Mandates that any article of merchandise advertised, and not available throughout advertised period, must be supplied at advertised price by seller within sixty days from the date the purchaser of such article is notified of its availability; specifies terms of raincheck and limited exceptions.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A4620
SPONSOR: Alvarez
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation relates to the availability of merchandise at a price
lower than normal and outlines a detailed policy in relation to rain-
checks.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. The General Business Law is amended by adding a new section
397-b.
1. Retailers who advertises merchandise at a reduced price, and do not
have the item available during the advertised period, must by the
request of a purchaser, offer to issue a rain-check. A few exceptions do
apply.
2. The rain-check shall entitle the holder to purchase the advertised
article within 60 days from the date of issuance, or for a period of 10
business days, from the first date of availability of the item, whichev-
er shall be later. Substitute items can be offered should the purchaser
accept the substitution.
3. The rain-check must include: (a) name, address, and telephone number
of issuers, (b) date of issuance,(c) expiration date, (d) name,
description and quantity of article, and (e) the advertised price.
4. The rain-check must contain the following notice: You may redeem this
rain-check for the advertised item described on the other side within
sixty days of issuance or for a period of ten business days from the
first date of availability of the item, whichever shall be later. You
will pay only the advertised price for this item. You are under no obli-
gation to buy the item.
5. It shall be an affirmative defense to an alleged violation if the
seller was unable to honor the rain-check because the seller did not
receive a reorder from a supplier through no fault of the seller
provided, however, that the seller maintain records sufficient of the
situation.
6. This section shall not apply to a purchase for resale.
7. Nothing in this section shall be construed to relieve the seller from
any other provision of law prohibiting the advertising of good or
services with the intent not to meet reasonably expected demand.
8. No purchaser shall be required to prepay in order to obtain a rain-
check.
9. Nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict the power of
any county, city, town or village to adopt and enforce additional laws,
which exceed the minimum applicable standards in this section.
Section 2. Establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The practice of "bait and switch" advertising which is deceptive within
the statutory proscription (as in Section 349 (a) of the General Busi-
ness Law) involves an advertisement and offer of a product which is not
bona fide because what the merchant actually has on hand and intends to
sell is significantly different from that which drew the potential
customer in, and, hence, is a practice which does not include conduct of
a seller in continually modifying proposed terms of a contract with the
buyer as the negotiations proceed. This judicial decision was set forth
in GOLDBERG V.
MANHATTAN LINCOLN MERCURY 91985 and is taken from the McKinney's.
Enactment of this law would enable New York State to enforce long-stand-
ing Federal Trade Commission regulation and policy, court orders, and a
1972 New York City Regulation on bait advertising. Although many
retailers have implemented rain-check policies with the interests of the
consumer in mind, some retailers either do not have policies or employ
policies that do not favor the consumer. The result is that many consum-
ers view rain-check policies with jaundiced eyes. The credibility of
many retailers' rain-check policies have eroded, creating an industry-
wide crisis of confidence. Neither the consumer nor the retailer wins.
Several studies have found that the Federal Trade Commission policies,
New York City regulations, bait advertising guides, and general orders
have not increased compliance with the premise that when supplies of an
advertised item will not meet anticipated demand, the advertisement
should disclose that fact.
This bill would serve to statutorily recognize these current rules and
regulations and provide for greater enforcement of them. Indeed, consum-
ers would receive the protection they deserve from deceptive bait and
switch advertising.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A. 1498 and S. 1711 of 2019/2020 A. 7941 and S. 8046 of 2017/2018 A.
5710 of 2015/2016 A. 1835-A of 2013/2014 A. 443 of 2011/2012 A. 10778
and S. 4445 of 2009/2010
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the passage of this
legislation.  
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4620
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ALVAREZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Consumer Affairs and Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to availability
for sale of advertised merchandise
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
2 397-b to read as follows:
3 § 397-b. Availability for sale of advertised merchandise. 1. A
4 retailer who advertises an article of merchandise for sale at a price
5 which is reduced, in good faith, to a price below the price such arti-
6 cles are usually sold or offered for sale for in the store, and does not
7 have such article available throughout the advertised period shall, on
8 the request of a purchaser of such article, offer to issue a raincheck
9 unless one or more of the following situations exists:
10 (a) The advertisement is made in relation to mail order merchandise
11 as regulated by section three hundred ninety-six-m of this article.
12 (b) The advertisement is of an article that is one of a kind and the
13 advertisement clearly and conspicuously states such fact.
14 (c) The advertisement clearly and conspicuously states the specific
15 quantity of the article available at the outset of the sale.
16 (d) The advertisement clearly and conspicuously states that a rain-
17 check is not available. This exclusion may only be used if the article
18 will not be offered for sale for at least one hundred twenty days from
19 the expiration date of the advertisement.
20 (e) Products defined in subdivision three of section two of the agri-
21 culture and markets law shall be excluded from the provisions of this
22 section, provided, however, that any retailer offering for sale or sell-
23 ing such products may issue rainchecks pursuant to this section.
24 2. A raincheck issued pursuant to subdivision one of this section
25 shall entitle the holder to purchase, at the store issuing such rain-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07805-01-3
A. 4620 2
1 check, the advertised article at the advertised price within sixty days
2 from the date of issuance or for a period of ten business days from the
3 first date of availability of the article, whichever shall be later.
4 The issuance of such raincheck shall constitute an agreement on the
5 part of the seller to supply such article at such price. Nothing
6 contained herein shall prohibit a seller from offering a similar article
7 of equal or greater value either during the period covered by such
8 advertisement of the article or within sixty days from the date of issu-
9 ance of the raincheck, or the seller and purchaser from agreeing to
10 lengthen the redemption period of such raincheck. If the purchaser
11 accepts substitution, such substitution shall constitute compliance with
12 the provisions of subdivision one of this section.
13 3. The raincheck shall include at least the following information:
14 (a) Name, address and telephone number of the issuer.
15 (b) Date of issuance.
16 (c) Last date that the raincheck can be redeemed.
17 (d) Name, description and quantity desired of the article.
18 (e) The advertised price.
19 4. The raincheck shall contain the following notice:
20 You may redeem this raincheck for the advertised item described on the
21 other side within sixty days of issuance or for a period of ten business
22 days from the first date of availability of the item, whichever shall be
23 later.
24 You will pay only the advertised price for the item.
25 You are under no obligation to buy the item.
26 5. It shall be an affirmative defense to an alleged violation of this
27 section that the seller was unable to honor a raincheck within the
28 redemption period because such seller did not receive a reorder of the
29 advertised article from a supplier through no fault of the seller
30 provided, however, that the seller must maintain records sufficient to
31 show that the advertised sale items were reordered in adequate time for
32 delivery and in sufficient quantity to fulfill raincheck obligations.
33 6. This section shall not apply to a purchase for resale.
34 7. Nothing in this section shall be construed to relieve the seller
35 from any other provision of law prohibiting the advertising of goods or
36 services with the intent not to meet reasonably expected demand.
37 8. No purchaser shall be required to prepay the purchase price or any
38 part thereof in order to obtain a raincheck.
39 9. Nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict the power of
40 any county, city, town or village to adopt and enforce additional local
41 laws, ordinances, or regulations which exceed the minimum applicable
42 standards in this section.
43 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
44 it shall have become a law.