Kroger accused of price discrepancies by Consumer ReportsKroger accused of price discrepancies by Consumer Reports

Expired shelf labels at a handful of Kroger-owned supermarkets around the country led to overcharges on more than 150 items, according to an investigation by Consumer Reports.

The investigation was conducted in partnership with British newspaper The Guardian and the Food & Environment Reporting Network at 26 Kroger-owned stores in 14 states and Washington D.C. over a three-month period. Consumer Reports said it looked into the pricing discrepancies after reports about the issue from Kroger workers in Colorado who are currently in labor negotiations with the retailer.

The research found that the average overcharge was $1.70 per item, or 18.4%, when expired sale tags remained on shelves after the sale period had ended.

Similar pricing discrepancies between the shelf tags and what is actually charged at the register have led to lawsuits at Walmart, Albertsons, Publix Super Markets, Dollar General, and Family Dollar, among other retailers.

Kroger labels report as “misinformation”

The reports’ conclusions “boil down to misinformation,” a Kroger spokesperson told Supermarket News, saying that the research represented a “handful of discrete issues from billions of daily transactions.”

The retailer also sent a detailed response to Consumer Reports refuting the allegations and saying that “the characterization of widespread pricing concerns is patently false.”

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Consumer Reports said that the price tags were mostly accurate at about half the stores it checked. The stores that had pricing errors were located in Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, Virginia, Washington state, and West Virginia.

Reports cite understaffing at Kroger stores

The Consumer Reports research concluded that the expired shelf labels may have been the result of understaffing, which Kroger denied.

“We intentionally staff our stores to keep them running smoothly while creating an enjoyable place to shop,” the company said it told Consumer Reports. “Our staffing decisions are data-driven to balance workload and schedules.”

Kroger also said it has a “Make It Right” policy to ensure that its workers can address such issues when they arise.

The Consumer Reports investigation also follows a union-funded report by the Economic Roundtable claiming that store labor hours at both Kroger and Albertsons have fallen below pre-pandemic levels. That report blames the staffing shortfalls on the retailers’ efforts to increase productivity as well as demands from the growth of ecommerce.

Meanwhile Kroger on Thursday said in a press release that it was seeking to hire 15,000 new workers for roles that include cashiers, baggers, deli/bakery clerks, pharmacy technicians, delivery drivers, and others.

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