Q: I was shopping around for some Christmas gifts and I noticed that some shops I went to did not have proper pricing. I had to ask the salesgirl what was the cost of specific products. Is this how it should be? Can the authorities do something about this?

A: No, this is not how it should be. There are specific regulations, namely the Price Indication Regulations, that oblige retailers to indicate the price of the products they offer for sale.

Goods for sale should have their price displayed either on the product itself, or if there is more than one item of the same kind, size, type or brand, on one of these categories or on the shelf where the products are displayed.

These regulations also state that the price shown must be the final one the consumer is expected to pay, without any ‘hidden extras’.

Retailers who do not adhere to these legal obligations may be reported to the Enforcement Directorate within the Consumer and Competition Department.

Following such reports, market surveillance officers will carry out the necessary inspections to ensure the law is being observed.

Random spotchecks are also carried out to ensure that all products have a price indicated in a clear and unambiguous way.

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