The hunt for the best deal is peaking
The day that all consumers have been waiting for big and tempting offers has arrived… this year Black Friday. The merchants’ offers started a few days ago, in an effort by the businesses to “warm up” the market which under the weight of inflation seems to be under pressure.
Offers are peaking the three days, from today until on Monday, November 27, which is Cyber Monday, while the commercial stores will be also open on Sunday facilitating consumer purchases.
At the cutting edge of the offers are the technology products, with electrical and electronics chains leading the way in promotions by offering consumers, among other things, flexible payment solutions. Intensive advertising campaigns have also been launched household equipment chainswhile they expect a further increase in their sales thousands of small shops that make sales through the marketplaces.
Even though most companies offer very tempting offers on selected products, there are cases of fraud. THE Union of Consumer Workers of Greece of GSEE advises consumers to be particularly careful and not to be tempted by seemingly impressive offers.
The 5 rules to avoid falling victim to “offers”
The Union recommends compliance five rules, specifically the following:
- To do market research and check not only the price (original and new) but also the quality of the products. They should also search the internet for the price of the product they are going to choose by code or model number, so they can be sure that the price they have found is the best.
- To delineate their needs and plan with a list the purchases they are going to make, which will keep in line with their personal or family budget avoiding reckless spending
- To be informed of the details and terms of their transaction when purchasing products in installments. Especially for credit card purchases, always be informed of the terms and conditions of the particular purchase. In particular, they should investigate whether and to what extent interest is imposed on this market, since, in this case, the cost of the purchase increases rapidly.
- Products must carry the original price and the offer price (not the discount percentage). Caution! Offers often say no changes, so if you regret it, you can’t change
- Always ask for the receipt for the products they have purchased. In case the product is defective and they want to return or exchange it, proof is necessary.
It would be good for everyone to know that the consumer frenzy created by marketing techniques (Black Friday, opening of shops on Sundays, white nights, etc.) results in subconsciously exerting psychological pressure on the consumer, who feels he “must” take advantage of the deals by rushing to the shops. In today’s context of explosive accuracy in essential goods, the consumer must act with prudence and caution in his purchases, the announcement concludes.
Intensive checks by the Ministry of Development
At the same time the Ministry of Development declares that controls on the market are intensive, in order to ensure that the offers for consumers will be real. THE Minister of Development, Kostas Skrekas attended yesterday, Thursday, the informative event ‘Rebates? Offers; Do it right!” which was organized by the Ministry of Development together with the Business and Industry Association, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Athens Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Skrekas repeated that all the previous period were quoted in the market in order to compare today and find out if discounts are real. Otherwise, businesses will face high fines.
“It goes without saying that the government wants offers and discounts. But which must be real and not misleading for consumers” emphasized Mr. Skrekas while adding: “companies should respect the law, understand the social need to keep prices low for two reasons: Firstly, because we need to help households to access basic goods and secondly to ensure the sustainability of their own businesses. For the simple reason that if the consumer loses his confidence in the products, this will have negative consequences on the sales of the companies. These rules that have been introduced are for trade to operate under competitive conditions in the interest and protection of the consumer.”
The purpose of the event was informing consumers, as well as market representatives, about the correct application of the legal framework for discounts.
