Misleading prices

[TheWernethWife]

Went into Debenhams this morning and spotted a rail with a large red sign saying 50% off. Saw a long sleeved Tshirt priced at £22.00, thought I might get this for wearing with my quilted jacket in the winter.

Got to the till and it came up at £15.40 not £11.00, queried the priced and was told its "up to 50% off". had a look at the red sign and in the top left hand corner in the tiniest of print it does say "up to", and in even smaller print "selected items" - think this is a con as some people would not challenge this and just pay the price asked. I didn't buy it.

I think most sales are "up to x% off on selected items" aren't they.
The discount on a particular item is usually on an attached label, I never go by the big signs, you never know if the item is on the wrong rail.

YABU. It’s not misleading, it was there clearly on the sign for you to see, you just didn’t read it properly.

It's not a con, don't be so dramatic.

Everyone knows shops advertise like this, the "up to" discounts have been around forever.

Just read the sign properly next time.

Lol

Thanks for your posts - I will read the sign properly in future. I just didn't see the tiny font in the top left corner, serves me right then.

It is totally a con. A bank wouldn't get away with setting out pricing like that. There is loads of behavioural research about how the framing of prices can affect customer behaviour. That's why the Competition and Markets Authority made ticket agencies show all the costs at the outset of a transaction rather than showing them right at the end, when people are already mentally committed. In your example there are also issues for people who may be seen to be in vulnerable circumstances - such as those who are partially sighted.

Some types of markets are more heavily regulated than others. If the CMA decided to investigate Debenhams for misleading pricing, they would almost certainly tell them to stop framing their pricing in the way you've set out. But there would need to be a strong enough reason to investigate in the first place.

Customers always say it’s “tiny print” and they couldn’t possibly be expected to notice it but it never is. They just don’t like to admit they haven’t read the sign properly and get defensive over it.

Pretty standard really and also pretty meaningless but not at all unusual. Always double check if it's not clear

So you couldn't be bothered to read the sign properly and then dramatically declare it a con?

If you're on a budget then read the signs properly maybe instead of being a drama llama.

Advertising like this is perfectly legal if you have a certain percentage of items at 50% off.

You're not committed until you pay, and you can't pay until you know how much you're being asked to pay, so everyone has the same chance to back out as you did.

For clothes, I wouldn't trust the rail something's on anyway as people often walk around with clothes then dump them back anywhere. Debenhams are usually pretty good at putting the reduced prices on the tags.