Priced & you take it to the checkout to purchase it but get refused because it's on special for the next day, does the shop legally have to sell it to me even though there is no notices saying that it's part of a special & the days the special is on?

Went into a 'supermarket' last night & saw cat activity centres on sale - excellent price - so I carried one to the checkout to be told that I couldn't buy one until tomorrow (Today) as they were on special from then.   Could I have enforced some consumer law?  I said that they shouldn't have been displayed then (The price was displayed too) and when i asked to reserve one, the manager very curtly said 'No' too!

I'm going back this evening & I'd love to quote something or other at him!

According to the law of contracts shops do not have to sell you anything i am afraid - things being on a shelf is what they call an "invitation to treat" you picking it up is classed as the "offer" or offer to purchase and taking it to the checkout and them scanning it and charging you is the "acceptance" - however they do not legally have to accept the offer.

Isn't it annoying I went into an outdoor shop where they had a Video screen showing their special offers. I saw a rucksack reduced from about £170 to £30!!!! When I asked for one the shop assistance so Oh!! dashed over to the machine found the page and changed it to £100 and then thanked me for pointing it out!!

when i worked at a supermarket,the ticlkets were never changed until the prom had started (used to go in early to do it) & the bigger point of sale always had a date on.
however a shop can withdrawal something from sale quite legally,but i believe cant charge you a higher price??????
id have a moan at them you might get some freebies!

I had this happen to me last week in Pastimes,I saw some picture frames on offer but they had 2 price stickers on them,I presumed the cheaper price was the sale price, but when the assistant scanned them it came up with the higher price,I queried this and she said the sticker on the item does not count, it is the scanner that has the correct cost.I said I don't want them then and she said that's your choice madam,as I left she was taking them off the shelf and removing the cheaper price stickers!

Pastimes have lost one loyal customer for her unhelpful attitude :D
Jacqueline :)

Wouldn't this come under false advertising?

I have been told by my employers (Who run a wholesale business and also have a shop too) that if the goods I want were out on display last night with the price on show then this shop should have sold me one of the activity centres.....I'm very cheesed off now as I went to purchase one this evening and they'd all sold out - selling 11 to one person alone!!!!!!!!!!   I tried the other 2 branches in Dundee too and they'd sold out too.

So I'm boycotting Lidl's from now on.     If the manager's tone had been a bit more customer friendly I maybe wouldn't feel so hacked off but this guy had had a personality bypass.

Can't you email head office and drop him in it a bit, never know they might send you one :)

The law is as was stated in the first reply to your post however for good customer relations it is also up to the manager concerned so I would do as Isabel suggested and write to head office about this managers attitude and the prices being displayed early. You never know it might work especially if you mention all your friends on certain websites ;)

Christine,

The contract that makes a purchase involves.

1)  Invitation to treat ( generally a promotional sign, goods on special)

2) The offer ( which is what you the buyer does when you offer the money for the item If you thought the item was say £10 that would be your offer.)

3)  The acceptance ( the shop keeper does on behave of the owner but they do not have to accept the £10 )

The contract is not completed or legal until the acceptance has been done.

People get the offer and acceptance muddled up thinking the offer is made by the shop and the acceptance is made by the buyer but that is 100% not the case in legal definition.

SO in a short answer they don't have to sell you a think. ;-)

Trading standards cannot force a shop to sell something but it can be reported to them. They generally get a telling off BUT if it was a regular thing they can be prosectuted by them.

EDITED to add that most shops do it out of good will and customer services there is still a few who don't

Shops don't have to sell you anything but when I presented two packs of cider to the checkout in Morrisons, they couldn't find a price because they shouldn't have been on sale until the next week.  Instead of saying I couldn't buy them, I got them for nothing!  I was extremely tempted to go back for what was left on the shelf :D

CG

Wish I'd seen this last night, Christine. I could have got you one in Forfar. There was only two left when I went for one for Josh. I took one. Mind you, it is very wobbly - do you think it's been put together right? ;)