Athleta

According to a prominent banner ad on Athleta’s website, the athleisure brand is almost giving away clothing.

But before you fall for this autumnal sale, which Athleta also advertises in Meta and Google ads, you need to read the fine print hidden behind a link in the banner ad shown above. Here, the company lists separate terms for its “Up to 60% Off Everything” offer and its “Extra 30% Off Sale.” And if you happen to notice these terms and read them through really carefully, you may notice that the two offers cannot be combined, despite the plus sign in the banner ad and the reference to a single “sale.”

Moreover, the terms for the “Up to 60% Off Everything” offer state that it “applies to select merchandise only,” which, for many consumers, is probably not what they think of when they see the word “everything.”

In fact, after receiving a tip from a reader about the fall sale, TINA.org reviewed the first 200 items listed on a page Athleta directs consumers to after clicking “Shop Now” in the banner ad and found that the majority – 129 – were only discounted 30% (see examples below). None in this sampling of 200 products were marked down 60% and only a single item was discounted 50%.

Further, all but two of the 200 items were labeled “Price as Marked,” which makes them ineligible for the “extra 30%” discount, according to the terms. Yet we found that even the two items without the “Price as Marked” designation were only discounted 20%, not 30%.

Athleta did not respond to a request for comment.

The bottom line

While many consumers are likely to believe that they will achieve the maximum “up to” results promoted in ads, that’s not always the reality. Be sure to read all the terms, conditions and fine print associated with a purported deal before completing your purchase.

Find more of our coverage on discounts.