Customer finds hidden lower price on discounted shirt at Finnish department store

A shopper in Helsinki feels he was misled after discovering a hidden price tag on a discounted shirt at the Stockmann department store. He purchased a shirt, originally priced at 149 euros and on sale for 40% off, for 89.40 euros. However, upon closer inspection at home, he found another sticker underneath the sale tag showing the original price as 129 euros. At that price, the 40% discount would have brought the shirt's cost down to 77.40 euros.

Heikki Rautio, the customer, expressed his feeling of being cheated, mentioning he had heard about stores inflating prices before sales. He contacted Stockmann's customer service immediately. Eva Gröndahl-Mykrä, Stockmann's category manager for men's fashion, acknowledged the unfortunate experience but stated it was not uncommon. She investigated the specific shirt and learned that its price had increased from 129 euros to 149 euros due to rising shipping costs and material prices, compounded by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Gröndahl-Mykrä explained that Stockmann staff were supposed to re-tag all sale items, removing old stickers. The old tag on Rautio's shirt was accidentally left behind. "This is very unfortunate from the customer's perspective, and we are very sorry about it," she said. She assured that such oversights are rare and that customers are entitled to compensation when they occur. She also noted that intentionally raising prices just before a sale campaign has been illegal in Finland since 2023, requiring sellers to display the lowest price from the preceding 30 days alongside the sale price.

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This is very unfortunate from the customer's perspective, and we are very sorry about it.