This is one that got me smiling: The government of Italy has set up a text messaging service for consumers to check the wholesale prices of various foods on-the-fly. With soaring gas prices, the cost of food has also been on the rise, making consumers a lot more weary of what they’re shelling out for those gallons of milk. Or tomatoes. Or arugula leaves (you get the idea). The idea is that by making information about foot prices easily accessible, consumers will be able to make more educated decisions about where they buy and what they’re paying for their food.

Let’s say Bob’s Vegetable Cart charges 2 Euros for a head of lettuce, but you think that sounds a little high. Well, now our dear Italian friends can simply send a text message “lettuce” and get the wholesale prices sent right to their phone. Presumably if our tech-savvy shopper seems to think he’s getting ripped off by Bob, he can go see if Randy’s Produce Trolley across the street will give him a better deal.

I think the basic concept of educating consumers about how the free market does (and should) work is a great idea, but I ask this: If our shopper is familiar enough with technology to shop via text message, would it not be easier for them to access such a service online at home? Isn’t this a bit like texting your husband to see whether there’s anything he needs picked up at the store, rather than picking up the shopping list he made before you leave the house?

Admittedly, the cell phone culture is probably very different in Europe than it is here in the United States - and I certainly applaud the use of SMS - but it still seems a little silly to me.

Your thoughts?

via BBC