January is sales month. If you have birthdays at this time of year, you'll already know that it's a particularly good time. If you received money at Christmas, the same applies. So you can't wait to take advantage of the sales.
A little history
The practice of sales is said to have been "created" in the 1830s by Simon Mannoury, founder of the novelty shop "Le petit Saint Thomas". At the time, it was more a question of selling products that had had a problem (for example, a sheet that had fallen into the river and was cut up and sold in small pieces). These events therefore took place according to the needs of the shopkeeper, all year round.
In January 1866, Jules Jaluzot, the founder of Printemps, came up with the idea of making the sales a major seasonal operation: "Everyone knows that at the end of each season, there is a certain quantity of goods in all the department stores that are more or less out of date, either because they have been used for display or for some other reason". The aim is to sell off these goods to accommodate the new collections. Seasonal sales were born.
Sales or scams?
Nowadays, sales take place in January and June. But it's important to remain vigilant, because many retailers inflate their prices before the sales and you end up paying the normal price, under the impression that you've got a bargain. Laws and controls have fluctuated, with periods when the old prices were no longer compulsory (opening the door to all kinds of fraud), then the obligation was reinstated.
Since 28 May 2022, the rules have again been stricter regarding the indication of price reductions. Shops are once again required to display this reference price at the same time as the sale price. And this reference price must be the lowest price displayed by the seller during the 30-day period preceding the sale.
The basic rules of sales
- No returns or exchanges
- They are not gift-wrapped.
- If you want to know everything about sales, here's a link to the tests-achats.be website.
Sales at Hopono
My colleague Loïc has put together a small selection of items on sale in our web shop, with a clear indication of the percentage discount and the old and new prices! You'll find everything you need to spoil yourself in a variety of areas: trainers, jewellery, clothing, childcare, home decor, etc. Don't delay!
