How to Announce a Sale of Non-Food Goods and Change Price Tags

For a sale of non-food goods, specify the location or a clearly defined group of goods, limit the promotion to a set period and set prices below the usual prices. After making a public announcement, you must show customers both the previous and new price of the same product. As a general rule, the advertisement must state the location, start and end dates, and either the discount amount or the ratio of the new price to the previous price. Audio media have a special rule: the advertisement must identify a source of information about the terms of discounts or sales.

Before the store opens, assign employees responsibility for prices, record retail prices in a register and check that price tags are properly prepared. Compare the announcement with the prices displayed by the goods and the prices charged at checkout. These instructions apply to a promotion open to all customers for ordinary non-food goods with unregulated prices.

Choose the promotion name, product range and dates

You may use the words “discount,” “reduced price” and similar terms for products sold directly by the seller. The reduction must apply for a specified, limited period, and the price must be below the usual price.

The name “sale” has an additional condition: the promotion must cover all goods within a particular location or a clearly defined group. If you reduce prices only on part of the range, identify that group specifically. Make sure the product list matches the announcement.

The rules of the Law “On Consumer Protection” No. 1023-XII apply. The entry into force of Law No. 3153-IX has been postponed until no earlier than the day martial law is terminated or cancelled. Its rule on the lowest price during the previous 30 days is not yet a current obligation for stores.

Prepare a price list and assign tasks to employees

The manager appoints employees responsible for calculating, setting and applying retail prices. Instruction No. 2 applies to all business entities engaged in retail trade in Ukraine, regardless of ownership type.

Retail prices must be recorded in a register. It includes the product name, item number, brand, type, supplier price with a reference to the document confirming it, the trade markup and the established retail price. Documents supporting prices may include, among other things, delivery notes, invoices and other accompanying documents. At a customer’s request, the seller must provide documents confirming the price of the product.

To organize the promotion, prepare a working list with the product, previous price, new price, discount amount, location and dates. Approve it and assign employees their tasks: who prepares the announcement, who replaces price tags and who checks prices. Use this list as a practical way to coordinate the work.

What to include in the announcement

Before making a purchase, customers must receive the necessary, accessible, reliable and timely information about the price and terms of purchase. After publicly announcing a discount or sale, state both the previous and new price of the relevant product. A practical approach is to display them next to each other on the price tag, labelled “Previous price” and “Sale price.”

• For advertising outside audio media, state the location and the promotion’s start and end dates.
• Specify the discount amount or the ratio of the new price to the previous selling price.
• Clearly identify the goods covered by the offer and any material purchase terms.
• Prepare the advertising text in Ukrainian. In advertisements, state prices for goods sold in Ukraine exclusively in hryvnias.
• Provide information about goods and prices in the store in Ukrainian; you may also duplicate it in another language. The Ukrainian version must contain at least the mandatory information required by the Law ‘On Consumer Protection’.

Intellectual property objects in advertising must be used in the language in which they are legally protected. Website and electronic communication addresses may be given in Latin letters. An image of a product must show it in the form in which it is offered to customers in Ukraine.

For advertising in audio media, indicate a source where customers can learn about the terms of discounts or sales. Under part 7 of article 8 of the Law “On Advertising,” information about a product or manufacturer provided directly at the place of sale, on the product or on its packaging is not considered advertising.

If you offer several goods for one price, or a discount on another product with a purchase, state the offer’s contents and price, its duration and its limitations, including quantity limits. For a set sold at one price, also list the prices of its components separately.

Prepare price tags with the required details

In retail, a price tag on a sample provides information about an individual product, while a price sign provides information about a range of goods for sale. The text must be clear and easy to understand. The price includes all taxes and mandatory non-tax payments that the customer pays when making a purchase.

The law also requires the price of each product unit or category and of one standard unit to be stated. For a packaged product, state the price per package; for an unpackaged product, state the price per customary unit of measurement.

You may put the price on a product tag, the manufacturer’s label, the packaging or the product itself, provided this does not spoil its appearance or reduce its quality. The manager determines the method of marking prices. Marking prices in pencil is prohibited. For printed publications, clause 8 of Instruction No. 2 requires price tags on samples showing the publication’s price and the date the price was marked. For periodical publications, prices are marked directly on samples, which must be kept until sales of those publications end.

When a signature and date are required

As a general rule, price tags, price signs and price lists for purchased goods must be signed by the employee responsible for prices and include the signing date.

• If the store automatically identifies goods by barcode during checkout and prices are stored in the memory of the cash register or computer, a signature and date on price tags are optional. However, departments and sections must have a price list accessible to customers, signed and dated by the responsible employee.
• When prices are marked with a price gun or by applying a price strip, clause 13 of Instruction No. 2 also allows the signature and date to be omitted.

Clause 11 of Instruction No. 2 links the special relabelling method of crossing out the old price and certifying the new one with a signature to revaluation under the acts expressly named there. It does not establish a universal procedure for every promotional price change. Order No. 120/190 mentioned in it, concerning markdowns of slow-moving goods, has been repealed. For an ordinary promotion, prepare new price tags with the required details and accessible information about both prices.

Illustrative example: price reduced from 200 to 180 UAH

Suppose a store holds a sale of all desk organizers in a specified group from 12 through 18 October, inclusive. The goods are available for sale, and the promotion is open to all customers. Also assume that every item in the specified group is discounted by 10% from its previous usual price. The previous and usual price of a particular organizer is UAH 200 per item; the new price is UAH 180.

The reduction is 200 − 180 = UAH 20. The discount percentage is 20 ÷ 200 × 100 = 10%. In the announcement, state the product group, store address, both dates and the 10% discount. On the organizer’s price tag, show the name, unit of sale, previous price of UAH 200 and sale price of UAH 180. These are illustrative figures for demonstrating the layout and arithmetic.

Print the required number of tags in Torgsoft

To prepare the price marking, determine how many tags must be replaced for each product on the promotion list. When printing tags in Torgsoft, you can set a specific print quantity. In the mode for printing a specified quantity of labels, the user enters the required number manually.

Use this option to prepare a batch of tags according to the tasks assigned to employees. Before putting them up, compare the printed content with the price list and the price-tag requirements. Check the previous and new prices, the unit of sale, and whether the exception concerning a signature and date applies.

Check the store before opening

Price information materials must be prepared before goods arrive in the sales area. Before work begins, employees must check that they are present and properly prepared.

1. Compare the list of promotional goods with the goods actually in stock.
2. Check the dates, location, discount amount and material terms in the announcement.
3. Make sure customers can see both the previous and new price of the relevant product.
4. Check the price-tag details and signatures and dates, or confirm that the relevant exception applies.
5. Compare the checkout price with the price tag. A difference between the price on the receipt and the price tag violates consumer rights.
6. After the promotion ends, replace its announcement and price tags to reflect the prices that apply next. Price tags, signs and price lists for goods that are no longer for sale must be destroyed.

Avoid misleading announcements

False, incomplete or missing information about a price, its calculation or a discount is a misleading practice if it causes or may cause a customer to make a decision they would not otherwise have made. Material terms must not be presented unclearly or ambiguously.

Do not advertise a special price for goods that are unavailable or offer quantities that there is reason to believe will not be available. Do not invent limited stock, a short deadline, a store closure or a move to rush a customer’s decision. Also check claims about market conditions and the possibility of purchasing the goods.

Liability for an advertising announcement

The advertiser is responsible for inaccurate information provided to the advertising producer and for failing to comply with requirements for the content of commissioned advertising. If the advertiser distributes the advertisement independently, it is also responsible for violations of the distribution procedure.

Within the competence of the state consumer protection control authority, part 4 of article 27 of the Law “On Advertising” provides for a fine on an advertiser for a violation under point 1 of part 2 equal to five times the cost of the distributed advertisement. A repeated violation within a year carries a fine twice that amount. The cost is determined under the contract, excluding taxes, fees and mandatory payments. If it cannot be established, a fine of up to 300 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens is provided. Article 27 distinguishes between the competence of authorities and does not apply to violations under articles 24, 24-1 and 25.

Losses suffered by a consumer as a result of unfair advertising must be fully compensated by the person at fault. A public retraction is made voluntarily or by court order, at the expense of the person at fault and in the same manner in which the advertisement was placed.

Legal sources

• Law “On Consumer Protection” No. 1023-XII — article 15, parts 1, 3–6, 8; article 19, parts 2–3.
• Law “On Consumer Protection” No. 3153-IX — entry-into-force status; article 11, part 10.
• Instruction on the procedure for marking retail prices, approved by Order No. 2 — clauses 2, 4–9, 11–13, 15–16.
• Law “On Advertising” No. 270/96-VR — article 6; article 8, parts 4, 7–8; article 27, parts 1–2, 4–5, 7; article 28.
• Law “On Ensuring the Functioning of Ukrainian as the State Language” No. 2704-VIII — article 30, parts 6–8.
• Order No. 120/190 on the procedure for markdowns of slow-moving goods — marked as repealed on the basis of Order No. 117/19.
• State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection: frequently asked questions and answers — question 20 on the difference between the price on the receipt and the price tag.