Inspectors from the Regional Authority for Economic Activities (ARAE) spent yesterday inspecting some of Funchal’s large commercial areas as part of their price speculation combat initiative.
Both Pingo Doce and Continente superstores among others came under scrutiny as inspectors tried to find out whether or not companies are charging the correct amount for goods and food items. However, given competitive pricing, offers and other discounts, the inspection consisted of determining price levels, as well as confirming that customers are being charged correctly, and that the amount shown on price tags is the amount charged.
In order to have a basis for inspection, a basket of essential items was bought by ARAE inspectors, which were then analysed and used as a price benchmark, as officers were looking to see how certain goods are priced, and whether prices were affected by the stores location within small to large shopping centres.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
