The price tag (price label) can be interpreted as a means by which the seller informs the consumer about the product available for sale and about its retail price.

Price tags are used only in retail trade. But in enterprises Catering the function of informing visitors about the products of the institution and its price is performed by the menu (price lists for purchased goods). They inform about individual products that are on sale at a certain moment, and menus and price lists inform about the list of products (dishes, culinary products) and purchased goods that, in principle, can be ordered at a catering establishment (that is, at a specific moment of any position from it may not be).

Informing the consumer about the retail price of the goods is an essential condition for its sale.

The value of the price tag is essential for the organization of the process retail, since this document is the only means available to the consumer to independently obtain information about the price of a particular product.

It is the price that is one of the determining factors when making a purchase decision. Especially the presence of a price tag helps the consumer in resolving a dispute about the selling price of the goods, for example, in cases where at the checkout he is presented with a price that is higher than that indicated on the price tag in trading floor.

Requirements for the procedure for issuing price tags for goods sold in retail trade enterprises are provided for by the Sale Rules certain types goods approved by the Government Decree Russian Federation dated January 19, 1998 No. 55.

These Rules regulate the sale of all food groups and most types of non-food items and occupy one of the leading positions in the number of cases of detection of facts of their violation.

Among the typical violations detected when checking compliance with the Rules of Sale is a violation of the requirements of clause 19, dedicated to the procedure for issuing price tags for goods sold.

Since January 2, 2016, the requirements for the procedure for issuing price tags have changed somewhat. The presence of the signature of the financially responsible person or the seal of the organization, as well as the date of registration of the price tag, is excluded from the list of mandatory requirements.

The following requirements remain mandatory:

for pricing- uniformity and clarity.

In addition, a rule has been introduced that allows the design of price tags on paper and on other media visually accessible to buyers, including those with electronic display of information, using slate boards, stands, and light panels.

At the same time, the use of any, including an alternative, method of designing a price tag should provide the consumer with accessibility and visibility of relevant information about the price of the goods.

How to set up a price tag? (Tsvetaeva V.)

Article placement date: 04/27/2016

Entrepreneurs who are engaged in retail trade are faced with the need to issue price tags for goods sold. At first glance, this procedure seems simple and straightforward. However, practice shows that sellers often draw up price tags in violation of the law. We will tell you what you should pay attention to when indicating the price of goods and what kind of liability threatens a merchant who violates the requirements of the law.

We must say right away that for violations in the design of price tags, an entrepreneur may face a fine of one to three thousand rubles (note to Article 2.4, Article 14.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). Rospotrebnadzor bodies are held liable for this violation (part 1 of article 23.49 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

Price tag according to GOST

The definition of the price tag is given in GOST R 51303-2013 "The National Standard of the Russian Federation. Trade. Terms and Definitions" (approved by Order of Rosstandart dated August 28, 2013 N 582-st). In accordance with paragraph 182 of this document, a paper or other medium, a means of bringing information about the product to the buyer, is considered a price tag. The price tag accompanies samples of goods displayed on the shelves, showcases, etc. According to GOST, the price tag must contain:
- information about the name, grade (if any), price per mass or unit (piece, meter, etc.) of the goods;
- the date of registration of the price tag;
- Signature of the financially responsible person or seal of the trade organization.

Rules for the sale of goods: new trends

Until recently, similar requirements for the price tag were contained in clause 19 of the Rules for the sale of certain types of goods (approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 19.01.1998 N 55, hereinafter referred to as the Rules). However, from January 2, 2016, Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 23, 2015 N 1406 "On Amendments to the Rules for the Sale of Certain Types of Goods" came into force. This document excluded from the Rules the obligation of the seller to indicate the date of registration of the price tag, as well as to put a signature or seal.
Thus, at present, paragraph 19 of the Rules requires that only the name of the product, its grade (if any) and, of course, the price for the weight or unit of the product be indicated on the price tags. In our opinion, this information on the price tag will be quite enough.
Another innovation of the Rules is the possibility of designing price tags not only on paper, but also on any other information carrier visually accessible to buyers. It can be, for example, a digital scoreboard, a stand, and even a slate.

Multiple prices for one item

Often on the shelves you can find price tags indicating different prices for the same product. More low price indicated in large print and is intended for certain categories of buyers, such as wholesalers or individuals with discount card. In this way, entrepreneurs try to attract more customers. But is this little trick legal? The courts do not give a clear answer to this question.
Thus, in Resolution No. 307-AD15-7060 of July 10, 2015 in case No. A56-30892/2014, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation established that two prices were indicated on the price tags of goods sold: the price with a card (in larger print) and the price without a card. Such price tags, according to the court, do not meet the requirements of uniformity and clarity, thereby misleading consumers.
Surprisingly, in some cases, sellers manage to charge three prices for a product at once.

Arbitrage practice. The department of Rospotrebnadzor received a complaint from a citizen about the violation of consumer rights. The essence of the violation, in his opinion, was the placement of different prices on the price tag of the same product, indicating the information “without the Lenta card”, “with the Lenta card” and “with a promotion”. According to the citizen, this is misleading regarding the actual value of the goods.
The complaint became the basis for an inspection of the store, as a result of which a protocol was drawn up on an administrative violation, and later - a decision to prosecute under Art. 14.15 Administrative Code of the Russian Federation. The appeal of this decision in court did not bring results.
The arbitrators recalled that, in accordance with paragraph 18 of the Rules, the prices of goods should be the same for all buyers (which does not cast doubt on the possibility of the seller providing discounts on the goods he sells, including through the distribution of plastic cards). In addition, paragraph 19 of the Rules requires that the price tags for the goods sold be drawn up uniformly and clearly (Decree of the Thirteenth Arbitration Court of Appeal dated November 08, 2012 in case No. A56-29586 / 2012).

However, in some cases, courts have taken the opposite view. For example, the same Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, by Decision No. 307-KG14-5693 of December 25, 2014, refused to accept for revision the Resolution of the Arbitration Court of the North-Western District of September 9, 2014 N F07-7284 / 2014 in case N A56-73200 / 2013. And in this Resolution, the arbitrators came to the conclusion that the indication on the price tag of the cost of goods for ordinary and for regular customers does not violate consumer rights.
In general, if the merchant is not ready to argue with the inspectors from Rospotrebnadzor, then it is better to indicate one price on the price tags, and information on discounts for various categories of buyers can be placed in a separate conspicuous place.

Multiple items for the same price

Often there is a reverse situation, when the seller indicates the price for several goods at once. Such a decision, on the one hand, facilitates the choice of the buyer, who does not need to compare prices for individual goods, but on the other hand, it may raise questions from Rospotrebnadzor.
Fortunately, the courts recognize such price indications as acceptable. They believe that such registration complies with the requirements of clause 19 of the Rules (Resolution of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Central District of 16.06.2009 in case N A62-961 / 2009). The main thing is that such a single price tag contains all the necessary information about each product.

Price list instead of price tags

In accordance with clause 19 of the Rules, when peddling trade, the seller's representative is required to have a price list that replaces the price tags. It must be certified by the signature of the person responsible for its execution, and contain the name and price of goods, as well as services provided with the consent of the buyer.
But you can’t issue a price list instead of price tags in a regular store.

Arbitrage practice. Rospotrebnadzor conducted an inspection of a shoe store. The inspectors found out that the sale is carried out by the self-service method. Samples of shoes are displayed on the trading floor without boxes on open shelves. Buyers choose the pair of shoes they need to try on and purchase.
On the soles of some samples, stickers are fixed on which numbers are indicated. What they mean is a mystery.
Near the cash zone there is a summary book of price tags, which is a price list. At the same time, there is no information about the location of such a book for consumers in the store.
According to employees of Rospotrebnadzor, the store violated clause 11 of the Rules, according to which the seller is obliged to bring to the attention of the buyer the necessary and reliable information about the goods and their manufacturers in a clear and accessible form. In addition, there is a violation of clause 19 of the Rules, since the seller did not ensure the availability of uniform and clearly drawn up price tags with all the necessary information.
The court agreed with the inspectors (Resolution of the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal of August 26, 2013 N 09AP-25787 / 2013-AK in case N A40-12889 / 13).
Similarly, in another case, the inspectors found that the price tags were in the form of stickers containing only the price of the goods. The rest of the information is given in the consolidated book with price tags, located at the checkout. Rospotrebnadzor, followed by the court, came to the conclusion that the store violated the requirements of paragraph 19 of the Rules (Decree of the Thirteenth Arbitration Court of Appeal dated May 24, 2012 in case N A56-55522 / 2011).

Price in conventional units

In the context of the economic crisis and the unpredictable exchange rate of the ruble, many sellers are tempted to fix prices in conventional units or in hard foreign currency (in dollars or euros). Moreover, the law allows for the possibility of setting prices in cu. e. or in currency (Article 317 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). But this rule applies to contracts between companies and (or) merchants. And in relations with consumers, the price should be indicated exclusively in rubles and nothing else (paragraph 4, clause 2, article 10 of the Law of the Russian Federation of 07.02.1992 N 2300-1 "On Protection of Consumer Rights").
It turns out that a businessman who does not indicate price tags in rubles is breaking the law. He can be fined under Part 1 of Art. 14.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in the amount of 500 to 1000 rubles.

Price with or without VAT?

In some large chain supermarkets, you can find prices with the allocation of the amount of VAT or an indication that the price is indicated without this tax. Questions arise: how legal is this practice or can it be adopted? The answer depends on who the buyer of the product is.
If it's about retail goods to the public, then VAT must be included in the price. At the same time, the tax amount is not allocated on product labels, price tags, checks and other documents issued to the buyer (clause 6 of article 168 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).
Price tags without VAT are usually used when goods are sold legal entities and/or entrepreneurs.

Are there any features of the design of price tags in the store in 2018? How to arrange price tags correctly? What should be taken into account when applying? What are the requirements for price tags for goods, according to regulatory legal acts? We will tell you more in our article.

What laws govern the pricing of goods?

1. The PPO Law gives the right to sell goods only with a correctly designed price tag;
2. Law on consumer rights, part 3, article 15: the seller is obliged to set the cost of the goods;
3. Order No. 833, par. 2 states that the cost of goods and products is put on labels;
4. Clause 19 of the Sales Rules indicates that it is the responsibility of the seller to ensure uniform design of price tags with the name of the product, its variety, cost per unit or weight, signed by the person responsible and dated;
5. The Consumer Rights Act contains in par. 1 p. 13 of Instruction No. 2 and par. 2 hours 3 tbsp. 15 rules for designing price tags.

How to set up a price tag?

The price tag must be issued before the receipt of the goods. Price tags for goods can be either printed or handwritten. The retail price of goods is applied in any way: marking, stamp, etiquette gun or ink. It is forbidden to fill in price tags with a pencil. Price tags need to be neat and clear. The language on the price tags complies with the current legislation on languages.

Each type (piece, weight, packaged) and group of goods (non-food / food) has its own rules for registration. Let's highlight the main ones.

Pricing for food items:

• Weight goods contain information: "name", price per 100 grams or kilogram;
• Goods and drinks on tap - name, cost per unit of weight or capacity, grade;
• Piece goods: name, grade, capacity or weight, price per piece;
• Packaged goods contain information on the price tags about the name, grade, cost of a kilogram or one hundred grams, weight and cost of a packaging unit.

The program for automating the work of the Business.Ru store helps to easily form price tags for goods that comply with the new legislation. You will also have the opportunity to manage prices without leaving your home, thanks to the storage of all information in the cloud.

Price tags for non-food items:

• Goods whose value depends on the variety contain information about the variety, price per kg and meter, unit or piece;
• If the cost of the goods does not depend on the variety, then on the price tag we put information about the cost per packaging unit and piece, the price per meter or kg;
• For piece goods, the price tag must indicate the name, capacity or weight, unit or piece value.

Rules for designing price tags: details of the goods

1. product name
   The name is indicated on the product: “Circus Candies”, “Chocolate Carousel”.
2. Variety
   There are no special rules, the main thing is to correctly indicate the grade of the goods being sold.
3. Unit volume or weight
   We indicate the weight of the goods: 1000 ml, 1 kg and 1 t, 1 m, 100 g, 1 piece, 1 l.
4. The cost of one unit
   According to the Law on Consumer Rights, Article 15, the cost is indicated for one package of goods. When the goods are unpacked, for its unit of measure. The seller puts the cost of each commodity unit or category of goods.

How to set up a price tag? The price of the goods is indicated taking into account all taxes and non-tax payments. It is not necessary to allocate VAT separately. The price tag is signed by a responsible person, the date is indicated, certified by a seal.

How to set the right price tag for a retail store

When printing is not needed:

• The seal does not need to be placed in consumer cooperation enterprises located outside the city;
• Enterprises may not affix a seal in case of export trade. But in this case, there must be an invoice;
• Printing is also not needed for retailers with product identification by barcodes. In this case, a price list with the signature of the responsible officer with a stamp and date must be located in the trading floors.

How to draw up a price tag on the other side? There is no placement restriction. The rules state that access to the reverse side should not be obstructed.

Important! According to the Law on Consumer Rights, the seller is obliged, at the request of the buyer, to present documents that confirm the value of the goods indicated on the price tag.

In 2016, innovations appeared in the legislation regulating the sphere of trade in Russia. The prerequisites for this were the rapid development of modern marketing technologies, under which the old rules became irrelevant and slowed down the market.

Legislative requirements for commodity price tags

At the end of December 2015, the Government of the Russian Federation signed an amendment to the text of clause 19 Rules for the sale of certain types of goods(). The new wording of clause 19 entered into force in mid-January 2016.

The updated rules, in addition to paper cards and stickers, provided for the use of electronic plates and signboards, light panels, stands and slate boards in the design. The latter are especially popular in affordable coffee houses, cafes and other places of public catering, as they allow you to promptly and aesthetically display information about the product being sold.

price tags are filled in Russian in a well-read handwriting (font) and are located in a conspicuous place!

The main and mandatory requirement for the design of price tags in accordance with the law is design uniformity. Regardless of which display method the retailer chooses—handwritten stickers, rectangular cards printed in black and white, large ads on colored paper, or any other design—it is important that all store labels are printed equally.

All of these actions will be recognized as a violation of the law:

• Changed design of the price list with inscriptions like "discount" or "promotion";
• Price tags, some of which are filled in manually, and the other - on a computer;
• Stickers of promotional goods highlighted in a brighter color;
• Corrections made by pen to the printed price tag.

However, according to the explanations of Rospotrebnadzor, published on the official website of the department, when conducting marketing campaigns and events for the sale of various goods in the form of a group display, when the goods are placed in baskets, on carts, special stands, etc., it is permissible to design using a common sign with a single unit price.

What must be indicated on the price tag by law?

Informing the consumer about the retail value of the goods according to the law is an essential condition for its sale. Providing information about the price is the main, but not the only task of the price tag. The information plate must contain the following information:

• Name;
• Variety, category, etc., if applicable to a particular product;
• Price per weight and per item.

Expands this list. The price tag or information on the stand should also include information about:

• product properties;
• Expiry date;
• Warranty period;
• Name of the manufacturer.

Non-food products must be accompanied by information on:

• Dimensions (dimensions);
• material of manufacture;
• characteristics;
• SKU;
• Mark and models.

Price tags for goods sold through remote or street trading (in parks, on beaches), must be certified by the signature of the responsible person ( individual entrepreneur), and the price list contains information about the cost and name.

What can be left out?

The amendments made to the law on price tags for goods, however, provided not only tougher registration requirements, but also relaxations in terms of the information that must be indicated in them.

So, until 2016, the law required each card to indicate the date it was filled out. Then it was certified by the signature and seal of the individual entrepreneur, store director or other responsible person. According to the clarifications of Rospotrebnadzor, the presence of this information will not be a violation. Information can be included in the text of the information plate at the discretion of the seller as an addition.

Previously, at the request of the store, it was possible to indicate the country of manufacture of the product or goods. Currently, there are no corresponding requirements in the law.

Punishment for incorrect pricing

Violation of the established rules for the sale of goods, i.e. non-compliance with the requirements for the design of price tags or their complete absence, discovered by employees of Rospotrebnadzor or recorded by a dissatisfied consumer in an appropriate way, according to the law, threatens the store with an administrative fine in the amount of:

• From 300 to 1500 rubles. - for sellers and individual entrepreneurs;
• From 1000 to 3000 rubles. - for officials;
• From 10 to 30 thousand rubles. - for companies and organizations.

What if the cost of the goods at the checkout differs from that indicated on the price tag?

Article 10 of the consumer protection law in paragraph 1 obliges the seller to provide its customers with up-to-date information that gives the person a complete picture of the product and allows him to make the right choice. The price in the list of mandatory characteristics of the product, which must be indicated on the window, is for many of us the most important selection criterion.

In Russian civil law, there is the concept of a "public offer" - a documented and announced commercial offer. The commodity price tag is public offer of the corresponding store, therefore, the price at the checkout can not differ either up or down from the declared one.

At the checkout, they are required to sell the goods at the price indicated in the price tag!

If the cashier and the administrator refused to satisfy the legal requirement to sell the goods at the price indicated in the price tag, leave an entry in the book of complaints and suggestions, demanding a written response from the administration. Do not touch or remove signs from the display case! You may be charged with damage to property or even theft commercial equipment. Take a picture of the price indicated on the window in the trading floor. If the goods were paid for before you noticed the difference in price, return to the hall and take a picture of the receipt against the background of the price tag on the stand.

Having secured photo evidence, a written response from the store, a cashier's check and a statement about the violation, go to the territorial office of the Rospotrebnadzor of your city. After verification, you will receive compensation equal to the amount that you overpaid.

This violation is actually a deception of the consumer and serves as the basis for bringing the management of the store to administrative responsibility under Art. 14.7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. Misleading the buyer under the law threatens with an administrative fine in the amount of:

• From 3 to 5 thousand rubles. - for individuals and IP;
• From 12 to 20 thousand rubles. - for officials;
• From 100 to 500 thousand rubles. - for organizations and companies.

New requirements for price tags: price tags can be both in electronic and printed form, and there is no need to enter the date of filling in them, stamp and sign.

What has changed in the design of price tags?

Until January 2, 2016, all price tags were filled in in accordance with paragraph 19 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 19, 1998 No. 55, according to which they had to have the date of issue, and financially responsible persons were obliged to secure them with a signature and seal. It was also possible to indicate the country of origin and expiration date on them, but now this is not necessary either.

In connection with the entry into force of Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1406, new requirements for the design of price tags appeared in 2016, and they greatly simplify everything: you no longer need to indicate the date of filling, and they should not be stamped by an individual entrepreneur or LLC. To track the changes, you should familiarize yourself with the table: Table 1: Difference between old and new formatting rules
Registration	old rules	New rules
Clear and uniform filling	Yes
Material	There were no requirements	You can use an electronic or light board, paper or slate boards, stands
Name, grade and type of goods	Necessarily
The cost of one unit of goods	Yes
Issue date	Yes	Need not
Signature and seal of individual entrepreneur or other financially responsible person	Yes	Need not
Country of manufacture and expiration date	Optional	Do not

Typical mistakes that entrepreneurs or store employees usually make:

• They change the design of price lists for goods participating in promotions: you just need to make a note “discount” or “promotion”.
• Fill in part of the price tags manually, and the other part - on the computer: this cannot be done, i.e. either the information on them must be indicated by a pen, or printed.

It is also worth considering the requirements of Art. 10 of the Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights", according to which buyers must be aware of the name of the product, its properties, cost, warranty period (provided that it is established), service life or shelf life, name of the manufacturer. All this information can be indicated on the price tag or stand - the main thing is that it be provided to the consumer in a timely manner.

As for non-food products, as before, their price lists must contain data on cost, size, material of manufacture, characteristics, article, brand or model.

The rules for issuing price lists for peddling or street trading are somewhat different:

• Unlike stationary trade, when working on beaches or markets, price tags must still be certified by the signature of the director, entrepreneur or other responsible person.
• The price list should contain information about the cost and the name of the product.

A sample of a commodity price tag in 2016:

In the above photo, everything is not uniform, and according to the law it should be like this:

Penalties for incorrect filling of price tags

If the rules for the sale of Art. 10 of the Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights" or the requirements of Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1406, the following rules can be applied:

• Incorrectly specified data (misleading the buyer) - Part 2 of Art. 14.7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The fine for citizens is from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles, for legal entities. persons - from 100,000 to 500,000 rubles.
• Unreliable information about the characteristics or quality of the goods - Part 1 of Art. 14.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. Penalty for LLC, which is a legal entity. person - from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.
• Other violations in the field of sales rules - Art. 14.15 Administrative Code of the Russian Federation. Monetary recovery for citizens - from 300 to 1,000 rubles, for organizations - from 10,000 to 30,000 rubles.