Dear Editor,
What is the job of the Economic Controllers when they go into supermarkets? I ask this because this letter was prompted by two occurrences that I have witnessed. On two separate occasions in two separate supermarkets I have seen controllers (who we all know) show up to a supermarket, wait for a few minutes, then are escorted by the manager or owner to an office, then they leave right after without doing a control.
Now I’m not accusing anyone of anything but that kind of behaviour looks very suspicious and only adds to the ongoing rumour of rampant bribery by supermarket owners to controllers as an incentive to not execute any controls and look the other way. So, I immediately wondered what is the role of these controllers and when do they actually carry out controls? Because honestly, I have never seen them doing that job in person.
Another thing that jumped out at me is the following. Many people complain about food prices and supermarkets not following the law and regulations regarding maximum prices. So while standing there wondering if rumours might be true, I also wondered about how many fines have economic controllers issued in the last two years.
This is information the public should know in order to be assured that supermarkets are being held accountable and that maximum prices are being adhered to. Do not tell me that with all the complaints, no fines have been issued. So, I would like to know how many complaints have been received and how many fines were issued.
Finally, whoever is in charge at the government, you need to tell your controllers to stop meeting with store owners so suspiciously unless, of course, they are issuing fines?
A Concerned Citizen
