The Ministry of Economic Development, Transport and Trade in Malé warned on Wednesday, 14 October, that it will take action against shops and other businesses that sell goods without clearly displaying their prices.
In an announcement issued on Wednesday, the ministry said it had received complaints that many products displayed for sale did not carry prices that customers could easily identify. It cited Article 16(a) of the Consumer Protection Act (Law No. 12/2020), which prohibits businesses from displaying goods for sale without clearly informing consumers of their prices.
The ministry set out two ways in which goods are considered properly priced under the law. The price can be written, printed or attached directly on the product or its packaging, or it can be displayed at the place where the product is kept for sale, as long as it is clear which item the price refers to.
The ministry urged all retailers and other businesses selling goods to make sure their prices are displayed in line with the law and are clearly visible to customers.
It said inspections and monitoring would be carried out under Section 66 of the Act to check whether businesses are complying, and that action under Section 84 of the Act would be taken against any business found selling goods without displaying prices as required.
The announcement did not say how many complaints the ministry had received, which businesses or islands they concerned, when the inspections would begin, or what penalties businesses found in breach would face.