Kroger Overcharging Customers On Sale Items, Consumer Reports Investigation Finds

You know times are getting tough when grocery stores resort to good ole’ fashion ripping off customers via mispricing.

Shoppers at Kroger-owned stores may be unknowingly paying more at checkout due to pricing errors, according to a Consumer Reports investigation with The Guardian and the Food and Environment Reporting Network.

Even if you don’t shop at Kroger, similar issues have been found at other retailers, according to Consumer Reports and NBC affiliate KCRA.

Investigators found expired sale tags on over 150 grocery items, leading to overcharges on products like beef, salmon, coffee, juice, vegetables, cough medicine, and dog food. “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.”

The investigation began after Kroger workers in Colorado, currently in union talks, reported widespread pricing problems. CR recruited shoppers to check 26 Kroger-owned stores in 14 states and D.C., finding overcharges averaging $1.70 per sale item, or 18.4% more. Workers blamed staffing cuts and reduced hours, saying it’s impossible to keep up with thousands of discount tags.

The KCRA report says that Kroger is testing digital price tags, promising “better accuracy,” and says its “Make it Right” policy lets employees fix mistakes immediately. In a statement, Kroger said it is “committed to affordable and accurate pricing” and conducts weekly price checks reviewing “millions of items.”

Kroger isn’t alone. In 2022, a Walmart shopper sued over 15% overcharges, and last October, Safeway, Albertsons, and Vons paid nearly $4 million to settle a similar lawsuit.

Consumer Reports advises shoppers to take photos of sale tags, check receipts before leaving, and demand refunds if prices don’t match. An internal Kroger audit found nearly 6% of items had wrong tags—far above its 1% error policy.

“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 said in its response.

The company continued:

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.”