Sales will be shorter but more intense say traders

THE summer sales season which opens in the Balearics next Friday, will be shorter but more intense than last year, according to Pere Ferrer, the president of Pimeco (small and medium sized traders association). He said yesterday that the trend during the winter sales had been to start off with big price reductions, instead of gradually increasing the discount as the sales progressed, and he predicted that this trend would continue. The sales, rebajas in Spanish, affect basically two sectors of commerce, textiles and footwear, which he described as “perishable” products -- he said that even though they were not foods, they were affected by changes in fashion. According to a survey conducted by Pimeco among its members in May, the tourist season started “the same as or better than last year” in 78 per cent of the shops, which he said was a “good sign”. The change of attitude of shopkeepers towards the sales, in slashing prices at the start of the season, was justified, Ferrer said, because traders wanted to get rid of excess stock “as soon as possible.” At the same time, he added, consumers know exactly what they want.
The consumer board reminds consumers to keep the sales slip, and also says that if a shop is advertising rebajas, the reductions must apply to at least half the articles in stock. It also points out that under the general regulations of two years, products have a guarantee of two years.