The first official post-holiday sales will kick off this Friday and in some cities last until March 31.
The start and finish of the sale season varies city by city and this year bargain shoppers are expected to spend upwards of 4.5 billion euros, a 4% hike over last year.
According to the Confcommercio retailers' association, some 50% of Italian families will take advantage of the post-holiday discounts and spend an average of 384 euros, ten more than last year.
The first cities to start sales, on January 5, will be Naples and L'Aquila, while the last will be Catanzaro and Campobasso, on January 15.
The first city to end the winter sales will be Bolzano, February 17, followed the next day by Naples and L'Aquila.
The last sales end March 31 in Aosta and Trieste.
The winter sales period will run from January 13 to February 23 in Rome and January 7 to March 7 in Milan.
In most cities the sales period will run from January 7 to February 28.
Confcommercio again this year issued its general guidelines for both retailers and buyers.
While exchanges are generally left up to the discretion of the retailers, Confcommercio said exchanges should be allowed for damaged goods.
If an exact exchange cannot be made, it was suggested that retailers either give a full refund or add a further discount.
Consumers, on the other hand, have two months' time to discover any defect in a product.
In advertising their sales, retailers are obliged to indicate the item's original price, its sale price and the discount offered.
