CINCINNATI — Kroger shoppers may have been unknowingly paying full price for items that were advertised as discounted or on sale, according to a recent Consumer Reports investigation.
Consumer Reports said it began checking prices after Colorado Kroger employees in labor union negotiations with the company claimed there had been widespread pricing errors for years, also noting that the chain had been sued in multiple states alleging similar pricing errors.
The price check involved 26 Kroger-owned stores in 14 states, including Ohio, and the District of Columbia. It was done in partnership with The Guardian and Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN).
Consumer Reports found more than 150 grocery items had expired sale labels, leading to overcharges at checkout, with an average overcharge of $1.70 per item.
Kroger released a statement to Consumer Reports, saying it is “committed to affordable and accurate pricing." Kroger said the sales price tag errors cited by Consumer Reports were but a “few dozen examples across several years out of billions of customer transactions annually.”
“While any error is unacceptable, the characterization of widespread pricing concerns is patently false,” Kroger told Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports did note that in most cases, when pointed out, the errors were corrected promptly and completely.
One explanation given for why this was happening was staffing cuts and reduced hours, which have left stores without enough people to manually update thousands of price tags, according to employees who spoke with Consumer Reports.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversees grocery store pricing and can prohibit unfair sales and advertising practices. In 2024, the FTC helped block Kroger's proposed merger with Albertsons, citing concerns it would lead to higher prices and fewer options for consumers.
You can read Consumer Reports' full price check here.
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