又中又英｜Pricing scams

An article I read in an American newspaper warned consumers about being taken for a ride during the holiday season. It urged consumers not to be duped (fooled) by pricing scams. The article reminded me of pricing scams in Hong Kong, especially by supermarkets. If you have been taken for a ride, it means you have been deceived or cheated. Different cultures have different holiday seasons. The holiday season in the US begins with Thanksgiving, which is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November. It continues with Christmas and ends with the New Year.
A scam is a dishonest plan to cheat people out of their money. A pricing scam is deceptive pricing. The US has strict rules against fake sales. It is illegal, for example, to sell something at a very high price for a few days, then reduce it to its original price and say it’s a discount. US consumers and the government have taken many retailers to court for such pricing scams, but some still take the risk during the holiday season. I have written about deceptive pricing by Hong Kong supermarkets before, but it seems the Consumer Council is a toothless tiger.
Deceptive pricing by retailers was common before I left Hong Kong more than two years ago. I am now back for a visit and still notice deceptive sales. Some weeks ago, I bought a small bag of cereal for about $29. Last week, the price tag for the same bag said it had been discounted from over $40 to $30, which was still more than what I paid just a few weeks earlier.

我在一份美国报章读到的一篇文章，告诫消费者在假日季节（holiday season）切勿受骗（taken for a ride）。它催促消费者切莫被价格的骗局（pricing scams）给愚弄（duped）了。这篇文章让我想起了香港的价格骗局（pricing scams），尤其是超市的那种。若你被 taken for a ride，意即你给欺骗了。不同的文化也有不同的假日季节（holiday seasons），美国的假日季节（holiday season）就始于每年于十一月第四个星期四庆祝的感恩节，一直持续至圣诞，于新年完结。
A scam就是诈取人们金钱的骗局；a pricing scam则是误导、骗人的价钱。美国有严厉的法规打击虚假销售。例如，将某货物以一个非常高的价钱售卖几天，再调回原价并说是特价，这是违法的。美国消费者及政府已经将许多做这样价格骗局（pricing scams）的零售商告上法庭了，然而还有一些会在假日季节（holiday season）期间铤而走险。我之前亦曾经写过，香港超级市场所做的一些骗人的价格，但看来消委会是只无牙老虎。
我两年多前离开香港之前，零售商的骗人价格是很常见的。现在我回港短游，却仍见到骗人的销售。几个星期前，我用大约二十九元的价钱，买了一小包榖类食物。上星期，同一包谷物的价钱牌，却写着它由原价四十元减至三十元，却仍然比我几个星期前买的价格为高。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻