Austria Ministry of Social Policy has recently decided to sue several large chains of supermarket for manipulation through decreasing food prices.
Namely, from this ministry claims that Bill, Spar, Hofer and Lidl did not meet the obligation to present the lowest comparable prices in the last 30 days. Accordingly, they believe that in many cases, customers are vague whether they save the purchase of the product that is stated that it is on reduction.
“It is forbidden to sell a coffee as if it was 50 percent, from 14 to seven euros, and two weeks ago it cost six or seven euros,” Petra Leupold said in the consumer information association in Austria (VKI).
And many citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina think traders are manipulated by prices for years, which also applies to manipulation through reductions. Competent work on disabling these manipulations. Thus, the Republika Srpska adopted the Draft Law on Consumers, and the entity Minister of Trade and Tourism Denis Šulić (SNSD) recently explained what this law will mean.
“The merchant must show the price that was a month ago, not the first day of the month, if the next day was 100 km away, and not just the price of the day before discounting,” Sulic pointed out.
The fight against manipulation prices through discounts begins in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the Federal Ministry of Trade, they stressed that the Law on Protection of Consumers will be on the high cost of prices and the customer whether it is about growing prices (reduction of the product with retention or displayed as if its price has been reduced).
They mentioned that the mentioned law will soon be sent to the parliamentary procedure and that there will be regulated by a number of other issues, and all in order for consumers in the FBiH to be protected like consumers in the European Union.
In addition, they work on the introduction of a trademark intake application, which they assessed that the price control and compliance with the regulations on the business space will be strengthened.
“Our intention is to offer digitization, which is largely in progress, offer consumers to price basic foods, with tools that will enable price comparison in different shopping malls and comparison in different cities,” they added.
They have confirmed that in the FBiH, there are manipulations through discounts and have set aside some of them.
“The one who is visible is a discount advertising e.g. to 70 percent, and the actual reductions amounted to 20 to 40 percent. In previous periods that traders before seasonal disciples, and then allegedly lowered them in the amount of the previous price,” they emphasized.
They also also referred to the trade in reduction expressions, such as “until the expiration of the stock” or “only today”, and that the decrease in decrease in the lessons. They also warned of reductions for products with hidden costs.
“One example is and show a low action price, but the hidden costs are charged (eg delivery, installation, mandatory accessories), so the consumer eventually pays more than expected,” they explained.
From the Federal Ministry of Trade, they stated that a large number of discounts are advertised for the entire range, and actually refers to a small number of products or those who are least demanded. Ultimately, as they announced, the new law will be introduced that the maximum percentage of discount must refer to at least one fifth value of all products on sale, which reduces deception space, writes Clix.
