The price at the checkout turns out to be higher than on the shelf. It’s a plague there

11 mark 2023, 18:20 | PAP

| DS

The Portuguese government declares zero tolerance for cheating customers. 38 control teams were sent to the field to investigate the phenomenon of rising commodity prices. “There will be no tolerance for these kinds of abnormal commercial situations,” announced Minister Costa Silva.

In large-area retail outlets in Portugal, there are cases of deceiving consumers by unjustified inflating the prices of goods at checkouts — said the country’s trade inspection (ASAE). Since January, inspection controllers have detected “speculative practices” in the case 960 business entities and brought 51 lawsuits to court.

The ASAE communiqué shows that during the last 127 inspections on one day in stores throughout the country, the practice of deliberately overpricing “food and non-food” products was confirmed.

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In 17 cases, the inspectors found serious violations of the law, and their inspection resulted in a lawsuit.

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“We have confirmed that retailers charged customers a higher amount, even by 39 percent, compared to the price of the goods placed on the shelf“, wrote the Portuguese Trade Inspectorate.

The Portuguese government has announced for several days that it will intensify inspections throughout the country to investigate the visible increase in the prices of goods in retail chains. On Thursday, Economy Minister Antonio Costa Silva announced that 38 control teams were sent to the fieldto investigate the phenomenon of rising commodity prices despite falling gas and fertilizer prices.

— There will be no tolerance for these kinds of abnormal commercial situations – said Minister Costa Silva, adding that during the last year the average value of a basket of groceries increased by nearly 30%, and in the case of some products the margin reaches 50%.

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According to government estimates in the last year the average value of a basket containing groceries and non-food items increased by 21.1% in Portugal., i.e. more than twice as much as inflation, estimated at 8.6 percent.