Hey, Fred Meyers: you listening? Customers free to sue department stores for fake sales.

One day, when I was shopping in Fred Meyers on 503 and 72nd, I looked up and saw an end display where they were selling half-cases (12 cans)  of soda for $5.00, claiming it was "regularly $7.98."

That, of course, was a lie.  I posted about it at the time... and now, under a similar rip-off scheme, Kohls is being sued as well... for the exact same thing.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Update: Someone at Kroger has seen this - Why Fred Meyer Stores piss me off.

I just got back from one of my increasingly infrequent trips to Fred Meyers stores, this one on Highway 503 and 72nd, just up the street from the 500/503 and 4th Plain intersection.

One of the more annoying, and questionably legal things they do there is lie about the regular price for an item they charge and then make you believe that their normal, usurious, daily price is some sort of a "deal."

My wife is very big on Sobe Lean drinks. Now, at WINCO, they go for 99 cents. Always. Every day, literally for months.

Tonight at Fred Meyers, those lying scum wanted the customer to believe that the REGULAR price of Sobe Lean products is $2.99 per bottle... so their $1.59 "sale" price looks like a hell of a deal.

The problem?

I have NEVER seen them at Fred Meyers selling this stuff for anything approaching that price.

Ever.

I do remember last week or so that their "regular" price for this product was a somewhat LESS absurd price of $2.69 per bottle.

So, their REGULAR price went UP 30 cents (meaning it WASN'T their "regular price") so they could bump UP the dealio and make people think they're getting a GREAT price at $1.59... even though Freddies was charging 50% more with their so-called sale price than WINCO charges every damned day.

In short, their sale price is a scam... and the way they're shilling it is also a scam.

I also noticed that Freddy had 12 packs of Coke products on sale for ONLY $5 per half rack... an ABSURDLY high price. And, once again, they were lying through their corporate teeth when their little sale sign indicated that FM REGULARLY sold this stuff for.... $7.98.

Bull.

I HATE that kind of crap.

If the weather hadn't been in the toilet, I wouldn't have made the stop there in the first place. I pray that WINCO gets their 503 and 119th store built and open.... soon. Because when they do, I will never set foot in that rip off known as Fred Meyers, ever again.
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Update:

This entry has been reviewed by someone at Kroger in Cincinnati... at 10:38 last night (Monday) and again at 9:30 this morning (Tuesday)... and Kroger owns Fred Meyers.

Maybe someone will do something about this now.... but I doubt it.

Well, the jig may be up:

BUSINESS

Kohl's can be sued over sale ads, court says

An appeals court says California permits lawsuits alleging false markdowns if the customer would not have made the purchase but for the perceived bargain.

A federal appeals court revived a potential class-action lawsuit alleging that Kohl's Department Stores Inc. misstated in advertising that items had been marked down.(Kirk McKoy, Los Angeles Times / January 11, 2010)

By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles TimesMay 22, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO — California retailers may be liable for large money awards if they falsely advertise that their products are on sale.

A federal appeals court Tuesday revived a potential class-action lawsuit alleging that Kohl's Department Stores Inc. misstated in advertising that items had been marked down.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said California consumer laws permit such lawsuits if the customer would not have made the purchase but for the perceived bargain.

"Price advertisements matter," Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote for a three-judge panel. "When a consumer purchases merchandise on the basis of false price information and when the consumer alleges that he would not have made the purchase but for the misrepresentation, he has standing to sue."

Kohl's has denied the underlying allegations that its ads were false or misleading.
Antonio S. Hinojos filed the lawsuit, alleging he would not have made several purchases at Kohl's had he known the prices did not represent actual markdowns.

Hinojos said he bought Samsonite luggage that was advertised as 50% off its "original" price of $299.99, Chaps Solid Pique polo shirts that were marked down 39% from their "original" price of $36, and other items that were advertised as substantially reduced in price.

More:

So, Freddy's, irrespective of the fact that you idiots want the CRC Scam because you're too stupid to figure out that it will jack your transportation costs sky-high with no improvement in efficiency, are you going to do anything about this garbage?