Bait offers

Bait offers (Lockvogelangebote) are deliberately tightly priced special offers designed to lure customers into the shop. Once you get there, the offer is "sold out" – and the salesperson offers a more expensive alternative.

How to spot them:

❌ Unrealistically low price (well below the market price)
❌ "Only while stocks last" (= probably very little stock)
❌ Not available online, only in the shop
❌ Product already "sold out" on the morning of the promotion day

Legal situation: bait offers are prohibited under German competition law (UWG). But proving it is difficult. If you can't get an advertised product, you can complain to the consumer advice centre.

Protection: check online before buying whether the price is realistic (idealo.de). And: don't buy a more expensive alternative in the shop – that's exactly the goal.