Watsons Refuses to Honor Advertised Shelf Prices and Overcharges at Register
On May 13, 2026, between 12:30 PM and 1:00 PM, I shopped at the Watsons store in Izmir İstinyePark. On the shelf, Taft hairspray was displayed for $5, while Deborah lip glosses were displayed in a large round bowl at the entrance with a prominent label reading $3. When I reached the checkout, I noticed the Taft spray rang up for $7 once the cashier stated the total. Because it did not match the shelf price, I decided not to buy it and left it behind.
Before leaving the store, I realized I had been overcharged for the other items as well and returned to the register with my receipt. There, I learned that despite the price tag reading $3 on both the shelf and the display bowl at the entrance, the Deborah lip glosses rang up at $5 at the register. Staff members told me that legally I could only purchase a single item at the displayed shelf price, and they could not honor that price for the remaining lip glosses. Under normal circumstances, the advertised shelf price should apply to all items, yet they insisted on honoring the price for only one unit and refused to discount the rest, forcing me to return the glosses.
Ultimately, I gave up on the lip glosses, returned the remaining items, and kept only a $4 hair dye and a $2 pair of tweezers. During this ordeal, I dealt with a blonde female employee with her hair tied in a ponytail who stated she was the assistant store manager, alongside a dark-haired employee with glasses. I spent about 15 minutes checking the receipt item by item and walking back to the shelves to compare prices. Instead of having a normal shopping experience, I had my time wasted dealing entirely with the store's incorrect and outdated price tags.
It deeply bothered me that despite the labels being wrong both on the shelf and at the entrance, no one apologized and responsibility was placed on the customer. I demand that store price tags be audited regularly, that displayed prices be fully honored for customers in such situations, and that management provide a clear explanation and response regarding this negative experience.
