The summer sales begin today, Monday (14/7), with consumers preparing for their shopping. The sales will last until Saturday, August 30, with stores recommended to operate on Sunday, July 20.
Summer sales 2025 premiere
According to the Athens Commercial Association, stores can operate optionally on Sunday, July 20, with suggested hours from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, although there may be variations.
The retail sector expects increased shopping activity that will drive the total turnover of the third quarter, excluding vehicle, food, and fuel sectors, to move upward, surpassing last year’s benchmark of 7 billion euros.
What consumers need to know
The Greek Consumer Workers Union outlines what consumers need to know about the sales:
- In every price reduction announcement, the previous price that the supplier applied for a specific period before implementing the price reduction must be indicated. The previous price refers to the lowest price the supplier applied during the 30-day period before implementing the price reduction. When a product has been on the market for less than 30 days, the previous price refers to the lowest price the supplier applied during the period the product has been on the market. If the price is reduced progressively during the 60 days before implementing the price reduction, the previous price refers to the price that was in effect before implementing the first of the successive price reductions. Example: Original price on June 10 (without strikethroughs/offers etc.) €150. The actual offered price €120. On July 11, 2024, the offered price is €115, therefore the discount is (120-115=) €5. (Law 5111/2024)
Additionally, the percentage discount may also be indicated. - The way the reduced price is calculated and displayed must be accurate and correspond to the truth.
- If a reduced price is provided on more than 60% of all items sold, it must be displayed in the store window and communicated in any other commercial communication, the discount percentage provided, and in cases where there are different discount percentages by product categories, the range of the provided percentage must be indicated (“from …% to …%”). In any other case, it must be stated that discounts apply to selected items, with reference to the corresponding percentage.
- Competent control authorities for implementing legislation on price reduction announcements and imposing sanctions are the Administrator of the Market Control Inter-Service Unit (DI.ME.A.) of the Ministry of Development, for inspections carried out by DI.ME.A. control services, and the competent body of the Ministry of Development for inspections carried out by the Consumer Protection Directorate.
Advice for consumers
- Prioritize their needs and shop within their budget.
- Conduct market research before settling on a specific product.
- Not be swayed by excessively large discount percentages.
- Check -as much as possible- the quality and authenticity of the product and consider the quality-cost ratio.
- Be informed about each store’s policy in case of defective products, warranty existence, etc.
For this reason, consumers should be particularly careful to recognize unfair and illegal commercial practices.
