Some North Texas Kroger customers question alleged pricing difference at the cash register, Kroger responds
Kroger said it has intentionally decreased prices on merchandise, but some customers said the financial drop at the register went in a different direction.
Steve, who did not want to give his last name, said he shops at two Kroger stores in the Dallas area: Capital Avenue and E. Mockingbird Lane.
The 58-year-old said the price was not right on three of his purchases. He provided receipts for two. One was in early May, when Steve said he used his store rewards card and circled it on top of the receipt. He said the chicken he bought should have rung up $7.86.
Instead, the shopper said he was charged $10.48. Steve said he missed his $2.62 savings as advertised.
"And a lot of people can't afford to pay more than the price that's marked on the item for sale," Steve said.
The shopper said he'd gone back to the store for a refund. Then, as he went for refrigerator basics on July 13, it happened again.
"You know, anybody could make a mistake, and I felt like they just overlooked something," he said. "But then, when it happened again and again."
On this July 13 shopping trip, Steve said he bought milk that was not on sale, among other things. The sign he said he took a picture of inside Kroger's shows the milk priced at $2.79. When he paid for it at the register, the receipt Steve showed CBS News Texas showed $2.99, a twenty-cent increase.
After posting his pricing issue on the NextDoor App, many people related to his issue. Some said that, as shoppers, they had experienced the same problem at Kroger locations across the metroplex, including E. Northwest Highway, Capital Avenue, and Hardwood Road.
CBS News Texas asked Kroger's Dallas office to provide insight into Steve's situation, the small list of stores named in his post, and an investigation into the same matter prompted by the company's employees in Colorado.
According to an investigation by Consumer Reports, The Guardian, and the Food & Environment Reporting Network, Kroger had expired price tags on everyday inventory---allegedly overcharging customers at the register.
In a statement to CBS News Texas, Kroger said:
"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."
Regarding the small list of stores mentioned in Steve's post, Kroger stated that it did not have enough context to determine what occurred, if anything.
Ronik Grewal said he started shopping at Kroger six months ago.
"Like, it's a cheaper grocery store, so I want to make sure that that's actually what they're serving when I come here," Grenwal said.
During that time, the 23-year-old University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate said he's dealt with a few pricing issues.
"It's not every time, usually it's with the discounted items, or it's with the two-for-one items, like with the ones that are having deals, that's when it happens," he said.
Emily Wilkinson said Kroger was a generational choice for her family and a trusted brand.
"My parents shop at Kroger, so it kind of was just what I did," Wilkinson said.
Her shopping issues, if any, are minimal. As a price-hawk, she has been shocked at the register in a good way.
"I've had surprises where something has been on sale that I didn't know was on sale," she said.
Steve said he got a refund from Kroger. The company said it has permanently reduced the prices of more than 1,000 items. However, the milk Steve bought on July 13 did increase in price. No one had changed the tag at the cooler, Kroger said.
The grocery store giant stated that the deal on Steve's chicken had expired, but the price tags on the floor had not been updated.
"I'm not satisfied, because I don't feel like I can go to Kroger without having to take pictures of every item that I buy and compare the price on those items to the receipt when I get home," he said.
Kroger, as part of the consumer investigation, was not the only large retailer named with pricing challenges between the floor and the cash register.
The company released a second statement to CBS News Texas:
"Kroger is committed to providing our customers with accurate and transparent pricing. We regularly check thousands of items to ensure the prices are correct. With a large volume of promotional offers changing weekly, if an isolated discrepancy occurs, we honor the promotional price to make it right. Kroger works diligently to ensure prices are consistent across all platforms – in our stores and online."
