• General rule: individual labelling
• Exceptions: prices in proximity of the product
• Exemptions from the individual labelling rule
• Special cases
• Recourse options

Merchants must abide by certain rules when they indicate the price of their products in the store. They must sell you the item at the advertised price, never at a higher price.

General rule: individual labelling

The merchant is required to indicate the price on each product or each product packaging sold in their establishment.

Exceptions: prices in proximity of the product

Certain items are exempt from the individual labelling rule. The merchant must nevertheless indicate the price in close proximity to the item.

The following 13 categories of goods are exempt from this rule:

• goods that cost less than $0.60;
• items from a vending machine;
• unpackaged food products;
• unpackaged goods the price of which is determined by a unit of measurement, such as weight;
• goods sold at a price that is lower than the regular price in the same establishment, where the regular price of these goods is clearly and legibly displayed near the location from which they are sold;
• goods that can be purchased by requesting them from the merchant or one of its representatives, such as goods stored in a locked display case or behind a counter;
• goods that are part of a package, where the price of the package is indicated or where the packaging must be reused by the manufacturer;
• goods that bear a price indication that the merchant does not intend to change, such as the price printed on the cover of a magazine;
• frozen foods;
• goods so small that the price cannot be legibly indicated;
• unpackaged goods usually sold in bulk, except clothing;
• trees, plants and flowers;
• goods sold in a returnable container.

Exemptions from the individual labelling rule

Merchants can be exempt from indicating the price on each product. To do so, they must:

• use an optical scanner at checkout;
• display the Price Accuracy Policy near each cash register and optical scanner;
• give you a detailed cash register receipt that indicates the merchant’s name and telephone number, a description of the product and its price, as well as the date of the transaction;
• indicate the price and a description of the item on a label aligned with the item if it is offered for sale on a shelf;
• in the case of food products, the label must indicate the cost of the product per unit of measurement, such as per litre or kilogram, and any characteristics that could affect their price or distinguish them from other goods of the same nature.

In addition, businesses with a floor space of more 697 m² are required to:

• make optical scanners available to their customers (e.g., in the aisles);
• display the Price Accuracy Policy on a large sign at a prominent location.

Special cases

The price of the following products must always be indicated individually, i.e., directly on each product for sale:

• clothing;
• items that do not have barcodes, unless they are in one of the 13 categories of exempt products.

This rule applies even if the merchant is exempt from the individual price labelling rule and uses an optical scanner.

Recourse options

If a merchant does not indicate the price on each of its products as they should, you can file a complaint with the Office de la protection du consommateur. The Contact Us page lists our contact information.

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