(原標題:英國連鎖超市賣秋天樹葉 單束要價50元被網友炮轟)
秋天的葉子很美,但是如果要你花錢去買,你願意嗎?英國一家超市近日開始出售成束的葉子,6英鎊的定價足以買一束鮮花,這是風雅還是搶錢?
UK-based supermarket Waitrose has been slammed by social media users for selling bouquets of “autumn seasonal foliage” at £6 apiece.
英國高端超市維特羅斯近日遭到社交媒體用户的炮轟,因為該超市出售成束的“秋葉”,每束定價6英鎊(約合人民幣53元)。
Photos of various tree leaves packaged in transparent plastic foil and arranged as flower bouquets went viral on social media lately, sparking controversy because of the product’s price, six British pounds. Considering tree leaves can literally be picked up from the street this time of year, it’s understandable that some people went after Waitrose, accusing the supermarket of trying to make money by selling something that is actually free.
該超市將各種樹葉用透明的塑料箔紙包起來,紮成花束的樣子。這款樹葉產品的照片近日在社交媒體上被瘋傳,因為產品價格(6英鎊)而引發了爭議。考慮到現在這個季節樹葉在大街上隨處可拾,可以理解為什麼有些人會指責維特羅斯超市售賣免費的東西來賺錢。
"A bag of actual leaves?? I’ll sell you a bin bag of leaves for 10p,” one Twitter user wrote.
一名推特用户寫道:“一包真葉子??我可以賣給你滿滿一垃圾袋的葉子,只收10便士。”
"This has got to be from the drunk Monday morning meeting category of ideas,” someone else commented.
另外一名用户評論道:“這也許是一幫喝醉酒的人在週一晨會上想出來的創意。”
Apparently, the bizarre foliage bouquets appeared on Waitrose supermarket shelves as a way to welcome autumn, and featured a sticker urging customers to “bring the outdoors inside”.
顯然,這種奇異的“葉束”出現在維特羅斯超市的貨架上是迎接秋天的一種方式,上面還貼着標籤,鼓勵顧客“把窗外風景帶進家門”。
"Bring the outdoors indoors and brighten up your home with freshly picked flowers that reflect the colors of the season,” the official product description read. “We source the best blooms from expert growers, and handle them gently on their journey to our stores so they look beautiful for longer.”
官方的產品描述寫道:“把窗外風景帶進門,用新鮮採摘的時令花草來裝飾你的家。我們的優質花草都來自栽培專家,並在運送途中温柔呵護,使其美麗持久。”
Despite the generally negative feedback to its autumn-themed product, the British supermarket explained its decision to charge £6 for a bunch of tree leaves by claiming that it was inspired by a demand from shoppers.
儘管人們對這款秋季主題產品的反饋普遍是負面的,但是這家英國超市解釋道,決定對一捆樹葉收費6英鎊是受消費者的需求啓發。
"We’ve seen a really strong demand for autumn foliage – our customers love using these to mix in with their seasonal flowers to brighten their homes,” a Waitrose spokesperson told The Sun.
維特羅斯超市的一名發言人告訴《太陽報》説:“我們目睹了人們對秋葉的強烈需求,我們的顧客喜歡把秋天的樹葉和時令鮮花混合在一起裝飾自己的家。”
Actual leaves. Outside on the street, is below. Inside, £6 for the pleasure
— Sharon Hanley (@sharonlhanley) September 20, 2020
真葉子。在門外,大街上,它就在腳下。在室內,花6英鎊買個開心。
——沙倫·漢利@sharonlhanley,2020年9月20日
Interestingly, there were those who seemed to somewhat justify the price tag of this bag of leaves by saying that it was obviously “high quality foliage”. That may be true, but considering you could buy flower bouquets or even bottles of wine for that same price or less, it still seems like a money grab.
有趣的是,有些人似乎在為這包樹葉的價格辯護,表示這顯然是“高質量的葉子”。這也許是真的,但考慮到你可以用同樣甚至更低的價格買到花束甚至葡萄酒,這還是有搶錢的感覺。
This isn’t the first time that English shops and supermarkets make news headlines for selling free things at exorbitant prices. First, there is a posh shop in London, that sold painted logs for $14 apiece, and there was artisan shop Botanique and its $22 chopped tree branches.
這不是英國商店和超市第一次因為以過高的價格出售免費的東西而上新聞頭條了。前有倫敦的一家時尚服飾店出售14美元(約合人民幣95元)一根的彩繪原木,後有工藝品商店Botanique售價22美元的樹枝。