Update on SB560

Well, Just got off the phone with Sentor Lehman's Office. The bill was not voted on yesterday and if it doesn't get voted on by April 22nd, the last day of this period, it will not be going anywhere. The man I spoke with tried to tell me that this bill will not ban rebates but will stop "advertising" such rebates unless the price of what you pay at the register is what is printed in the ad.

Okay, let's think about this. I look at my Sunday Paper, which will have a Menard's ad. It states: Jelly Bean Eggs, .29 cents after .50 cents mail in rebate. What about that is deceptive? If you know .29 cents PLUS .50 cents is .79 cents. Then you know how much you have to pay at the register. So, now, the advertising can't advertise the rebate unless it's given at the time of purchase? You mean the people of Wisconsin are too dumb to read?

The bill states:  prohibiting advertising the price of merchandise as reduced by an available rebate unless
the rebate is provided at the time of purchase.
 
Okay, MOST ( not all) mail in rebates have to do with the companies. So, if you are going to offer the "rebate" at the time of purchase, that is a sale price, RR or a catalina deal. Those are given, typically, by the store. The store isn't going to be responsible for giving the purchaser the rebate at the time of the purchase FROM A COMPANY, THUS KILLING REBATES IN WISCONSIN!!!
 
Example: The Olay Lotion Deal. If Walgreens had a deal on Olay Lotion and said $3.99 after mail in rebate.
It's OLAY that is offering the rebate. You can't go up to the counter and check out and expect Walgreens ( the store) to give you OLAY's ( company) rebate. The store isn't going to be responsible for the companies offer. This would cause more problems for the stores and for us shoppers. The companies will just stop offering rebates in the state of Wisconsin.
 
Furthmore, this means that when the stores print out there sunday advertising they will have to change the ads just for Wisconsin? I don't know the answer.
 
Here in the state of Wisconsin we already have the 6% minimum mark up law, which ruins many Black Friday Deals. Now we would have to have store change their ads because some people in Wisconsin can't add and figure out how much they pay at the register??
 
I will keep track of this. Even if they want to tell me it's about advertising practices, if you change the way the company is allowed to do rebates, it will impact our couponing and rebating practices.