Disappointing Sales Tactics Despite Delicious Halva
I recently visited SumSum in Amsterdam and while I have no complaints about the quality of the halva (it's truly delicious), I left extremely disappointed and frustrated by the dishonest sales tactics of the man behind the counter.
He started off friendly, offering generous samples and explaining the prices: €21 for 300g or €70 for a kilo. The offer displayed in the shop was "buy 4, get 1 free," but he personally offered me a "special deal"--buy 3, get 1 free--if I added just one more piece to my order. It felt like a good deal at the time, so I agreed.
I had told him very clearly that I wanted the bare minimum--just 300g of the sugar-free pistachio halva. My aunt wanted the same in the regular version. Even before cutting, I emphasized that I wanted the smallest possible amount. He claimed the smallest cut was 300g and that it might vary slightly, but what he actually did was cut the halva at a sharp slant--thin on top and thick at the bottom--so what should have been 300g ended up being 600g. This happened with every piece he cut.
When I pointed it out, he insisted he couldn't cut it thinner or it would crumble--completely untrue, since the top of the slice was much thinner than the base. In the end, I walked out with nearly 2 kilos of halva when I had only wanted around 600g total.
To make matters worse, I ended up spending almost €140--double what I expected and wanted to spend. That is a ridiculous amount of money for halva (or any candy), and I left feeling completely ripped off.
This man used pressure, manipulation, and a misleading cutting technique to upsell me far beyond what I asked for. While the product is excellent, the sales experience was the opposite. Be extremely cautious if you visit--or better yet, avoid altogether. No one likes feeling scammed, especially when it's masked by charm and a smile.
(See photo attached of the "300g" piece that actually weighed 600g. I confirmed the weight with my own scale at home.) read more