Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 25, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press b4 Philip 6977017 business july sales pricing under the gun by Kelly Taylor business reporter business went on As usual this week at Suzy Shier stores in Winnipeg after the company was dinged for misleading management at the Montreal based which operates Suzy la Senna and pleaded guilty to a charge under the Competition act of making a misleading representation concerning the Origi Nal Price of a officials in Montreal refused to but at the Polo Park lineups were three deep at the till while customers streamed through the hurts Consumers the Bureau of Competition pol icy said the Chain had stocked stores with clothing advertising a 50percent to 70percent Dis count off the original an investigation found that the stores had not Only never sold the items at the original but had placed the discount tags on merchandise before it even arrived in the use of misleading compar Ison prices hurts Consumers and makes it difficult to maintain healthy Competition among retail George director of investigation and said in a Suzy Shier officials could not be reached for employees could not say if there have been any changes to the stores both Suzy Shier and express were advertising 70per cent both stores were using the same signs with Only the names Mark it Down the Suzy Shier Fine is the latest in a string of including a Fine levied against Kmart and a Fine against color your a charge also has been Laid against the Bay and its Bob but has yet to be the Competition act essentially says that to show an original Price and a marked Down an item must have been substantially sold at the original in that amounts to roughly 50 per but retailers Are concerned that the act ignores what they feel Are Consumers sceptical a1 other legitimate when an item has been on the shelf for a Long enough period of they feel it should be of to Mark it said Peter vice president of the retail Council of the customer should that on Sale Means we have genuinely offered product at what we say is a Normal Woolford we certainly would not argue that there should be no Regula we have As much to gain from sound regulation As the con Woolford pointed to several products which few people buy at regular Price mattresses and because few Are sold at full determining a legitimate original Price is impossible under the nobody buys sheets at regular he you always wait for a White Art retail analyst for Ernst and said the word ing of the act is also unfair since it does not take into account the effect putting something on Sale can have on you could have a mens White shirt at regular Price for three or four when you put it on the volume goes up sub Stan he what do you have a mechanism that says once you sell 49 per cent of Stock at Sale Price youre going to Stop Selling it staying within Law but some retailers have found ways to get the value of a Dis count strategy while staying with in the the mens clothing advertises such items As suits for with the line compare at or pants that you can compare at Consumers distributing often advertises an after Sale indicating How much something will Cost after a specified other retailers agree there needs to be a Strong Law against misleading Walmart spokesman de Gould said the conviction of any retailer can erode consumer Confidence in All Saan stores president Sheldon Altman said a general scepticism Winnipeg free press commercial print division get the Power of our printing presses working for retail flyers catalogues newspapers Coupon books tabloids magazines broadsheets newsletters we also offer the following services creative o scanning and color distribution to selected areas or to full Market for professional assistance in plan Ning your next publication 6977220 6977370 retailers have faced a string of prosecutions for misleading advertising concerning Price Ken free press of Sale pricing has caused his Chain to downplay the use of most Basic goods Are sold at one everyday while some fashion merchandise is sold at regular Price and then marked Down towards seasons in youre not going to sell the stuff All he Altman said with the Public get Ting More and More the Days of stores holding constant sales Are if that has been their Only method of bringing people that going to be a big problem for he better business Bureau spokesman Tom Durham looks at some sales and wonders How the retailer Ever has time to sell at the regular when is a Sale not a Sale when its a Way to entice people to pay the going retail Price under the Guise of being on he fines dont impress critics by Kelly Taylor business reporter Ottawa ability to exercise clout with Shady retailers will be compromised by a decision to close win Nipges marketing practices watchdog this retail Indus try sources and consumer advocates the feds Are closing provincial offices of the marketing practices Branch and centralizing operations in in an Effort to curb dishonest the Bureau of Competition policy is targeting High profile cases to Send a message to the retail but that approach is finding critics on All sides from retail Industry spokesmen to the con Sumers association of Canada and the better business Jackie Manitoba pres ident of the Consumers Assoc a looks at three recent fines against Suzy against color your world and against Kmart and argues they Arent while they have a its such a Small its Worth the she info Stu i think they look on it As a Cost of doing another concern she has is that Many crimes Are committed not be High profile offenders but by often flyby night oper a retail Council of Canada spokesman agreed and said that while a conviction and the accompanying court order will Stop the the scare value is min it May be a mistake to think that if you take on two or three High profile youre going to change the said Peter Woolford of the retail Council of to go after one or two cases really Doest have much since there Are so Many benefits to Tom manager of the better business Bureau of Man said even when the Branch offices were cases would take so Long to work through the process they had Little it sometimes takes two he its not the form of response that attracts Peoples Winnipeg free press Ette based on the clue in the picture of Cossette can you identify where she is in Manitoba today if you think you know the Call in to the free press contest hot line at and Tell the Friendly operator your Evert a Winner will receive two tickets to Les miserable at the concert some win Tun will Alto re Ttoe dinner for two at the Keg will be charged per Mccutc for alb on the 1900 if you would you May enter this contest by printing your along with the Date of the your address and phone number on a Plain Hect of paper and Deposit it in the contest Box Between 9 am and 2 pm daily in front of the Winnipeg free press building at 13s5 Mountain pro shred arms Security document destruction at your door sales fired up Canadian press invest in Sterling press grow Bonds principal guaranteed by the province of Manitoba year term and extended 10 year term to preferred shares at first term tar triple s a fac entertainment keep up with the Best in Modem living and consumer Winnipeg free press for Home 6977001 14005428900 sports what1 s happening in the world of scores and free press Ottawa exports of Mil itary including parts and equipment jumped by 48 per cent in 1994 Over the biggest single apart from the United was saudi which bought million Worth of mainly Light armoured shipments to the United states More than half of All Canadian military exports dont require special Arent tracked by the foreign affairs department and Arent included in these not counting the Canada shipped almost half a Bil lion dollars Worth of military goods to other countries last foreign affairs said almost two thirds of the went to a group of countries on what is called the automatic firearms country control these include Sweden and saudi another Quarter of All exports went to nato shifting Dollar the department said exports increased because of the shifting Canadian Dollar and improved economies because Canadian exports Are Small in terms of the multimillion world single contracts can have a major effect on the general motors of is in the third year of a Deal to ship More than 300 Light armoured vehicles to the saudis and that helps skew the Overall foreign affairs said in its ;