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Due to hiking prices, Egyptians have been waiting for the start of the winter sale season where shops provide discounts on clothes and various products of up to fifty percent.
The first day of the winter sale in Egypt began, Monday, February 6, 2023, and continues for a month, according to the ministerial decree issued by Supply Minister Ali Meselhy.
Four hundred stores in Egypt take part in this annual winter sale, amid great control in prices from the Supply Ministry.
This protocol is put in place in order to ensure the quality of the goods offered and the validity of the discounts.
Participating shops, including stores for clothing, leather goods, household appliances and others have applied for participation in the winter sale with the Supply Ministry.
The stores that will participate in the winter sale are free to offer the appropriate percentage of discounts, provided that the discounts are real and not fake.
The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade is conducting control campaigns on the shops participating in the winter sales to counter any fake sale offers, or the selling of defective goods.
They will also ensure that shops adhere to the discounts agreed upon before participating in the winter sale.
In case of violation, a claim is filed against the shop owner and they are referred to the Public Prosecution, as well as receiving a fine.
If a merchant uses a fake discount percentage, penalties range between LE50,000 and LE2,000,000, and is doubled in case of committing the violation again, Ahmed Aboul Fadl, Director General of Supervision of Commercial Deals at the Ministry of Supply, said, in press statements.
In the event that a consumer has a problem or is exposed to scam or product manipulation, the regulatory authorities have allocated four means to report it, which are as follows:
–Consumer Protection Agency hotline 19588.
-Submitting a complaint through the website of the Consumer Protection Agency.
-Submitting a complaint through the official page of the Consumer Protection Agency on Facebook.
-Sending a message with the complaint via WhatsApp to 01577779999.
Tips to for consumers to avoid being manipulated by sellers:
-The need to request a purchase invoice for all the purchased products.
-Making sure that the exchange and return policy is applied.
-Verify the production and expiration dates of the commodity.
-Knowing the price before and after the discount to ensure that the offers are real and not fake.