Catalan Consumer Agency to monitor a thousand prices to avoid fraudulent Black Friday offers

Friday, November 25, is 'Black Friday,' the day after America's celebration of Thanksgiving when shops offer discounts on many of their goods.  

This year's Black Friday is marked by soaring inflation and uncertainty over consumer behavior on a day that's normally expected that many customers will begin their Christmas shopping. Inflation in October in Catalonia was registered at 6.8%, although this was the third consecutive month the yearly change in prices fell.

After detecting regulation breaches in previous years, the Catalan Consumer Agency (ACC) has decided to take action and has been monitoring the prices of around a thousand products for the past month to ensure that brands do not previously inflate prices and offer fraudulent discounts. 

Companies that misuse promotions can be fined between €10,000 and €100,000, depending on the customers affected and the size of sales.

"During the sales, establishments must inform consumers of the discounted price and the previous one, which must have remained stable for a month before the offer," the director of the consumer body, Albert Melià, told the Catalan News Agency. If the price changes within the previous month, the store is committing a severe violation of consumer regulations.

"If there are price alternations, it will be necessary to open disciplinary proceedings to prevent these practices from continuing," Melià added.

The types of stores that offer the most discounts, and which are therefore the ones the Consumer Agency will be most wary of, are technology, household appliances, and household items.

Uncertainty over inflation 

Black Friday seems to have consolidated its place in Catalan commerce as for years now stores have prepared specific offers for this date that marks the beginning of the Christmas campaign. 

This year, inflation is higher than any other recent Black Friday, as in October in Catalonia the figure reached 6.8%, although this was the third consecutive month the yearly change in prices fell.

Retailers say growing utility bills and grocery shop prices have drastically reduced the margins of shops and businesses, something which has undercut their ability to offer deals.

At the same time, they fear that the rising cost of living will also restrain consumers' ability to spend, although they predict that tourism and the high stock of winter clothing due to the high temperatures will make for a positive Black Friday for businesses, which they expect to equal 2019 records.

"Last year, the Black Friday weekend was one of the best of the year at a commercial level," a member of the Open Barcelona commercial association, Joaquim de Toca, told the Catalan News Agency.

"We see a lot of tourists in town, this time last year there were very few. They don't come for Black Friday, but those who are here that weekend will also buy, which means that we may exceed the sales of the previous year," he predicted.