Wrong price could result in free purchase in Rio.

Cristina Indian of Brazil
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro - Consumers in Rio de Janeiro who, upon reaching the checkout at a supermarket, find that the price of a product displayed on shelves, in windows, on posters, in flyers, or in on-site advertisements differs from the price registered at the checkout, can take the product for free. If they want to buy more than one unit, the first will be free, but for the others, the lowest price will apply. Textiles, electronics, audio and video equipment, and vehicle accessories are excluded from this initiative.

The measure is part of the Eye on Price campaign, which will be launched tomorrow (16), and will come into effect on January 15 next year. In order for the determination to be fulfilled, a commitment agreement was signed between the Consumer Defense Center (Nudecon) of the State Public Defender's Office, the bodies of the State Consumer Defense System, the supermarket associations of the state of Rio de Janeiro (Asserj) and the Brazilian supermarket association (Abras).

Nudecon coordinator Larissa Davidovich told Agency Brazil Although supermarket associations represent the establishments, each one must sign the adhesion agreement to the measure. According to Larissa, 95% of the state's establishments are expected to participate in the campaign. "It's an unprecedented initiative in which Rio is at the forefront. We already have the 'Keep an Eye on Quality' campaign, which focuses on expired products and is already implemented in other states as well."

According to the public defender, the campaign is a victory for the people of Rio de Janeiro and goes beyond the Consumer Protection Code. “It’s a step forward and a maturing of the market in terms of understanding the importance of this type of dialogue that is being established. What we intend is for the consumer to become the protagonist of their rights,” said Larissa.

According to Larissa, after complaints from consumers about price discrepancies, the Public Defender's Office noticed that many did not pay attention to the difference. “Many of the people we spoke to didn't pay attention to the price differences when they were paying at the checkout and could be cheated. The goal of the campaign is for consumers to be more attentive and become watchdogs, because it's impossible to have enough Procon (consumer protection agency) inspectors to be in every supermarket checking prices all the time.”

In addition to Nudecon, the campaign involves the Public Prosecutor's Office, Procon-RJ, Procon Carioca, and the Consumer Protection Committees of the Legislative Assembly of Rio (Alerj) and the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB-RJ).

Supermarkets that fail to comply with the campaign's requirements will be fined R$1 per day. The funds collected will be allocated to Consumer Protection Funds.