Both Oamaru stockists of the contentious 2011 adidas All Blacks jerseys have slashed their prices to keep pace with larger national retailers.
Replica Rugby World Cup jerseys, recommended by adidas to retail for $220, will now cost $170.
Replicas of the All Blacks Tri-Nations jerseys, previously priced at $190, will retail for $149.50.
Graeme Sutherland, of Sutherlands Men's and Ladieswear, admitted to having been unsure of how to proceed.
"What do I do? Do I match Rebel Sport at $150? That's not fair on the people who pre-ordered," he said.
He had reduced his prices and was offering a partial refund for those who had pre-ordered the jerseys through his store.
Still, he said the pricing affair had been blown out of proportion. He laid some blame at the feet of the Government.
"What's the big deal? The jerseys were $180 last year before the increase in GST."
He said the earlier price of $190 for a replica of the present jersey included $24.78 in GST, which retailers exporting to New Zealand did not have to pay.
"The Government, to be fair, have to charge [importers] the same amount of GST to put it on a level playing field."
He was also concerned about the cut of the jerseys intended for the United States market and wondered how long national chains would keep prices down.
Camerons director Warren Park said its stores had also reduced its prices, but stopped short of offering a partial reimbursement. Refunds would be considered on a "case-by-case basis", he said.
"In this market we need to be competitive against our opposition," he said. "I'm sick of hearing about it. Hopefully, this will put it to rest."
Retailers were not blameless, he said. "Every retailer had a choice. We need to take some of the responsibility."
A Camerons shop assistant had sold just one jersey - to a relative.
"People are talking about them and looking at them but not buying them," she said.
A Commerce Commission spokeswoman confirmed complaints had been received, but said they did not raise issues that required any investigation under either the Fair Trading Act or the Commerce Act.
"The price of the jerseys is not misleading; therefore not an issue under the Fair Trading Act. Nor is there any element of anti-competitiveness under the Commerce Act. Retailers are free to set their own prices ...
"Suppliers imposing restrictions on retailers about where they can sell their products is not uncommon and is not in itself a breach of the Commerce Act."
