Recently, consumers at the Lianyungang Seafood Market in Jiangsu encountered “dishonest scales” and were involved in a heated dispute where their phones were grabbed by staff members, sparking widespread discussions. As this incident has not subsided, a similar event also occurred in Nanjing. Under public pressure, officials have issued a report on this incident.
On May 16, a netizen posted a video claiming that when buying seafood at the Lianyungang Seafood and Vegetable Direct Market in Jiangsu, they encountered “dishonest scales” and were then confronted and had their phone seized by the market management.
The incident has garnered a lot of attention from netizens and has become a top trending topic, turning the entrance of the Lianyungang Seafood and Vegetable Direct Market into a popular live streaming spot for some internet celebrities.
On May 17, the Haizhou District Joint Investigation Team released a situation report stating that preliminary investigations found that the merchant Xu engaged in dishonest practices. Investigations have been opened against the involved merchant and the market organizers, with market staff member Cao being investigated. Cao has been dismissed from the position.
The incident sparked a wave of online comments from many netizens.
Some netizens mentioned that the infamous reputation of the Lianyungang Seafood and Vegetable Direct Market has led to a decline in business. Local residents pointed out that cheating on weights is not an isolated incident at the market and is not something that happened overnight.
Netizens questioned how the merchants dared to behave in such an arrogant manner if it weren’t for collusion between market managers and merchants, resulting in the escalation of the situation into a major event.
Under public pressure, the Haizhou District Joint Investigation Team in Lianyungang issued another report on May 19 regarding the exposed incident of a consumer finding a merchant engaging in dishonest practices and having their phone seized by market staff. The merchant Xu was fined 30,000 yuan, while the market organizers were fined 350,000 yuan. Market staff members Cao and Wang who violated public security regulations, as well as Xu and their relatives, were administratively detained.
While the above incident has not yet fully subsided, another consumer advocate posted a video claiming that when buying fish at the Dongshan Second Agricultural and Trading Market in Nanjing, they also encountered weighing discrepancies and had their phone confiscated and destroyed by market management.
On the morning of May 18, consumer advocate “Black and White 12” posted a video on a short video platform showing their experience with dishonest scales in Nanjing on April 22.
In the video, the advocate weighed the fish purchased at the Dongshan Second Agricultural and Trading Market in Nanjing and found it to be four ounces short. When confronting the merchant, they admitted to using a rigged scale. The advocate then sought out the market management, only to be aggressively confronted and have their phone snatched and thrown to the ground with threats.
After the video went public, it once again led to criticism from netizens, showing that deceptive scales in markets are more prevalent than believed.
Some netizens questioned where these deceptive practices originated from – not only with merchants using false scales but also hidden within the offices of market management.
Following the escalation of events, on May 19, the Jiangning District Joint Investigation Team in Nanjing issued a situation report stating that on May 18, a netizen reported purchasing fish at an agricultural and trading market in Jiangning District and experiencing similar dishonest practices, including having their phone forcibly taken by market management. An investigation into this incident has been initiated.
Currently, the market organizers and merchants involved in the incident are under investigation, and the merchant involved has been expelled by the market management.