Skopje, 29 April 2025 (MIA) – The Consumers Organization of Macedonia (COM) has proposed developing a tool for comparing product prices that retailers are required to publish on their websites, in line with the amendments to the Consumer Protection Law.

The Ministry of Economy and Labour said that it will take a month after the obligation is implemented in order to assess the results, but they do not rule out the possibility of a central website where citizens can check product prices.

"The Consumers Organization of Macedonia (COM) reports no complaints regarding the publication of prices on supermarket websites. According to COM President Marijana Lonchar Velkova, the current tools used by retailers should be more visible and product listings more recognizable, as consumers are experiencing confusion. Someone planning to buy five or six items has to browse through all the product lists on various websites and search retailer by retailer. A unified and comparative tool would speed this up significantly," she said at the start of the expert forum under the project ‘Strengthening Consumer Rights in Financial Services.’

“People currently have neither the time nor the means to check prices. The idea is good, but it still needs further development. A tool for comparing product prices and identifying where items can be bought more cheaply should be created, it would benefit competition,” Lonchar said.

Deputy Minister of Economy and Labour Marjan Risteski stated that the State Market Inspectorate is on the ground and will take appropriate action wherever violations of the legal obligation under the Consumer Protection Law are found.

“In the 21st century, I believe prices from all supermarkets should be publicly and transparently presented to citizens, so they can decide where to spend their money. It is still too early to judge how clear the current listings are, we will evaluate that a month after implementation. We might consider a general website or a combined platform that offers reliable results and enables citizens to monitor prices themselves,” Risteski said in response to a reporter's question.

As of April 18, supermarkets, pharmacies, electronics and furniture stores are required to publish the prices of their products on their websites. A rulebook drafted by the Ministry of Economy and Labour states that retail stores will have to publish the prices of their products in a clear and accessible way on their websites. Stores will have to update the prices of their products daily, i.e., each working day by 10 am. In case of an unintentional technical issue with the price updates, the store will have 24 hours to resolve the issue.

Photo: MIA