Sale Price Rules in Ireland: The 30-Day "Was" Price Rule Explained (Before Black Friday)

"Was €60, now €40" is the oldest line in retail – and in Ireland it is a legal statement. Since 29 November 2022, the "was" price on any sale must be the lowest price you charged for that product in the previous 30 days. Get it wrong and it is a criminal offence, not a slap on the wrist. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the St Stephen's Day sales and the January sales all landing in the space of eight weeks, this is the one pricing rule every Irish shop needs to have nailed. Here it is in plain English, with worked examples and sale signage that keeps you on the right side of it.

The 30-day sale price rule in Ireland, in one sentence

Under the European Union (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which apply from 29 November 2022: when you announce a price reduction on a product, you must show the prior price, and the prior price is the lowest price you applied to that product in the 30 days before the reduction. The day the reduction starts is not counted, and you do not have to say how long the prior price applied.

Worked examples (from the CCPC's own guidance)

Situation	Price history	The right prior price
Price went up before the sale	A laptop was €550 from 1 October, €600 from 15 October. "20% off" starts 29 October.	€550 – so the sale price is €440, not €480.
Several prices in 30 days	A hair dryer was €45, then €50, then €55 before a reduction on 28 July.	€45 – the lowest in the window.
Deeper and deeper cuts in one campaign	A duvet at €40 goes to 10% off, then 20%, then 30% without a break.	€40 for every step of that campaign.
Back-to-back campaigns	A product is reduced for Black Friday, then reduced again for Cyber Monday as a separate campaign.	Each campaign uses the lowest price in its own previous 30 days – which can be the Black Friday price.

What counts as a "price reduction announcement"?

• Specific offers – "20% off", "€10 off", "was €150, now €100" on a product. Show the prior price in the announcement itself.
• General offers – "20% off everything". The poster need not list prior prices, but every price tag or product page must show the prior price.
• Vague offers – "Sale price", "special offer". Even without a measurable reduction, the rules still apply.
• Different discounts on different ranges – show each clearly, for example "30% off red plant pots, 40% off green plant pots".

What is treated differently

• Loyalty-scheme and personalised discounts (a birthday voucher, a members' price) – unless offered to customers generally.
• Conditional offers, such as "10% off when you buy two", and "buy one get one free".
• Price changes that are not announced as reductions.

Note that a general discount code that most shoppers can use is not exempt.

The enforcement is real

Breaking the price-reduction rules is an offence. The CCPC can issue fixed payment notices and prosecute, and courts can impose a Class A fine. In May 2025, Boots Retail (Ireland) pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to sales pricing breaches found in CCPC online sweeps of the 2023–2024 winter sales, including Black Friday. It was ordered to pay €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity and the CCPC's costs. Smaller shops are not off the radar either: in May 2026 a Kerry woollen retailer was convicted for putting "Made in Ireland" labels on imported hoodies – a different rule, the same message about honest selling.

Sale signage that stays legal – and still sells

The law asks for a clear prior price. Good merchandising makes that a selling point rather than small print.

1. Use a standard sale ticket with three lines: the product, "Was €X" (the 30-day lowest price) and "Now €Y". The bigger the gap looks, the more it sells – so make sure it is real.
2. Put the prior price on the shelf edge and the product, not just on the window poster, for any shop-wide offer.
3. Keep sale stock together on dedicated tables or a feature bay, so tickets stay with the right product.
4. Use chalkboards and clip boards for the story – "Black Friday: 20% off all candles" – and printed tickets for the numbers.
5. Change the window, not the facts. A new header board for each campaign keeps the shop fresh without re-pricing errors.

Online: the Shopify "compare-at" trap

Most webshops show a crossed-out "compare-at" price. Under the rule, that crossed-out price is your prior price – so it must be the lowest price that product sold at in the previous 30 days. Two habits to break:

• Do not set compare-at prices to an RRP or "original" price you never actually charged in the last 30 days.
• Do not raise a price in the weeks before a sale and then discount from the higher figure.

Your pre-sale checklist

1. Export the last 30 days of prices from your till or webshop for every product going on sale.
2. Freeze price increases on those products in the run-up to the sale.
3. Calculate every discount from the 30-day lowest price.
4. Print tickets with "Was" and "Now" from that list – never from memory.
5. Check online compare-at prices match the in-store tickets.
6. Brief the team on what the "Was" price means if a customer asks.
7. Keep the records – if the CCPC asks, you can show your workings.

The sales calendar

Campaign	When	Watch out for
Black Friday	Friday 27 November 2026	Prices raised in November, then "discounted"
Cyber Monday	Monday 30 November 2026	A separate campaign may need the Black Friday price as its prior price
Christmas and St Stephen's Day sales	From 26 December	Stock repriced several times since November
January sales	January	Successive reductions – keep the same prior price through one campaign

Planning the floor for the season? See our Christmas retail display guide and the full EU retail rules calendar for Irish shops.

FAQ

What is the "prior price" in Ireland?

The lowest price you applied to the product in the 30 days before the price reduction started. The day the reduction starts is not counted.

Does the 30-day rule apply to "20% off everything"?

Yes. The poster need not show prior prices, but each price tag in store and each product page online must.

Do loyalty-card prices count?

Loyalty and personalised discounts are exempt, unless they are offered to consumers generally.

Is "buy one get one free" covered?

No – conditional and multi-buy offers that are not price reductions are treated differently. The general rules on misleading pricing still apply.

What happens if I get it wrong?

It is an offence. The CCPC can issue fixed payment notices or prosecute, and courts can impose fines.