Commission for Consumer Protection: Let's Not Go Hysterical over Black Friday Sales

Traders cheat us with discount rates, watch out for prices, advises CPC chairman

Controlling the market on the eve of Black Friday, we are monitoring online trading first and foremost, as it has seen a turbulent rise in recent months, Chairman of the Consumer Protection Commission Dimitar Margaritov explained on the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

Black Friday lasts longer this year, he said, calling the situation "unusual, to put it mildly" urging consumers "not to fall into euphoria."

The Commission's experts have been monitoring more than 30 online stores since October. They are on alert for artificial markups just before the Black Friday campaign because it leads to fictitious price cuts.

Margaritov also recommends to pay attention to "until" notes in lowercase letters which accompany the reduction rate info in the respective store.

People are usually inventive. Given such a boom in online trading it is normal to have people who count on a short period of time to reap profit and then disappear, Margaritov told the "Before All" TV show.

Over-the-top offers appear on social media. Dimitar Margaritov appeals to consumers not to trust offers that seem unrealistic already at first glance. Social networks also offer medications that are advertised as panacea against Coronavirus, the CPC president warned.

Experts give some useful tips: compare the price, not the discount rate. On the Internet it is easy to make a comparison of "before and after" prices for the same commodity. Traders try to trick us through percentages, but when you keep track of the price, you can not be fooled, Dimitar Margaritov summed up.