Clothing outlets to face 10-day shutdown in case of overpricing: Consumer rights directorate

The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection has said that any clothing shops found to be committing fraud including charging unusually high prices during the Eid-ul-Fitr shopping will face punitive actions including a 10-day shutdown.

On Thursday, at a discussion regarding the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr with the owners of different clothing shops and brands, officials of the directorate said earlier they only used to fine the guilty parties, but from this year cases will also be filed against them.

Monjur Mohammad Shahriar, director (additional charge) of the directorate, said, "Last year, we conducted drives at various shopping malls and brand shops including Mirpur Banarsi Palli, Islampur, etc. We found two or three stickers on the same shirt and panjabi. The price of a product should be determined at the factory, not at the outlet."

AHM Shafiquzzaman, director general (additional secretary) of the directorate, stated, "This year, we will be issuing letters to the market committees, instructing them to take action in case of any incidents of overcharging in the markets. Failure to act on their part will result in them being held liable."

"We observed that fixed-price shops during the Eid market change their stickers, with the price of an item increasing from Tk1,200 in the morning to Tk1,600 in the afternoon, and as much as Tk2,400 at night. This practice is unfair to consumers," he added.

According to the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, last year, the estimated sale in the clothing market during the Eid-ul-Fitr was Tk1.35 lakh crore, while the actual sale was Tk1.75-Tk1.80 lakh crore.

Taufiq Biplob, assistant manager of the clothing brand Artisan, said during the meeting, "We do not put double price tags to deceive customers. Prices are not changed at the outlets, but rather from the head office. We will take care to avoid such mistakes in the future."

Ayesha Akhter, outlet supervisor of Arong, said, "We pay close attention to consumer behaviour and pricing. The price of a product depends on the cost of the raw materials."

In addition to irregularities related to price tags, the directorate also noted other anomalies in clothing stores. These include the sale of counterfeit clothes, the use of yards instead of metres for measuring, failure to display price lists, the absence of MRP stickers, and delays during clothing exchanges.

The directorate advised all concerned parties to exercise caution in these matters.