The summer sales are approaching our country and we present the opening calendar. All you need to know.
The winter sales have been over for some time now and people are eagerly awaiting the summer sales.
There you will find the possibility to buy things at very good prices.
But what is the start date?
When do the 2023 summer sales start?
The 2023 summer sales will start like every year on the second Monday of July.
That is, on July 10 and they are expected to cease at the end of August.
In fact, there is a theory that says that there are two periods of summer sales. The first one that we did not mention above is usually the ten-day discount in May. These are the first ten days of the month.
The second and main period of the summer sales are those of July that we have described.
What you should know before buying something on sale
The Consumer Workers Union of Greece, on the occasion of the start of the summer sales, points out, among other things, that the original and the new reduced price of the products, with reference to the appropriate unit of measure per product.
In detail, during the execution of the offers, the original price and the new reduced price of the products, with reference to the appropriate unit of measure per product, must be clearly indicated at the points of sale of the products offered.
Each price reduction announcement indicates the previous price applied by the merchant for a specific period of time before the price reduction was applied.
Previous Price means the lowest price applied by the Merchant during a period of time not less than thirty (30) days prior to the application of the price reduction.
When the product has been on the market for less than thirty (30) days, the previous price shall be understood as the lowest price applied by the merchant during a period of ten (10) days before the price reduction was applied. When the price reduction is progressively increased, the previous price is the price without the price reduction before the first application of the price reduction.
In carrying out discounts, in addition to indicating the old and new reduced price of goods and services sold at a discount, it is also allowed to indicate and market the discount percentage.
If a reduced price is expected in more than 60% of the total items sold, the discount percentage provided must be indicated in the window and in any other commercial communication, and in the event that there are different discount percentages by product category. , the range of the percentage provided (“from …. % to …. %”) must be indicated. In any other case, it will be stated that the discounts refer to selected items with reference to the corresponding percentage.
STOCK or OUTLET stores are required to indicate on the signs provided for by the applicable provisions:
- The old sales price, removed and
- The new reduced sales price, so as to communicate to the consumer the clear distinction between these two prices.
Optionally, it is allowed to indicate the percentage of the discount within the store and in any other commercial communication with the consumer. During sales or sales periods, these stores are required to display all suppressed intermediate prices on their signs and, in bold, the new reduced sales price, and to indicate in any other commercial communication only the words “sale”, “offers” . .
If discounts, offers or any price reduction announcements are inaccurate or misleading as to the discount percentage or the prices or quantity of the products offered at a discount or sale or involve any form of concealment or deception, a charge shall be imposed. of the merchant fine up to 2% of the annual turnover and in any case not less than 20,000 euros.
If the merchant is fined a second time for the same violation within a period of five (5) years, the maximum amount of the fine is increased to 4% of its annual turnover.
Discounts: You can file a claim there
Consumer complaints can be filed on the kataggelies.mindev.gov.gr platform and concern possible violations within Greece, within the European Union and outside the European Union.
The platform displays five different topics on which consumers can file a complaint: consumer goods, services, banking services, insurance and other financial services, debtor information companies, debt settlement and personal data protection.
Although the General Secretariat of Commerce and Consumer Protection is not responsible for a subject, through the platform information is provided to the consumer about the service to which they should go.
The platform was recently presented by the political direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the start of the summer sales, and this is because consumers will have the opportunity to report fictitious sales through the platform, especially since in this occasion the so- The so-called 30-day rule applies.
In accordance with the provision contained in Law 4933/2022, the price before the discount is understood to be the lowest price applied by the merchant during a period of time not less than 30 days before the price reduction was applied. The same provision establishes that when the product has been on the market for less than 30 days, the previous price will be the lowest price applied by the merchant during a period of 10 days before the price reduction was applied.
When the price reduction is progressively increased, the previous price is the price without the price reduction before the first application of the price reduction. In case of violation of the previous provision, a fine of up to 4% of the company’s total turnover is foreseen. “In conditions of high inflation, we will contribute real discounts to control inflation in the next two months,” argued the minister, Mr. Georgiadis.
In addition to the control of offers and discounts, according to APE-MPE, the rules are also tightening for electronic commerce with the bill of the Ministry of Finance that was put up for public consultation and will be brought to Parliament in the near future.
In fact, in the same bill, with another provision, the procedures for the operation of online stores are further tightened, since companies must indicate on their website the VAT number, the Mercantile Registry number as well as the number of the license to practice a profession, while fines of up to 1.5 million euros. The fine can reach 3 million euros if the online store in question is fraudulent, and the website can also be cancelled.