Kroger has been overcharging grocery customers for years, report alleges

Kroger has been accused of overcharging customers for basic groceries that were advertised as discounted at its stores across the country, according to a three-month-long investigation conducted by Consumer Reports.

After Kroger workers in Colorado alleged the company had widespread price errors and were aware, Consumer Reports sent people to shop at Kroger-owned stores such as Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Fry’s and more to determine if the company had overcharged.

The report discovered that at 26 stores across 14 states and the District of Columbia, customers were overcharged for more than 150 basic items due to expired sale labels.

On average, customers paid $1.70 more than needed for everyday items such as cereal, cold and flu medication, instant coffee, meat and more.

A spokesperson for Kroger denied the breadth of the problem, saying, “The Consumer Reports allegations boil down to misinformation, reviewing a handful of discrete issues from billions of daily transactions.”

“It in no way reflects the seriousness with which we take our transparent and affordable pricing,” the spokesperson added. Kroger is the nation’s largest supermarket chain by revenue. It has operations in 35 states.

Consumer Reports alleges their investigation found that one-third of sales tags on items were expired by at least 10 days, and at least five products had sales tags expired by 90 days.

“People should pay the price that is being advertised, that’s the law,” Edgar Dworsky, 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,” Dworsky added.

The pricing mistake was not found at every Kroger store.

Fears about consumer prices going up have spread across the country as economists have warned that President Donald Trump’s tariffs could cause higher inflation. The Consumer Price Index found that prices rose by 0.2 percent last month, but inflation overall remains the lowest it’s been in four years.

But that hasn’t stopped consumers from worrying about price increases.

Customers who had complained told Consumer Reports that Kroger employees were quick to correct pricing errors after they were revealed.

Kroger said it’s “committed to affordable and accurate pricing” and that the characterization of widespread pricing was “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,” a Kroger spokesperson said. “Connecting regular technology upgrades and our 'Make It Right’ policy to price accuracy is incorrect.”