• The St. Petersburg Times reports that Albertsons will pay $200,000 “to resolve false advertising complaints last summer that will translate into $20 settlement checks to shoppers who claim they were misled.
“The supermarket chain angered many shoppers across Florida when it hired liquidators to stage inventory ‘blow out sales’ at 53 stores being sold or closed, while advertising lower prices at 40 other stores that were not being closed.
“Supermarket liquidators, who buy the stock and hope to profit by selling it at progressively lower prices over a period of weeks, frequently raise prices at the start of a going out of business sale because discounts supported by the stores' suppliers are no longer part of the deal. Many Albertsons regulars were enraged that even prices they were used to paying day in and day out went up before they were discounted by liquidators. Albertsons ads for stores that were not closing, however, continued to promote the discounted vendor prices, but did not mention they would not be honored at stores being closed.”
“The supermarket chain angered many shoppers across Florida when it hired liquidators to stage inventory ‘blow out sales’ at 53 stores being sold or closed, while advertising lower prices at 40 other stores that were not being closed.
“Supermarket liquidators, who buy the stock and hope to profit by selling it at progressively lower prices over a period of weeks, frequently raise prices at the start of a going out of business sale because discounts supported by the stores' suppliers are no longer part of the deal. Many Albertsons regulars were enraged that even prices they were used to paying day in and day out went up before they were discounted by liquidators. Albertsons ads for stores that were not closing, however, continued to promote the discounted vendor prices, but did not mention they would not be honored at stores being closed.”
- KC's View:
