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the 2024 mid-autumn festival and national day are approaching. in order to maintain the market price order during the festivals and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, the market supervision departments of beijing, tianjin and hebei jointly issued a "reminder on regulating market price behavior during the mid-autumn festival and national day in beijing, tianjin and hebei". the three places jointly reminded that operators of lantern festivals, garden parties, camping sites, special tourist blocks, etc. shall not charge fees that are not marked, and shall not sell goods or provide services at a price higher than the marked price.

the reminder and warning letter states that all business entities shall implement clear price marking in accordance with the law. when selling goods and providing services, they shall clearly mark prices in accordance with regulations, ensure that they are true and accurate, with the goods and labels aligned and the labels eye-catching. when prices change, they shall be adjusted in a timely manner. goods shall not be sold at a price higher than the marked price, and no unmarked fees shall be charged. false or misleading price means shall not be used to deceive consumers or other business operators to trade with them. low prices shall not be used to lure high prices for settlement; selling goods or providing services through false discounts, price reductions or price comparisons; failure to fulfill price commitments and other price frauds shall not be allowed. price increase information shall not be fabricated or disseminated to drive up the prices of goods or services by a large margin.

regarding daily necessities such as grain, oil, meat, eggs, vegetables, milk, and medicines, the reminder and warning letter states that operators must not hoard goods, fabricate and spread price increase information, or drive up prices.

operators of mooncakes and other seasonal products for the mid-autumn festival should exercise their independent pricing rights in accordance with the law, set prices reasonably, and standardize the price-marking behavior. it is necessary to avoid the phenomenon of products not being marked with prices, unclear labels, and misaligned labels.

all catering operators must consciously regulate their pricing behavior. the pricing content on in-store menus, price tags or other ordering tools should be consistent. if different prices are applied due to different characteristics such as origin, specifications, etc., the product names and prices should be indicated separately, and there should not be "two sets of menus". if "small portions" or "half portions" are sold, the price of the "small portions" or "half portions" should be indicated. if take-out services are provided, the take-out take-out fees must be clearly marked.

operators of tourist attractions should publicly display information such as ticket prices and related service prices, as well as the range and extent of ticket price discounts in conspicuous locations, and strictly regulate the pricing behavior of operators of extended services such as small commodities and catering within the attractions; they must not fail to implement government guidance prices and government pricing, privately set up "gardens within gardens", arbitrarily add charges, increase ticket prices in disguise, or fail to implement relevant exemptions and preferential measures for special groups.

operators of various types of guesthouses, inns, homestays, etc. that provide accommodation and services should clearly indicate the room type, pricing method, price, additional paid items and charging standards in a conspicuous location at the charging place; they should strictly fulfill their price commitments and shall not increase prices without authorization after the room reservation order is effective.

operators of lantern festivals, garden parties, cultural performances, sports events, camping sites, special tourist districts, travel agencies, etc. must strictly implement clear price marking and must not charge fees that are not clearly marked, sell goods or provide services at a price higher than the marked price, or use false or misleading pricing methods to deceive consumers or other operators.

all passenger transport companies, taxi companies, online car-hailing companies, railways, highways, airlines, car rentals, rescue consignments, parking fees, charging facility operators and other units must consciously regulate pricing behavior and maintain the price order of the transportation passenger transport market. implement the policy of exempting small passenger cars from highway tolls during major holidays. the sale of goods and service charges at highway service areas should be clearly marked; parking fee operators must clearly mark prices in accordance with regulations and implement reductions and exemptions for relevant vehicles in accordance with policies.

all shopping malls, shopping centers, markets, online trading platform operators and other trading venue providers should strengthen the regulation and guidance of operators in the venues (platforms). they shall not sell goods or provide services through false discounts, price reductions or price comparisons; they shall not use deceptive or misleading language, text, numbers, pictures or videos to indicate prices or engage in other price fraud.

the market supervision departments of beijing, tianjin and hebei will continue to strengthen market price supervision during the mid-autumn festival and national day, increase market inspections, strengthen price supervision and inspection of key areas, key links and key commodities, investigate and punish all kinds of price violations in accordance with the law, protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and operators, and maintain market price order during the festivals.

source: beijing daily client reporter zhang nan