Boots markup in store

UserX90210

I have been comparing different prices online for a perfume (I am going to call it Perfume X).

It is sold for £96 in Boots as there is currently a 20% promotion on fragrances.
The website said the full retail price was £120.

So I went into a store (in a large town in the South East) to check the price in person.
To my dismay, the discounted price was £110.40. When I asked why it was more expensive in store than online, I was shown the original price tag with the "full" price of £138!!!

I get that physical stores cost more to run than websites (due to rent, bills and overheads) but a 15% markup feels like a lot.

Needless to say, I didn't buy it from Boots. Luckily, The Fragrance Shop sold it for the actual discounted price of £96 for its members.

Are stores allowed to do this? I'm shocked that the markup was so high compared to the RRP.

I would be curious to find out if it's happening in other Boots stores.

flaneurs_lobster

Don't the regulations decree that when an item is offered with a discount then that item must have been on sale at the "full" price at the retailer (somewhere) for a period of time, recently (someone will know the actual numbers)?

And is Recommended Retail Price an actual thing anymore?

Grumpy_chap

Are stores allowed to do this?

Yes.

Store price can vary from online price.

Store price can vary between different stores - think of a Boots in a town or a Boots offering a more "convenience" service such as service / rail stations.

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82118653#Comment_82118653

... or the 'only if you're desperate or drunk' Boots at the airport.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6681371/boots-markup-in-store

All the Boots website says is what the price used to be, and what it is now - that obviously applies to the online prices. The prices in the store refer to the store prices. They can and eill be different as Boots are free to set their prices at whatever level they see fit.

Surrey1966

hi I’ve compared men’s aftershave often and have used boots, airport “duty free” (that’s actually misleading as aftershave does not have duty anyway - only as a customs import duty pending value) I’ve compared with airline on board shops and in summary - a reputable eBay shop always wins by a mile and of course they are genuine products :)

EDIT: Obviously actual stores have the usual overheads plus some tester bottles if you don’t know what you want, stores also factor in theft into their costs as well as the usual high street costs.

BridgetTheCat

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82118650#Comment_82118650

The old Consumer Protection (Misleading Prices) code of practice said it had to be at full price for 28 consecutive days in the last 6 months, but it was only ever guidance - never had the force of law. The code was adopted under the Consmer Rights Act when it came in, but again has the status of best practice guidance.

ETA sorry it was the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regs, not the Consumer Rights Act

BridgetTheCat

Honestly you’d be better off ignoring ‘discounts’ and just comparing current prices across different retailers. And as always ask the fundamental questions - can I afford it, is it worth the money (to me), will I use it?

MattMattMattUK

If you think this is an issue then look at in store prices for supermarkets in the Midlands and North vs London, the South-East and South-West, the same food on sale in the stores in the Midlands and North is considerably cheaper in directly comparable stores (e.g. both Tesco Extra, both Sainsbury's), than it is in the South.

UserX90210

Thanks for your contributions. Just got back from another Boots store out of town and it turns out the shop assistant in the first store made a mistake with the price tags.

She was looking at the parfum version of the fragrance which is £138 RRP while I was after the eau de parfum, which is indeed £120 RRP. Mystery solved.

However, it does look like Boots are still marking up prices in some stores. Here is an interesting article: https:// lnkd.in /p/ek5NHwJq

sheramber

My local Tesco was dearer for products than the big store in the out of town retail park.

It was worth the cost of fuel to travel to get the cheaper prices.

A Tesco express was dearer than my local store.