Australian consumer law regarding sales is clear. You cannot advertise an item at a SALE price if you have not previously sold it at the higher price. The discount must be genuine and the test for this is the price history for the item.
The ACCC has clear guidelines for retailers on this.
There are some in our channel who flout this law in terms of their pricing of ink – they run promotions pitching as a discount their everyday price. If reported to the ACCC they could be in trouble.
Using your newsagency software it is easy to get this right, to have an everyday price and then offer a discount across a set date and time range. That is what sales are all about after all.
The greater risk in this area is when a retailer does was / is pricing. However, advertising a item as having a discounted price when the price is your everyday price opens the business to challenge. All it would take is one shopper complaint to the ACCC or the local fair trading office.