Aldi's fake discounts breach EU law, top European court says
www.euronews.com
The supermarket can’t pretend it’s offering a discount if it raises prices just to cut them back, the judges ruled in a case brought by consumer activists from Baden-Württemberg. #EuropeNews
    • frickineh@lemmy.worldEnglish
      61·
      1 month ago

      To sum up, Aldi did the same thing a lot of retailers do, which is raising their prices and then having a “sale,” they got caught, and the court agreed they did it. No info about any kind of consequences.

      • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        1·
        1 month ago

        Interestingly, they still followed the law that requires you to show the lowest price in 30 days which was the same as the sale price. Their argument is that the law doesn’t say that they can’t base the discount on some other, higher price.

        Which does kinda have a point - if you had to base it on that price, if you have e.g a summer sale that lasts two months, after 30 days that sale price is now the lowest price and the sale would “disappear”, even if for the other 10 months you’d be selling it for a higher price.
        So what’s the situation if you have a one week sale, one week normal price, then another sale - 30 day lowest price is the same, but the discount is valid too?

  • elgordino@fedia.io
    291·
    1 month ago

    I wish someone would take a look at ‘Clubcard Prices’ and ‘Nectar Prices’ etc. Ie discounts if you have the loyalty card.

    I’m sure they’re just a way to circumvent trading standards legislation about needing to have been on sale at the higher price before starting a sale. Because it’s not a sale is a ‘club price’. The store can show a massive discount when it was never on sale at the undiscounted price anyway.

    • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
      51·
      1 month ago

      Which places have a “discount with card” program that also don’t/didn’t sell at full retail price?

      • elgordino@fedia.io
        2·
        1 month ago

        Yeah. The thing is that full retail price is hiked up, not the normal price. Side stepping the legislation designed to prevent this kind of behavior.

        Not in every instance but for sure it does happen. Some of those ‘non member’ prices are so high as to be laughable.

      • haywire@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 month ago

        Costco? The members price when you have to be a member to shop there?

        Always thought that was weird.

        • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
          5·
          1 month ago

          Costco doesn’t have discounted pricing, do they? They just have the one membership price, right? I’ve never shopped there so I don’t know.

          • haywire@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            1 month ago

            In the UK at least they’ll show a price then a member special price next to it, they used to have a while section of them in the catalogue they sent out each month.

            Other items list prices then special discounts at the till for members.

  • SomeGuy69@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 month ago

    Now a lot of companies selling gaming digital goods should get nervous, as they do this 100% of the time.