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Surely it has happened to you more than once: you are looking at prices to buy a TV, your next iPhone or a product that you usually consume in the supermarket, and It turns out that their offer price is the same or even more expensive than on other occasions.
In particular, I have worked for seven years in the marketing sector and I know well the techniques that companies use to seduce users. From basics like letters in red that make us think there is a discountbut not really, even RRP prices that are not realistic and appear to be a higher percentage discount.
The European Union is going after those “offers” that are anything but offers
Recently in Germany Supermarket Aldi has been blamed for misleading its customers promoting discounts based on immediately previous price increases in their weekly brochures. The Court of Justice of the European Union has supported this accusation and remember that an offer must be based on the lowest price in the last thirty days.
You will understand this better with this example:
- On Monday, a kilo of coffee costs 15.99 euros
- On Thursday the price of a kilo of coffee rises to 19.99 euros
- On Saturday an offer for a kilo of coffee is launched at 15.99 euros
This practice not only happens in Aldi, but in many other stores where it is difficult to maintain traceability. The famous days without VAT, Black Friday, in perfumeries, etc.. The regulations of the European Union are clear, and in fact, since 1998 are regulated this type of practices. However, in 2024, we have already seen how Aldi supermarkets have been denounced in Germany, and we as consumers see it almost in our daily lives.
The fine line between offer and official price
As I mentioned at the beginning, it is difficult to find out if it is really a good offer or not. There are products like the iPhone that do serve as a guide, since Apple never lowers prices and we know, for example, that the RRP is 959 euros. From there, any reduction would be an offer. In other areas such as food, general technology or video games, it is more complicated.
Prices apparently on sale that turned out to be their official RRP
Who is in charge of seeing if the price of that coffee has really increased? It would be necessary to investigate whether the specific lot, which today costs 19.99 euros, is the same as the one that previously cost 15.99. Or maybe not, and the price has really gone up and that’s why they want to “make an effort” and put it on sale. That is why, despite clear regulation, each trade makes and breaks until a consumer organization puts the spotlightinvestigates and, as has been the case in Germany, the European Union supports it.
Some tricks to know how to recognize if you are in front of an offer
Compare, expect and distrust great marketing campaigns. Yes, I know, it goes against the Guille of the past. And although you can really find good deals on Black Friday, it is not unusual to find a bigger discount on a random day in December. Everything will depend on the need/time factor..
If you are thinking of renewing for a iPhone 15 But you’re not in any particular hurry, watch for a few weeks how prices fluctuate. A key tool is CamelCamelCamela Amazon price comparator which helps you know the price history to know if it is better to wait or if you are really looking at a good offer.
Price evolution of an iPhone 15 on Amazon analyzed by the CamelCamelCamel website
Other websites have (by law) to report the best offer in the last 30 days. Something really useful for cosmetics and perfumes, since they are products that we do not usually buy regularly and it is really difficult to know the RRP or official market price.
Some websites give you information about the previous minimum in the last month
The website of Internet Archive It can help you move between different days and find out the price it had. Something very useful to know if those days without VAT do not have as many bargains as they make us think.
Looking at the history of a website in Internet Archive helps us get an idea of whether a product is really on sale
Regarding food, it is much more complicated. In a time when inflation causes prices to change day by day, plus the factor that they are usually fresh products, Who can assure us that the cost price has truly increased? Faced with this, the only thing we can do is pay close attention and even write down the prices of the products we usually buy. This way we can detect if the price has “casually” increased and, in a matter of a couple of days, it becomes on sale.
In general, companies apply sales strategies that are part of the market and legality. In most cases we are really after a good offer. Although as consumers it is essential to be attentive, compare prices and not get carried away only by flashy campaigns. With proper information, we can take advantage of real opportunities when the time is right.
Source | Court of Justice of the European Union
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