The January sales got under way last weekend and will run until the end the of the month. The are bargains to be had particular at stores selling clothing and shoes. But how can you be certain that you are being given the correct discount and the price you are being charged is correct? Why is oner item you wish to buy in the sale and another item you want not?
What are your rights as a consumer when you buy something in the sales. The Federal Economy Department’s Lien Meurisse, bargain hunter Gunther Devisch of Promojagers and the marketing expert Els Breugelmans answer these and other questions posed by the VRT’s consumer programme WinWin.
1. The lowest price is the real price
It sometimes happens that the price at the till isn’t the same as the price that appears on the (reduced) price ticket attached to the item. Of course, human error can occur, but this should never be at the customer’s expense.
"The shop must always charge the lower of the two prices and in some cases this can be the price that appears when the item is scanned at the till”, The Federal Economy Department’s Lien Meurisse told VRT News.
"Unless the lowest price is clearly an error. You will never be able to buy a laptop for 10 euro. If the price that is on the ticket is clearly an error the sales person can charge the correct, higher price for the goods".
2. Discount for all, unless conditions are clearly stated
If an item is in the sales, the discount applies to all customers regardless of whether or not they have a store card.
However, if conditions with regards to discounts are clearly stated, then it may well be the case that those that don’t fulfill the conditions will be charged the full price.
3. The shop decides which articles are in the sale and which aren’t.
Some stores opt not to put clothing from the last winter collection into the sale. Only “old” items from the previous year are discounted. Although this will frustrate many, the shop is perfectly entitled to do this.
The law states that any item that is included in the sales must have been on sale in the shop for at least 30 days prior to the start of sales.
Liene Meurisse told the VRT that “This is the so-called reference period. Beyond this, the store if free to decide what it puts into its sale.
4. Misleading customers is forbidden
If you come across misleading practices, for example a jacket that is “in the sale”, but the price being charges is the same as before the sales started, you can always point this out to the people working in the shop. Promojagers’ Gunther Devisch advises to “Check the price of the item you are interested in prior to the sales. Then you will know for sure whether it has been discounted”.
If an item is in the sale the sale price should always be lower than the “reference” price.
“The reference price is the lowest price charged for the item during the 30 days prior to start of the sales. This is laid down in the May 2022 Omnibus Act of May 2022. Moreover, the reference price remains the same, even if the level of discounts increases during the sales period.”
But what if you notice that you don’t receive the correct discount? Tell the salesperson and if you don’t receive a satisfactory answer report it to the Economic Inspectorate. They can take action against the store.
5. Why are there no sales in restaurants?
Why are there only sales in clothing, electronics and furniture stores and not, for example, in restaurants and food stores? This is because the idea of a sale is to clear (old) stock.
"A clothing store will still have stock from a previous collection that it wishes to get rid off. With electrical goods there might be new models that have come out. But a supermarket or restaurant does have stock from a previous season that it wishes to get rid of. If they did they could organise a sale, they are not forbidden to do so by law”.
6. No special rules regarding return of guarantees
The same rules regarding guarantees apply to goods purchased in the sales as to other goods. The Federal Economy Department says that "The warranty law covers defects in goods sold by a vendor to a consumer. It makes no difference whether this happens during the sales or at any other time."
The same applies to the right of return and withdrawal. “Consumers have the right to return a product purchased online. You must notify the company of your wish to withdraw from the contract within 14 calendar days, without giving any reason and without incurring any additional costs other than those provided for in economic law”.
7. Don’t let the weather deter you
Bad weather can be advantageous to bargain hunters that do venture out to the shops. The retail expert Els Breugelmans says that while snow and freezing temperatures might keep people away from the winter sales, hot weather during the summer sales may also deter people from wishing to buy some items of clothing such as coats and jumpers.
The day on which the sales start is also important. Each year the winter sales in Belgium start on 3 January. This year 3 January was on a Saturday, a day on which people traditionally hit the shops. However if 3 January falls on a Monday and is the first day back at work/school after the Christmas/New Year break there are far fewer people in the shops. This means that those that do go to their local High Street or shopping centre have a far greater chance of finding the best bargains.
8. Keep track of prices throughout the year
Els Breugelmans notes that generally speaking, sales are becoming less important, Breugelmans notes. “Nowadays there seem to be discounts all year round. There is Black Friday and there are product bundle offers. In addition, you can now easily buy cheap clothing online from the comfort of your own home, so you no longer have to wait for the sales”.
Keep an eye on prices throughout the year and compare them is a good tip.
9. Compare in-store discounts with online discounts
If you are about to purchase an item in the sale, it is always best to compare prices first. “For items you purchase online, there are very useful online tools for comparing discounts", Gunther Devisch told the VRT.
“In a physical shop, you can always enter the barcode into Google. This allows you to find the product at other shops and compare price