Jersey Senator calls for pricing index in island shops
A Jersey senator has called for businesses to display their method of pricing goods on their premises.
Some retailers on the island say that the cost of business is higher in Jersey compared to the UK, due to hidden expenses such as freight.
Chairman of Jersey's Consumer Council, Senator Alan Breckon, says customers should know what they are paying for.
He said: "If the shopkeepers prices are all above board, then they won't have problems displaying it."
The call for the pricing index comes after retailers were asked to comment about operating on the island, with many commenting that it was expensive.
Senator Breckon said: "They [retailers] said Jersey was a fairly expensive place to do business, but what they didn't say was how expensive and why.
"Employers and some employees are paying about half of what they do in the UK, insurance is probably cheaper, parish rates are probably far less, and there's other charges which don't apply here."
Senator Breckon said that customers should know what is included in the price of an item.
He said: "If they do have a policy then they should openly display it and say our prices are different from the UK because of this, that and the other.
"People understand that we have a stretch of water but also there are lots of small items which don't cost very much to freight."
But Kevin Keen from the Jersey Chamber of Commerce said that operating a business on the island was more expensive due to its population.
He said: "Jersey is smaller and everything costs more when you're trying to provide the same service, over a lower number of people, there's freight both ways, all the little things add up.
"Retailers want to sell more things so they're going to do the very best for their customers, because they haven't got ay other customers to look after."