The adoption of the euro in Bulgaria presents a chance to improve the marketplace by creating an environment where honest businesses can thrive, ultimately benefiting consumers. This was the view expressed by Gabriela Rumenova, founder of the platform “Nie,potrebitelite” (We, the Consumers), during an interview on Bloomberg TV.
According to Rumenova, institutions are transparent about upcoming inspections, giving traders the opportunity to prepare and align their practices with new requirements. Those who demonstrate fairness and loyalty in this transition period stand to win the trust of customers. However, she emphasized that consumers must also play an active role. Knowing the regulations, making informed choices, and reporting violations are key aspects of civic oversight that contribute to fair market practices.
Rumenova was critical of the proposal to display the entire pricing path – from production to the store shelf – arguing that this would do little to help the average consumer. In her view, what matters most to shoppers is the final price, which they can compare across stores to make the best purchasing decisions. She pointed out that wholesale conditions vary significantly and depend on individual agreements, meaning that price markups along the supply chain are neither uniform nor easily understandable to most consumers. Adding another layer of pricing detail to product labels would, she warned, only add confusion rather than clarity.
Even now, Rumenova noted, consumers are being misled – whether due to a lack of legal awareness or deliberate manipulation by some traders – despite the fact that dual pricing isn’t yet mandatory. She cited the example of price tags that already display three or even four figures, creating unnecessary complications. From August 8 onward, triple pricing will be required by law, but such practices are already being observed, often giving the false impression of discounts. In one case, a consumer reported buying cosmetics she believed were marked down, only to discover no real discount had been applied, prompted by the design of the price label, not its content.
She emphasized that even before the legal provisions on dual pricing take effect, authorities can already sanction misleading practices under existing consumer protection laws. Rumenova argued that the current requirement to display prices “in a manner that does not mislead consumers” is sufficient, and adding strict sequences or formatting rules may not be necessary. For example, writing the value in large digits while using small print for the currency symbol could still create a false impression, regardless of the law’s exact wording. As she put it, no single law can anticipate every misleading tactic.
For consumers to feel empowered in this process, they must also be informed about where and how to file complaints. Often, people lose valuable time being referred between different agencies. Legally, institutions are required to respond within a month of a submitted complaint, but Rumenova called this timeframe too slow. Timelier responses are essential to effectively address misleading behavior.
According to Rumenova, the government’s public information campaign on the euro must be clear and targeted, taking into account the specific concerns of different population groups. The messaging, she stressed, needs to be tailored to ensure that each group receives the information most relevant to them.