Explain the ways in which consumers are exploited in the market.[CBSE 2012]

The Consumers can be exploited by:

1. Selling adulterated/defective goods: Shopkeepers and sellers can sell adulterated goods or defective ones without the knowledge of the consumer. This can be very harmful to the consumers. For example, when juice vendors sell pomegranate juice with artificial colour, they sell adulterated juice.

2. Selling at a price higher than the MRP: It’s illegal to sell a commodity at a price higher than the maximum retail price. Consumers can bargain with the shopkeeper to sell it a lower price.

3. Giving the wrong amount: Shopkeepers can weigh the goods using unauthorised weights whose real weight consumer does not know of. This allows the shopkeeper to sell less at more price.

Note:

Consumers can be exploited by numerous ways. Most of the times, the shopkeepers are able to do so because of the lack of awareness of consumers. If consumers are aware of their rights and ways in which they can be exploited, then there would be a lesser chance for shopkeepers to exploit them.