An Elektra store. The retailer belongs to Ricardo Salinas Pliego’s Grupo Salinas, like TV Azteca, but is not part of the insolvency cases. Photo: Werther mx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Published Saturday, November 14, 6:19 p.m. ET (5:19 p.m. Mexico City) · Source: Profeco, El Buen Fin organisers

Mexico’s biggest shopping weekend opened with a familiar complaint: the deal on the sign was not the deal at the till. Profeco, the federal consumer protection agency, logged 32 complaints on the first day of El Buen Fin and says it settled every one.

The agency says it recovered 229,749.35 pesos (about US$12,400 at 18.52 pesos per dollar, RT market data, a market-data provider, November 14) for shoppers during El Buen Fin 2026, Mexico’s answer to Black Friday. The sale runs from Friday, November 13, to Tuesday, November 17.

Promises Not Kept at the Till

Seven complaints cited a promotion that was not honored, six an offer that was not honored and five an advertised price that was not respected. Two more cited a refusal to deliver the product, and two a refusal to pay promised compensation or bonuses.

Those three grievances make up 18 of the 22 cases in Profeco’s main-cause list. In plain terms, the deal advertised did not match the deal on offer.

Clothing and footwear led by product with six complaints, ahead of technology and screens with five. Home, food and beverages followed with three.

File photo: a department store in central Mexico City.

Sam’s Club Tops the List

Sam’s Club, the warehouse club operated by Walmart, drew the most complaints with six. Walmart, First Cash, a pawnshop and loan chain, and Elektra, an electronics and credit retailer, had two each.

Lacoste and Zara (clothing brands), Juguetrón (a toy chain), Iberojet (a travel company), Steve Madden and Telcel (a mobile carrier) had one each. By state, Estado de México (the state around the capital), Mexico City, Guanajuato and Oaxaca each logged five complaints, and Morelos two.

What Profeco Is Doing About It

Profeco says it gave 2,115 advisories through 169 service modules, field brigades and its consumer hotline. It had said beforehand that more than 1,000 public servants would work in 350 brigades.

Online, it ran 1,004 checks of advertising and found 49 non-compliant websites. Those sites received exhortos, formal requests to correct their practices.

Staff from its 38 consumer defense offices, known as Odeco, placed 1,838 price displays and 327 consumer-rights posters. Profeco’s consumer hotline is 55 5568 8722.

What Comes Next

Day one is only the opening count, and Profeco has not yet published figures for the later days.

The sale closes on Tuesday, November 17, and the agency’s full-event tally should follow. For the sales forecast behind the weekend, see our report on Mexico’s Buen Fin sales target, or browse more Mexico coverage.

What It Means for US Shoppers

Walmart and its Sam’s Club warehouse stores are the US-linked names at the top of the list, and Walmart de México is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. Profeco’s tally is a service signal, not a sales figure, so it says little about how much shoppers spent.

Visitors and expats buying in Mexico can compare the advertised price with the shelf price and keep receipts. Those are the very situations behind most of the complaints.

What Is Not Known

The 100% settlement figure is Profeco’s own claim, and the agency did not say how many cases remain open. The causes, states and stores it listed do not add up to 32, and no explanation was given.

Profeco gave no exact cutoff time for the count, only the first hours of the event. Profeco’s release included no reaction from the named stores.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints did Profeco log on day one?

Profeco logged 32 complaints and says it settled all of them. It says it recovered 229,749.35 pesos, about US$12,400, for shoppers.

When does El Buen Fin 2026 end?

The sale runs from Friday, November 13, to Tuesday, November 17, 2026. It is the 16th edition of Mexico’s yearly discount event.

Sources: Profeco, El Buen Fin (official site). Pesos converted at the RT market data rate of 18.52 per dollar on November 14.

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