Sweet perfume deals often stink: consumer group

Some consumers who think they are saving up to 25 percent when buying perfume are often duped in a price inflation trick used by retailers, according to a customer study by consumer advocates Consumentenbond. Discounts provided by stores frequently do not reflect the actual decrease in the price, the authority warns. Shops exaggerate the discount rate they offer for their perfumes often by either raising prices before a discount is issued, or by claiming an inflated original price that was never in use. If effective price cut is then measured, it is frequently around a half of the announced amount. Consumentenbond also notes that customers can save up to 40 percent on perfume if they compare their options more carefully. The discovered price difference between the same types of perfume reaches 45 euros, with online shops typically offering better-priced perfumes than higher-end department stores and shopping district perfumeries. Online prices did not include delivery costs, the consumer group noted, raising the possibility that the total cost in some cases might be cheaper in a bricks and mortar retailer