DETROIT – Shoppers at one of the nation’s largest grocery chains may be unknowingly paying more for groceries.
An in-depth investigation by Consumer Reports and two news organizations found that customers were often charged higher prices at checkout than what was listed on store shelves.
And even if you don’t have a Kroger nearby, CR says it’s worth paying attention since similar pricing issues have also been reported at other stores.
Imagine picking up an item on sale only to be charged full price at checkout. That’s exactly what Consumer Reports says is happening at Kroger-owned stores across the country.
A months-long investigation by Consumer Reports, The Guardian, and the Food and Environment Reporting Network uncovered widespread pricing errors. They found expired sale tags on more than 150 different grocery items, which actually led to overcharges at the checkout counter on everything from beef to salmon, coffee, juice, vegetables, even cough medicine, and dog food.
Consumer Reports launched its investigation after Kroger workers in Colorado, currently in union negotiations, alleged widespread and long-standing price label errors. To measure the scope of the problem, CR recruited shoppers to visit 26 Kroger-owned stores in 14 states and Washington, D.C.
On average, shoppers were overcharged $1.70 per sales item, or 18.4 percent more. Why is this happening? Kroger workers say that major staffing cuts and reduced hours have left them stretched way too thin, making it nearly impossible for them to keep up with changing all the price tags. Some stores have as many as 15,000 discount tags hanging at any one time.
Kroger has been testing digital price tags in some stores, which could help fix ongoing pricing issues, saying they offer “better accuracy” for shoppers. The company says it also corrects price mistakes, with a policy called “Make it Right” that lets employees fix errors on the spot.
In a statement, Kroger said that it is “committed to affordable and accurate pricing” and that it regularly conducts price checks that review “millions of items weekly to ensure our shelf prices are accurate.”
Kroger isn’t the only grocery store recently called out for allegedly having unfair or misleading pricing. In 2022, a shopper sued Walmart, claiming it overcharged him by as much as 15 percent on six different items.
And just this past October, Safeway, Albertsons, and Vons agreed to pay nearly $4 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that they were charging customers more than the lowest advertised price.
Consumer Reports says that no matter where you shop, take a quick photo of the sale tags, review the receipts before leaving the store, and demand a refund if the price isn’t right.
Kroger says it also conducts audits on store prices, but an internal review of one store showed nearly six percent of items had wrong tags that led to overcharges at the register, well above Kroger’s policy that allows for no more than one percent error.
“The Consumer Reports allegations boil down to misinformation, reviewing a handful of discrete issues from billions of daily transactions,” said a Kroger spokesperson who spoke to Local 4. “It in no way reflects the seriousness with which we take our transparent and affordable pricing.”
More: Consumer Reports
You can read Kroger’s full response below:
“Kroger is committed to affordable and accurate pricing, and we conduct robust price check processes that reviews millions of items weekly to ensure our shelf prices are accurate. The complaint noted by Consumer Reports included 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’s “Make It Right” policy ensures associates can create a customer experience and addresses any situation when we unintentionally fall short of a customer’s expectations. Connecting regular technology upgrades and our “Make It Right” policy to price accuracy is incorrect.
It is also inaccurate to say the company reduced standards or labor hours. We have not done so, and in fact, the standards we set in 2017 remain the same today.
We intentionally staff our stores to keep them running smoothly while creating an enjoyable place to shop. Our staffing decisions are data-driven to balance workload and schedules.
For nearly two decades, Kroger’s business model has been rooted in bringing down prices to attract more customers to our stores – and this is not changing. We respect our associates and our customers, and we conduct our business accordingly.”
Erin Rolfes, Kroger Corporate Communications and Media Relations