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It has probably happened to you. You walk into a butchery, make your choice of meat and pay for the same but by the time you are handed your purchase, you are left wondering if the scale has a problem or you are out of touch with measurements as the package is lighter than anticipated.
In some cases, you make your choice and are served but upon reaching home you notice that the bones, fats and undesirable pieces of meat seem to have multiplied between your journey from the butchery to the house.
Buying meat in Nairobi has turned into a gamble with dishonest butchery attendants and traders on the loose, fleecing Kenyans.
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It is a game of deceit that has been perfected over time, one that is difficult to notice.
Red meat on display at a butchery
How does this fraud go unabated and how can Kenyans beat unscrupulous butchery attendants in their game?
Tilting the scales to their favour
John who once worked as a butchery attendant in an outlet along Kang’undo road explains that tampering with the weighing scale is a common practice.
A magnet is attached onto the scale on the side on which the meat is placed but concealed from the view of customers.
During weighing, the additional weight of the magnet contributes to what is passed off as the actual weight of the meat, with the consumer paying the full amount but for less meat.
The weight of the magnet attached to the scale is changed swiftly depending on the weight of the meat being purchased, lighter magnets attached for smaller purchases and vice versa.
Some take their game of deceit a notch higher by using lighter reference weights/counterweights that are actually lighter than they should be.
The use of heavier plates to weigh which ensure that the weight of the meat is less than it should be is also commonly used.
While it may be more difficult to beat those who use heavier plates or lighter counterweights, one needs to be alert and if possible, check the weighing scale for any magnets attached to it. Modern electric weighing scale were meant to fix problems associated with manual weighing scales but here too the crooks have found ways to rip off consumers.
Predetermined amount & digital weighing scale
Some programme the scale to add an amount for each sale such that even when the kilogram ends of scale reads zero, the predetermined amount will still show on the scale.
Ensuring that both the weight and the amount are at zero prior to the meat being weighed may help in this situation.
Another common trick is to set a higher price on the digital scale than what is given officially as the price of a kilogram of meat, meaning that the consumer will pay more than the actual price.
Confirming that the weight indicated on the scale matches the price provided is crucial in unmasking an unscrupulous butchery attendant keen on ripping you off.
What you see & choose is not what you get
In some cases, the fraud happens at the point when the meat is being cut into small pieces. All is well at the point of weighing with the scale accurate and the price on point until the meat is handed over to be cut into small pieces at a station away from the counter.
It is here that the attendant ‘taxes’ the meat, ensuring that not all that was weighed makes it to the hands of the customer.
This is also the point where undesirable lumps of fat, bones and tissue is sneaked in and exchanged with what the customer chose.
To beat this, you need to stay alert, observing every movement of your purchase a giving them no room to engage in monkey business.
Substandard weighing scales
The influx of sub-standard scales has also made matters worse with unscrupulous businessmen turning to these intentionally to rip off customers. Weights and Measures Directorate officers have been unable to inspect all butcheries and ensure compliance with unscrupulous attendants and businessmen taking advantage of this.
Red meat on display at a butchery
Lack of coordination between responsible agencies tasked with ensuring compliance has left Kenyans to their own devices and at the mercy of these rogue characters.