'Sale' price query and length

Keano!

If a product is say 1000 euro in a shop. Next day it is 950 for example yet the price says 'save 300 euro'... What sort of legal issue is here? I know there's a thing where the price had to be at a particular price for a length before they can say this.

Ie. The price at 1000 never said 'save 250 euro'

Heads up and advice be appreciated!

Merry Xmas

slimjimmc

It depends on what they are comparing against. The "saving" may be based on the Manufacturers Recommended Retail Price or it could be based on a previous higher price offered by the shop.
The law just requires that the consumer should not be deceived by the advertised price. In practice it is accepted that if the higher price be displayed anytime within the previous 3 months.

sandin

There are recommendations but no actual law covering price reductions. Hence you see the ridiculous price promotion saying "after event" price .

beauf

slimjimmc wrote: »

...it is accepted that if the higher price be displayed anytime within the previous 3 months.

Which is means anything goes in practice. Sale is meaningless.

It should be changed that the sale price has to be lower than it has been for 75% of the 3 months previous. And a sale has to be 15% off or more off that full price.

lau1247

beauf wrote: »

And a sale has to be 15% off or more off that full price.

Why is that?? I genuinely don't understand why it has to be 15% or more off

A sale is a sale. At the end of day it is a discount.

beauf

Prices change all the time. So a change of 10% could be normal price fluctuations.

A sale for me is something at a special discount. Not the normal minor changes in price.

Otherwise the term sale is meaningless. Which indeed it now is. Its been diluted and over used to the point where a sale is their normal price.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

beauf

Or they mark the prices up for a tiny period and then move them back down to the normal price.

TBH I don't think they even both to do this, as its nigh impossible to check unless your watching an item for a while and recording prices.

lau1247

beauf wrote: »

Prices change all the time. So a change of 10% could be normal price fluctuations.

A sale for me is something at a special discount. Not the normal minor changes in price.

Otherwise the term sale is meaningless. Which indeed it now is. Its been diluted and over used to the point where a sale is their normal price.

Since when?? It is either a discount or not, shops don't just open in the morning and decide to reduce by 2.5% (or whatever below 10% as suggested) due to fluctuation and keep it there. They sell at their normal price or they sell at discount for a set period before reverting back to higher price


Definition of sale in this context:

"an event at which goods are sold at reduced prices, usually to clear old stocks"

While the term 'sale' is somewhat overused these days (i agree on this point) however you got to understand the % you have in your head that count as 'special discount' can differ from the seller's idea of it.

lau1247

beauf wrote: »

Or they mark the prices up for a tiny period and then move them back down to the normal price.

TBH I don't think they even both to do this, as its nigh impossible to check unless your watching an item for a while and recording prices.

General shops that follow trading guideline of properly selling at higher price for a set period before sale price is grand.

The likes of HN is just taking the piss, every week is a sale. If they follow the proper process, then a sale is a sale

JP Liz V1

If a store has signs up for their sale stating up to 70% off it is wrong to assume that at least some of their stock in store should be 70% off, sorry to derail this thread with a new sale query

slimjimmc

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

If a store has signs up for their sale stating up to 70% off it is wrong to assume that at least some of their stock in store should be 70% off, sorry to derail this thread with a new sale query

No it's not wrong to make that assumption since that's what they are claiming. But the higher price may not be last weeks price for example; the accepted guideline is that the higher price should have been in use for at least 28 consecutive days anytime within the previous 3 months.

beauf

lau1247 wrote: »

Since when?? It is either a discount or not, shops don't just open in the morning and decide to reduce by 2.5% (or whatever below 10% as suggested) due to fluctuation and keep it there. They sell at their normal price or they sell at discount for a set period before reverting back to higher price


Definition of sale in this context:

"an event at which goods are sold at reduced prices, usually to clear old stocks"

While the term 'sale' is somewhat overused these days (i agree on this point) however you got to understand the % you have in your head that count as 'special discount' can differ from the seller's idea of it.

If its never at the "normal" price but always at the "sale" price.

Then the sale price is actually the normal price and thus not discounted at all.

A variation of this is advertising "huge discounts". When they are actually very small discounts in real terms.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2529675/Are-duped-sales-Shopper-fury-deals-cheaper-Christmas.html

Bepolite

If you're buying something at a 'sale' price, because it's at a 'sale' price then you're a moron and deserve all you get. If your buying something you've had your eye on you know it's a genuine reduction. If you're buying something you want/need/fancy in a 'sale' then it doesn't really matter what price it was before the event.

How Next and people manage to build the hype they do is beyond me. If you want out of season clothes at bargain basement prices go to a charity shop.

Edit: Sorry that's you're as in the general you're not directed at the OP.

beauf

I think the main reason its so annoying is you get dragged to a shop (or a website) only to find there isn't a sale at all.

I've stopped bothering with in store sales because usually there's no significant discount. If there is a worthwhile discount, there's usually so little stock its not available to most people anyway. Online the odds of seeing something you're watching the price off and being in stock are much more likely.

People might buy see something as reasonable, or good value or affordable at say 60% of the normal price. But not at the normal price.

goz83

I worked for a tile and bathroom company back in 2005 for a few months. They had a massive banner hanging on the front of the building saying "biggest tile sale ever". The same banner was there until they closed shop a few months ago. In reality, few sales are genuine. The prices were reasonable enough to begin with at the tile place, but imo, the banner turned more people off coming to the shop, because it was clearly old and grubby and smacked of dishonesty.

I take any sale price with a pinch of salt - if I didn't need/want it at full price I probably still don't need or want it now.

goz83

Walked into what used to be Atlantic Homecare in Coolock. It's closing down and there was a tiny amount of stock left. I picked up 7 of those 7 foot lengths of steel frame shelving, normally costing €20 per piece, now only €1 per piece. A 95% discount ain't too bad

They advertised up to 70% off. Now that's a sale.....but really, there was feck all left in the place. just a couple of selves with random crap. I struck gold with what others must have thought (and may have been) part of the shelves