's NoteMany people thought they were engaging in smart economic activities to get better deals, but it often turned out to be a misstep. When consumers are deceived by corporate marketing or blinded by momentary gains and make wrong decisions, they end up being the ones who suffer. We aim to examine economic activities where people have made mistakes by misjudging everyday situations.

Yoon Seulgi (29) was about to pay for a cart full of items at an Olive Young offline store when she checked the official app and found the prices were cheaper there, so she put the products back on the shelves. She ordered the products online at a lower price and used the 'Today Dream Pickup' service to pick them up directly at the store. Yoon said, "If I had known there was a price difference between online and offline, I would have bought through the app earlier."

Na Bomi (32) bought 12 cleanse juices at Olive Young, priced at 3,500 won each, applying a 2+1 promotion. She paid a total of 28,000 won. When she checked at home, she found that the app offered the product at 3,150 won each with the same 2+1 promotion and free shipping, so she could have purchased them for 25,200 won. Na regretted, "It wasn't urgent, so I should have checked the app price before buying."

Despite Olive Young's principle of selling products at the same price online and offline, many cases have been found where online product prices are set lower than those in offline stores, leading to consumer complaints. The reporter visited several offline stores and compared prices with the official online mall.

Besides the cleanse juice mentioned by Na, it was not difficult to find other products with different prices between the online mall and offline stores. The Numbersin Soothing Serum, which was on a 1+1 promotion at the store for 22,500 won, was available on the app under the 'Daily Special' discount category, allowing customers to get the 1+1 deal for 21,660 won.

There were many items that were not discounted in offline stores but were available at discounted prices only on the online mall. For example, the Abib sunscreen product is priced at 25,000 won in offline stores, but can be purchased at a 30% discount for 17,500 won on the official online mall.

The same applies to Real Barrier Soothing Cream. It is sold at 42,000 won in offline stores without any discount. Checking the app revealed a 52% discount, allowing purchase for 19,900 won, along with a 25ml free gift.

For the Tangle Angel brush, only the pink color was sold at a discounted price of 15,900 won in offline stores, while the white color was sold at the regular price of 23,000 won. However, on the app, all products were available for 15,900 won. The price of the Clio brow pencil also differed. It was sold for 20,000 won in stores, but the app showed a 30% discounted price of 14,000 won, with an additional refill product offered for online purchases.

When asked an Olive Young offline store employee about the price differences with the app, the salesperson said they were not sure of the details but acknowledged, "There are often cases where offline store prices differ from app prices," and recommended, "Customers should check the app prices themselves before buying."

Olive Young stated that they apply the principle of 일물일가제 (one product, one price) to both online and offline products. They explained that "some sales are conducted at offline stores at the discretion of each store only for sold-out or near-expiry products, so offline stores may sometimes be cheaper."

When asked about cases where online mall prices are cheaper, they explained, "We do offer discounts on some products through special events and daily deals, but this does not violate the principle of 일물일가제."

Professor Kim Siwol of Konkuk University's Department of Consumer Studies advised, "Consumers should be properly informed with legitimate information when purchasing products," and suggested, "It would be desirable to provide online mall prices together." He added, "There should be no cases where consumers who do not purchase through the app suffer disadvantages under the one product, one price principle."