Dual Indication of Prices in BGN, EUR Leaves Some Buyers Confused, Others Are Happy

Filip Pavlov, BTA Correspondent Elina Kyurkchieva, BTA correspondent Andrey Kyuchukov, BTA correspondent Ralitsa Stefanova, BTA correspondent Ekaterina Hristova

Dual display of prices in leva and euro (BTA Photo/Ralitsa Stefanova)

Sofia,

13.08.2025 12:26

(BTA)

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LOCAL FOCUS

The dual display of prices in leva and euro, which was introduced on August 8, leaves some shoppers confused but others are happy, according to BTA interviews in retail outlets across Bulgaria. Dual pricing was made mandatory as Bulgaria expects to join the eurozone from January 1, 2026.

BTA spoke to shoppers in Vidin, Varna, Ruse, Pleven, Targovishte and Kazanlak.

Many said they find it difficult to get used to the new labeling of products, and sometimes it misleads them about the real price of goods, especially in chains where the price in euro is written above the price in leva.

"In some stores, the price in euro is written at the top, which is misleading. Every time I think this is the price of the product on offer," commented 71-year-old Verka Ivanova in Kazanlak. She emphasized that prices in euro should be written in smaller numbers at the bottom of the label so as to not mislead customers. "The confusion sets in when there is a promotion. With these four prices, I don't know what to look at or how," commented a 70-year-old woman from Pleven.

Fruit and vegetable store owners in Vidin and Varna told BTA that the relabeling makes life difficult for them, as prices of seasonal fruit and vegetable can change every day. This is the reason why most of the price labels in vegetable markets are handwritten, they pointed out.

Other residents emphasized that the dual indication of prices for goods and services is useful in several ways. "This way, we will get used to it much easier. We will shop in euro anyway, the sooner we learn to do our calculations in euro, the easier it will be for us next year," commented Ivayla Dimitrova in Kazanlak. Many users also shared the opinion that indicating prices simultaneously in both currencies will help control price speculation.

The surveys conducted by BTA also showed that many people in towns like Kazanlak, Vidin and Targovishte, whose population is between 40,000 and 50,000, are already preparing for the introduction of the euro by exchanging their savings. The majority of them prefer to exchange their cash in banks, and quite a few of those surveyed shared their concerns about possible fraud in connection with the cases of distribution of counterfeit euro banknotes.

/DD/