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With Christmas over, Spain’s winter sales are now under way, drawing shoppers back into stores and online in search of post-holiday bargains. But for many shoppers the January sales feel less clear-cut than they once did. As César Díaz, a lawyer at Spanish consumer group CECU, puts it, “What was originally a chance to sell off end-of-season stock has become a period of almost constant consumer temptation.” That shift helps explain why, even as spending rises, confidence in the sales is falling.

 

According to a recent survey by the Spanish Consumers Association Asescon, Spaniards are spending an average of €197 during the sales period, around €16 more than last year. Yet eight out of ten consumers say they doubt whether the offers they see are genuine. In other words, people are opening their wallets, but doing so with growing suspicion.

 

Part of the confusion comes from what the word “sales” is actually supposed to mean. Under current rules, seasonal sales are occasional discounts linked to a change of season and applied to items that have been on regular sale for at least a month. Crucially, for a shop to advertise itself as being “on sale”, at least half of its products must be discounted. If fewer than 50% are reduced, the retailer can only promote specific offers, not a full sales campaign.

 

Consumer organisations say this distinction is often blurred. Eye-catching claims such as “up to 70% off” are a particular sore point. FACUA, Spain’s consumer watchdog, has repeatedly warned that these headline discounts may apply to just a handful of items in the entire shop. As the association notes, the small print may be legally defensible, but the overall message can still feel misleading to shoppers.

 

The layout of shops can also add to the confusion. FACUA reports that some retailers fail to clearly separate discounted items from new collections, creating the impression that more products are reduced than is actually the case.

 

Returns are another area where misunderstandings crop up. Discounted items have the same rights as full-price goods unless a defect has been clearly stated in advance. If a shop does not display a visible notice limiting returns during the sales, it must apply its usual policy.

 

Behind this growing scepticism is a shift in how we shop, with sales now running almost year-round and online tactics such as countdown timers and low-stock warnings encouraging quicker, more impulsive decisions.

 

So as the shop windows fill with red stickers once again, the question many consumers are asking is a simple one: how much of a discount is real, and how much is just marketing dressed up as a bargain?