It is not only the Czech public that easily succumbs to marketers\’ advertising and sales ploys. The idea of discounting clouds our judgment and causes us to put many items in our shopping carts that we don\’t need at all.
What does discounting actually mean?
A discount is a price advantage given from supplier to buyer and seller to customer. The ability to offer this is a very powerful marketing tool to attract buyers. For sellers, it is an opportunity to sell inventory sitting in their warehouses to make room for new inventory. Its essence is based on the belief that higher-value goods are being purchased at lower prices. Thus, it is generally believed that by buying at a discount, one saves money to purchase other goods
often not realizing that the price of the goods is not so low. The merchant first raises the price and then makes up the announced selling price. The price is exactly the same, but the buyer does not notice it.
A new directive could be the solution
. The European Parliament has decided to approve the Consumer Prices Directive, which will enter into force within two years. This Directive will require the provision of information on the original price for all price reduction notices. As far as food products are concerned, this may be done in different ways here. For perishable products, different criteria could be set.
Czech Trade Inspection Office
The Czech Trade Inspection Office controls the seller\’s conduct. In this case, it ensures that the discount is calculated on the basis of the actual selling price of the goods. It must not be based on the consumer recommended price offered by the manufacturer. If the price is raised for only a few days and then discounted from there, this is not a violation of the law.
We sometimes see discounts based on vague and fictitious amounts, even though the goods have not been sold at all. This trend is becoming more and more common every year. If the seller cannot provide the original price from which the discount is derived, the inspector has the right to impose a fine.
On the current Black Friday, inspectors conduct emergency inspections. Their purpose is to verify that the discount offered is provided in accordance with legal standards. The most common case is a miscalculation of the final price of the goods, where the customer was charged a higher price than that announced by the retailer.
If the seller did not deduct the amount of the discount at the time of accounting or if that amount was calculated incorrectly, it is necessary to charge the goods at the announced price, since it is very complicated to claim back the difference.