Can a shop hike the price then sell it discounted to appear cheaper?

Ken_Adams

Hi all,
I've been watching the prices of some established brand watches in a well known High Street jeweller for some time, and have noted that before Xmas they were priced at a level which did not offer any discounts etc (i.e. they appeared to be "full retail").

In the xmas sale they now show "25% off", have a higher standard price than before the sale, and even after the 25% off, are in some cases still more expensive than before Xmas.

Is the shop allowed to do this? It feels to be misleading people into thinking they are getting a bargain when they've been that price or cheaper all along...

Thanks!

zoob

Yes perfectly legal and above board, shops can’t show reductions if they don’t sell items at a higher price for at least 28 days in the previous 6 months
Some brands give allowances for retailers to reduce prices between certain dates too help boost sales
Item not being offered for sale at higher price at any point means legally your unable to show a reduction

cymruchris

The higher price only has to be charged in a certain number of stores - so if this national retailer happened to have 300 branches - they could (and do) sell the items at £200 each in the majority of their branches - and £250 in a handful of branches - then when ready for the promotion - they can claim - was £250 now £200 - and show a saving of £50 - even though the majority of branches didn't sell it at that higher price. As long as it's been on sale somewhere for the last 28 days at the higher price - they can then show the discount across the chain. I'm sure you already know that a banana isn't the same price in every branch of tescos just because it says tesco above the door?

prowla

It's a bit of trickery and it's your choice whether to buy.

unholyangel

No, its unlikely to be legal (and may even be a criminal offence). Not unless they specifically tell you what price it was being sold at before so as not to mislead.

Covered by both the price marking order and CPRs.

However, that is also assuming that after the sale, they don't return to a price that was higher than previously. As the latter would (imo) indicate a increase in cost & pricing rather than an attempt to mislead consumers into believing they have a specific price advantage, in order to entice them into ordering.

molerat

When I worked in retail we used to have a half price sale, we called it the £10 off sale as that was what it actually was. The price was hiked for the statutory time then half priced to £10 below the pre increase price. All perfectly legal. If you look at Currys sale prices there is a nice little disclaimer under all the items. Argos is another one with "intervening prices may have been charged".