An initiative to amend the Law on Consumer Protection has been proposed, aiming to ensure that retailers clearly highlight both reduced prices and the prices from a month ago to avoid misleading consumers. This move comes after a significant number of consumer complaints, with over 2,270 proposals submitted to bodies for out-of-court dispute resolution in 2023, according to the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade.
Consumers have often voiced frustrations regarding seasonal promotions, sales, and marketing tactics that seem too good to be true. While some are skeptical of exaggerated discounts, others remain convinced that these retail strategies are effective. The law aims to ensure transparency for shoppers by requiring stores to display the original price alongside the discounted price, allowing customers to see the actual savings.
Mirjana Vejnović, a store manager, explained that businesses should clearly mark the original price and the reduced price with different colors to avoid confusion. When the discounts are genuine, the store sees increased customer traffic, as noted by shopping center manager Aleksandar Bojić, who highlighted both good and bad examples of promotional pricing.
The proposed changes would align with EU directives, ensuring that, in addition to discounted prices, retailers must show the lowest price for a specific product over the last 30 days. Non-compliance could result in fines for businesses, ranging from 500,000 to two million dinars, and penalties for responsible individuals from 50,000 to 150,000 dinars.
