Is the discount real?

A crossed-out “before” price on a tag does not show that the discount is real. In France, as in the rest of the EU, a discount is counted from the lowest price the store charged for the item in the 30 days before the reduction. You can check this yourself in a few minutes.

What the rule says

Under EU law (Directive 98/6/EC, Article 6a, applied since 28 May 2022), a store that announces a price reduction must show its prior price: the lowest price it charged for the item in at least the 30 days before the reduction.

In September 2024 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled (case C-330/23) that a percentage reduction must also be counted from that lowest price, not from a higher price charged just before the sale.

In France the rule is in Article L. 112-1-1 of the Consumer Code (Code de la consommation).

« Ce prix antérieur correspond au prix le plus bas pratiqué par le professionnel à l'égard de tous les consommateurs au cours des trente derniers jours précédant l'application de la réduction de prix. »

Text of the rule, read October 21, 2026: www.hauts-de-seine.gouv.fr

The exceptions in Article L. 112-1-1: when a store makes successive reductions during a set period, the prior price is the one before the first reduction. The rule does not apply to perishable goods at risk of spoiling quickly, or when a store compares its prices with other stores' prices.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

An example

The numbers below are a round example, not a real product.

• Crossed-out price on the tag: €1,500. Today's price: €1,200. The tag says “20% off”.
• If the lowest price the store charged for the item in the last 30 days was €1,250, that is the rule's prior price. The real discount is the drop from €1,250 to €1,200: €50, or 4%.
• The difference is €50, not €300. The crossed-out price may be one the store did not charge in that period.

Calculation: real discount = 1 − today's price ÷ lowest price of the last 30 days.

How to check it yourself

1. Write down today's price and the prior price the store shows with the reduction, or take a screenshot.
2. Find what the store charged for the item in the last 30 days: if you added it to your favourites or a watch list a week ago, look at the price history there, or use a tracking site that shows price history.
3. Find the lowest price and do the calculation above.
4. Also look at the same item's price in other stores. The product code or model name must be the same; a different colour or size changes the price.
5. If you cannot find the price history, you have not been able to check the discount. The decision is yours, but do not rely on the discount figure alone.

What we measure

We do not measure store discounts in France. What we do measure, the costs and official prices of furniture and major appliances month by month, is on this month's page.