Unveiling the Hidden Price: Making Compare-at-Price Shine on Your Shopify Collection Page

One mild afternoon, while sipping on my third cup of chamomile tea — should’ve been coffee considering the tech puzzle in front of me — I stumbled upon a golden opportunity to learn something new. We’ve all been there, right? That moment when a small issue snowballs into a tell-all journey through every tab in our browser. But I digress. Picture this: it was the Dawn theme on Shopify, looking chic as ever, and yet, a pesky little bug was lurking. The 'compare-at-price' just wouldn't show on the collection page. A ghost price! A mystery unsolved. Well, not for long. Here's how we rolled up our sleeves and brought that stubborn price into the spotlight.

Identifying the Culprit

Before barreling into the code, it’s crucial to establish we've set things up correctly on Shopify. Let’s backtrack to basics, for a brief moment. Remember when we listed out those products with care under ‘Products’ > ‘Collections’? Good times; but if our ‘compare-at-price’ is off kilter, we likely missed a step. Ensure the compare-at-price is actually set. Just head into the product detail and double-check that it lies waiting there for its moment of glory. Helping these prices shine starts with knowing they exist, right?

Was that the issue? If not, let’s head deeper down the rabbit hole together. Code, baby!

Code Dive: Where Dawn Turns Into Day

The secret tunnel into our collection page’s soul is nestled in the theme files. Buckle up; we’re about to dig. Navigate to your Online Store, then Themes, blissfully click that delightful Actions button, and dip into Edit code. It's like stepping into a secret room behind the bookshelf.

Once inside, it’s a jungle of .liquid files. Focus is key here, friends. We're looking for a file named collection-product-grid-item.liquid or something of that ilk — themes might differ slightly, just to keep us on our toes.

Here's the magical part. We need to insert a snippet of code that requires more art than science:

{% if product.compare_at_price > product.price %}
   <span class="price">
      <span class="price--compare">{{ product.compare_at_price | money }}</span>
   </span>
{% endif %}

This little incantation will bring your compare-at-price into existence, conditional on it being effective — ensuring a markdown is truly a markdown and not just a dream.

Testing and Tidying

Ah, the triumphant moment when the code clicks into place. Like putting the last puzzle piece in amidst coffee cups and at least three notebooks with sketches only we understand.

But…it’s always worth a peek, a test tweet, a trial run. Syncosys and recollect. Refresh the collection pages and behold the magic firsthand — like witnessing a comet shoot across the sky, there the 'compare-at-price' should appear at last! Take one final look-around, assessing for any styling clashes where your new text might not vibe with the existing aesthetic. Spacing issues, misaligned columns — they’re our sworn enemies in this visual world. Chase them down to maintain harmony and joy in your design.

Celebratory Conclusion

And there we have it, friends. Our initially invisible 'compare-at-price' now stands visible and proud like a lighthouse on a foggy night. Our storefront — no longer hiding its best prices in some underworld crevice.

In this digital age of streaming and snapping, fixing things ourselves—especially such nagging issues—gives us fulfillment akin to baking that perfect pie or planting flourishing petunias in the garden. It’s empowering. Plus, it saves us those frantic emails and unnecessary coffee-fueled support chats. Keep this approach in your back pocket and tackle any similar issues with grace and gusto.

Here’s to more beautifully displayed prices, happier customers, and fewer mysteries in our online domains. So next time, whether it’s with tea or coffee in hand — let’s dive into the code with courage and maybe just a hint of mischief.