Summer sales commence - what consumers should know

The commercial movement in the previous period moved at low levels as in the midst of accuracy consumers put the purchases of consumer goods on the "edge".

So this year's summer sales are characterized by traders as "more necessary than ever" both for those who hope to boost turnover and for consumers who will have the opportunity to shop - even if limited - at lower prices.

Market officials note that there is a lot of unused merchandise in the stores which the professionals intend to make available at low prices from the very first days of the discount period in order to "heat up" the market.

After all, since the beginning of July, the online stores that unofficially started the sales had products at discounts that even exceeded 50%.

The traders' hopes for the 50 days of sales is that the turnover will move close to the levels of 2019, i.e. before the pandemic, while the goal, as has been determined, is to exceed 6 billion Euros.

It should be noted that stores can optionally remain open on the first Sunday of sales, on July 17th, 2022.


What consumers should watch out for:

In the purchases they will make during the discounts, consumers should be aware of the following:

- It is mandatory to indicate a double price on all products sold with a discount. That is, both the old and the new, reduced.

- Indicating a discount rate is not mandatory. In case the company lists a percentage, it must be specified that it is a discount (e.g. "30% discount").

- There should be no confusion between discounts and offers. Discounts refer to seasonal products, while offers, where the discount is particularly high, usually refer to outdated items. In the case of tenders, there should be a relevant sign posted. Products must list both the original price and the offer price (not the discount percentage).

- As long as a reduced price is provided on more than 60% of all products, the demonstration of the discount percentage provided is mandatory. So it should be written on the shop window and in any other commercial communication.

- In case there are different discount rates per product category, their range should be indicated. That is, "from ... % to …. %".

- Consumers should be informed by traders if changes are made to the items they sell during sales. Dealers are obliged to exchange defective products purchased during the sales period. Unless the product is on sale due to a specific defect and if the consumer has been informed about this before the purchase with a corresponding sign.