LAST UPDATE | 29 Nov

THE CONSUMER WATCHDOG and gardaí have issued warnings to Black Friday shoppers ahead of the busy weekend of retail business.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and gardaí have urged shoppers to pay particular attention to retail sites, adding that consumers should use secure websites that they know are real and make sure their internet access is secure.

CCPC Communications Director Grainne Griffin urged consumers to be “very focused” on how they approach the sales.

“Over 40% the consumers we surveyed said that they had made an unplanned purchase in the sales and then regretted it later,” Griffin told The Journal.

“We would suggest that consumers need to be very focused on how they approach the sales. You should make a list of what it is you would like to get – often consumers are trying to get a good deal on something that they plan to buy anyway”.

The warnings were issued following news that the CCPC has launched proceedings against a number of nationwide retailers for breaking sales pricing laws.

Griffin added that a number of “household names” are included in the list of retailers.

The breaches were discovered during online sweeps conducted by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) over the 2023-2024 winter sales season, including Black Friday and January sales.  

The retailers, who operate in electrical, cosmetics, furniture, and clothing and footwear sectors, are due to appear before the courts in January 2025.

A number of other traders have been interviewed under caution, the CCPC said, and further prosecutions are expected to follow.

Chairperson of the CCPC Brian McHugh said: “The CCPC carried out a large number of sales pricing inspections over the Black Friday and winter sales periods last year, looking at both online and instore pricing.

“Our inspectors saw many excellent examples of accurate sales pricing and sales communications, however, we also identified retailers where there was significant and widespread breaches of the law.

“Those traders are now being prosecuted by the CCPC, with the first wave of cases due before the courts in January.

“Ultimately, misleading sale discounts harm consumers and harm competition. Businesses need to able to compete for consumers openly and honestly on price.”

He added that during today’s Black Friday sales, consumer protection officers will be inspecting the discounts on offer to ensure they are genuine.

The CCPC is calling on consumers to report any suspected fake discounts or misleading pricing to the Commission.

It recently released new research indicating low levels of consumer trust in discounts, with less than a third of consumers trusting that discounts displayed by businesses are genuine.

With additional reporting from Andrew Walsh.