Cosmetics counters = goods unpriced = is this legal?

usignuolo

Not quite sure where to post this so will start here. I was in my local House of Fraser store yesterday looking at bed linen.

The ground floor is now given over almost exclusively to cosmetics franchises and as I passed through on the way out, my eye was caught by a House of Fraser special face cream in association with a well known upmarket cosmetics company. Always a sucker for face creams, I thought I would try a pot. The relevant counter had a basket of its range on display so I selected a tub of said cream and turned it over to find the price. Unpriced. Nothing in the basket was priced. Nor was there any list of prices on display.

On the wall nearby the large Clarins counter had a whole stand alone shelving range of their products including face creams, so I wandered over to it. Not a single one was priced. No price list on display there either.

None of the cosmetics on sale at the ground floor franchises were priced either individually or via a list on display. I assume they want you to ask their sales assistant the price so they can "advise" you and sell further products.

Is it actually legal to sell goods in a department store without providing any prices for the customer to view? (It only applied in the cosmetics department by the way).

swagman

Traders must show prices of goods they offer for sale. Prices need not be marked on individual products, but it must be readily possible to identify a given item on a price list, which should be nearby. The Price Marking Order 1999 covers these matters.
The local Trading Standards Department is the one to contact if you wish to complain.