How prices are displayed

Product pricing

In shops, a price indicator must be shown for all products available for sale. In other words, shops must clearly display the prices on or near the products. There are some exceptions to this:

• Items sold at auction
• Goods sold loosely, where the final selling price can only be determined once the consumers have decided on the quantity (eg, fruit, vegetables, fish, salad etc).  However, in such cases a unit price, (ie unit of weight or volume) must be displayed.

Unit pricing

Unit pricing makes it easier for you to compare prices in different sizes and from different manufacturers, as you can compare the cost of 1 kilogramme or 1 litre of similar products.

By law, shops must display both the selling price and the unit price on or near to the item. Both prices usually appear on the same label at the edge of the shelf, with the selling price printed bigger and the unit price underneath.

If the shop doesn't have equipment for printing shelf-edge labels or for point-of-sale scanning, then it doesn't have to display the unit price, only the selling price.

Tax inclusive pricing

Shops must display the full and final price of goods for sale in euro, including Value Added Tax (VAT), and any other taxes or charges.

If the price in a shop doesn’t include VAT, then the shop is misleading consumers and breaking the law. However, for services like your telephone and electricity bills, the VAT can legally be shown separately, as long as the total amount is clear.

Certain service providers such as dry cleaners are not legally required to display their prices or charges. Where they do quote a price, they must give the final price, inclusive of taxes and charges.

Printed ads for the theatre and concerts must show the admission price and any additional charges like booking fees, separately. In all other forms of advertising, the admission price must be given along with any additional charges which may apply in certain circumstances.

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