The beginning of December affirms that the Christmas holiday season is upon us in Guyana and most parts of the World. Most consumers are drafting their lists of goodies to purchase before visiting the shops, markets and supermarkets to make those purchases. Included in those lists to grab are more than normal quantities of foods and other grocery items, such as rice, flour, sugar, meats, preserved fruits and cooking oil. In this season also, every dollar counts, and consumers must ensure that they are given value for money by getting the right Weights and Measures.
For almost 25 years, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has been executing its mandate to ensure that all weighing and measuring devices used in trade are verified (stamped). The Bureau has been doing this twice yearly to ensure accuracy and transparency.
However, it is the opportune time for consumers to be reminded that they too have meaningful roles to play which would guarantee that they are not given short weights and measures. The following are ten of these roles:
- Buy goods from vendors who are using verified scales and other verified devices. If used properly, approved devices give correct weights or measures.
- Look for GNBS verification seals on devices. The affixed GNBS seals are one way of determining whether the device (scale) was verified.
- Make sure the device used to weigh or measure your goods is clean and tidy. Dirty devices often give inaccurate weights and measures and can cause the contamination of goods including food items.
- During the weighing process, ensure that you can see the measuring indicator of scales. The scale must be positioned in a manner, which will allow you to see the weighing process.
- Do not buy from vendors or shopkeepers using the domestic (kitchen) scales. These scales are not approved for commercial trade because their internal mechanisms are quickly worn, hence they give inaccurate weights.
- Do not accept purchase if you have doubts about your weight or measure. You can ask the seller to reweigh or measure the item to be satisfied with the quantities given to you.
- Buy in metric quantities. Most measuring devices used in the marketplace are in metric units and by requesting goods in metric quantities, you are assured of the quantity of goods issued to you.
- Buy all solids by weight instead of measure. Rice, peas and channa are solid goods and all solids must be weighed, not measured. Request these goods in grammes and kilogrammes instead of pints and gallons.
- Buy prepackaged goods that are labelled with the quantity (net contents). For example: 450 g, 1 kg, 3 litres, etc. Remember, without a stated quantity on the label/package you can be sold a lesser quantity than you are paying for.
- Call or WhatsApp the GNBS or visit the Sub-office or Weights and Measures Office in your Region to make complaints of short weight or measure if the need arises.
For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064 – 66, or WhatsApp: 692-4627.
