□Hu Shuilian (Shandong University) This summer, the term "ice cream assassin" has been very popular on the Internet. Ice cream, a "favorite" for people to cool down and quench their thirst in the hot summer, has now become a "price assassin" that needs to be dealt with carefully.

□Hu Shuilian ( Shandong University )

This summer, the term "ice cream assassin" remains very popular on the Internet. Ice cream, a "favorite" for people to cool down and quench their thirst in the hot summer, has now become a "price assassin" that needs to be dealt with carefully. Many netizens complained about the "ice cream assassin" they encountered, which resonated with many people. One wave has not subsided, and another wave has arisen. Not long after, similar phenomena such as "Fruit Assassin", "Plum Assassin" and "Chocolate Assassin" also appeared in people's sight. These products often seem mundane, but when you go to pay for them, they'll sting you with the price.

In fact, in people's lives today, not only luxury bags and accessories are expensive, but also various fast-moving consumer goods, such as milk tea, bread, yogurt, and ice cream, have all entered the high-price fast lane early. With the improvement of living standards, many consumers have higher requirements for product quality and consumption experience. Against this background, some brands have begun to try high-end routes in order to cater to the needs of the audience, launching many novel and unique products. Coupled with the support of marketing, prices have risen accordingly, and some products have even experienced commodity premiums. . For example, the ice cream brand and Zhongxuegao , which have long been subject to price controversy, currently sell for between 12 and 160 yuan each, far exceeding many ordinary people's psychological expectations for the price of ice cream.

If the product is of high quality and the consumer experience is good, consumers will naturally be willing to pay for it. However, the controversy caused by phenomena such as "ice cream assassins" is not only because the products are expensive, but more importantly, it reflects the opaque price of some products in the market.

For consumers, it is not that high-priced products cannot be accepted, but that there should be a distinction between affordable and high-priced products. Just like some netizens said, "I don't have to buy it if the price is clearly marked." In the current market, many categories of products have problems such as unspecified prices, unclear price tags, and different measurement units. For example, some plums are measured in 50 grams, and some are measured in 500 grams; while the various ice creams in the freezer are mixed together at different price points, making it difficult to distinguish. Therefore, many consumers are unable to quickly and clearly understand the price of the product when choosing a product. Even if they find that the price is not suitable when paying, they can only buy it with all their strength, and their wallets are emptied by "price assassins".

In order to make money, some merchants arrange these or those "price assassins" to confuse consumers. It may seem that they make more money for a while, but in fact, they will lose a lot and have endless troubles. On the one hand, using price tricks will affect consumers' consumption experience and even damage the reputation of the company; on the other hand, this behavior blatantly violates the principle of clearly marked prices and should be punished by law. The "Regulations on Clearly Marked Prices and Prohibition of Price Fraud" promulgated by the State Administration for Market Regulation points out that operators must "be true and accurate, have goods labels aligned, and have eye-catching markings." Article 42 of the " Price Law of the People's Republic of China " also clearly stipulates: "If an operator violates the clearly stated price regulations, he shall be ordered to make corrections, his illegal gains shall be confiscated, and he may also be fined not more than 5,000 yuan."

In the face of endless, Due to various "price assassin" phenomena, market supervision departments need to strengthen supervision, investigate and regulate price behavior in accordance with the law, urge operators to effectively fulfill their responsibilities, and are not allowed to set prices at will. Consumers should also act within their means when consuming. If they encounter problems, they can complain to the market supervision department and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law. Only by clearly marking prices can "price assassins" truly have nowhere to hide and make the market environment clearer.