Investigation Finds Kroger Is Possibly Overcharging Shoppers on Sale Items

Kroger shoppers, check your receipts. A joint investigation conducted by Consumer Reports, The Guardian, and the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) found that the grocer has reportedly been charging full price for some items advertised as discounted or on sale.

During an investigation over several months, the organizations checked grocery prices at various Kroger locations. Consumer Reports recruited people to shop at 26 Kroger and Kroger-owned stores, such as Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, and Ralphs. The locations were spread out over 14 states and Washington, D.C.

Reportedly, over 150 grocery items were found alongside an expired sales label, with roughly one-third being out of date by roughly 10 days. Five of the products had shelf tags that were 90 days beyond the sale price end date.

According to Consumer Reports, the enlisted shoppers were overcharged $1.70 per item on average. As a result, not only are Kroger customers dealing with inflation and tight budgets, but they are also inadvertently paying full price for some sale items.

“People should pay the price that is being advertised, that’s the law,” Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and the founder of Consumer World, told Consumer Reports. “The issue here is that shoppers can’t rely on the shelf price being accurate, and that’s a big problem.”

Kroger Responds to Price Error Investigation

Consumer Reports asked the grocer about the inaccurate price found during the investigation. A company representative noted that Kroger strives for affordable and correct pricing. Accordingly, the grocery chain conducts regular price checks on millions of items every week. Per the company, the “few dozen examples” found in the investigation are barely significant out of the billions of transactions annually.

“While any error is unacceptable, the characterization of widespread pricing concerns is patently false,” the grocer stated.

With grocery store price gouging already a concern, charging customers a different amount than advertised could violate various federal and state laws, according to attorneys and experts Consumer Reports spoke to. Nina DiSalvo, policy director at Towards Justice, said the price inaccuracies found at Kroger “are deeply concerning.”

Consumer Reports’ probe was launched soon after Kroger employees in Colorado claimed price labels were often incorrect. Reportedly, the error issues have been ongoing for years and the grocery chain was aware of it.