Whole Foods Market CEOs Walter Robb and John Mackey issued an apology to customers following accusations of overcharging at its New York stores. The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs announced June 24, 2015, that it was expanding
its investigation of the chain after finding that the company’s NYC stores routinely overstated the weights of its pre-packaged products, including meats, dairy, and baked goods. Whole Foods
released a blog apologizing to customers and clarifying information regarding weight and pricing mistakes.
Whole Foods attributes the weight and pricing mistakes to human error and claims they are taking steps to right their wrongs, which includes improving employee training on in-store packaging, weighing, and labeling; as well as, implementing a company-wide,
third party auditing process. In the meantime, customers who think an item has been priced incorrectly can have a cashier double check the price. If the price is incorrect, and not in the customer’s favor, the customer will be issued a full refund and the
item will be free.
This isn’t the first incident Whole Foods has had with overcharging. In June 2014, the company agreed to an $800,000
settlement with Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and San Diego City Attorneys after an investigation found pricing irregularities and violations throughout their California stores.
Shoppers are advised to heed the following tips to assist them in making the most of the money spent when grocery shopping.
- Check the weight of your groceries using the store’s scales, even for pre-packaged foods. If the scale shows a different result than the label, ask for manager assistance.
- Watch the scales. Scales must start at zero and come to rest before you are quoted a weight and/or a price. Make sure you aren’t overcharged and that the store deducts the weight of the empty packaging.
- Pay attention at the register. An item may be double scanned, may show a different price than what is advertised, or there may be some other type of error. You can avoid paying for the mistake if you catch it during checkout. If you notice a discrepancy,
inform the cashier or ask to speak to a manager.
- Review your receipt. While most supermarkets use scanners to ring products up at the register, it doesn’t mean they’re always accurate. Make it a habit to check your receipt to make sure you’re charged the advertised price, for the correct number of items,
and that you aren’t taxed on non-taxable goods.
- Hold the store to their advertising. Stores must have the brand, variety, and size of the advertised item. Additionally, any purchase restrictions must be stated in the advertising and not added later in-store. Stores must honor their advertised prices
and have reasonable quantities of the advertised goods available. If an item is out of stock, ask for a rain check so you can buy it later at the sale price.
- If you realize you’ve been overcharged after leaving the store, call the store immediately to relay the information and ask for a refund.
Business Consumer Alliance encourages consumers to share their shopping experiences with us. You can do so by writing a review about a business or service or filing a complaint if you are
unable to resolve a dispute. Make sure to follow us on Facebook and
Twitter to keep up-to-date on trending topics and scams.
About Business Consumer Alliance
Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) is a non-profit company that started in 1936. The broad purpose of BCA is to promote business self-regulation. BCA's mission is achieved by assisting consumers in resolving complaints with businesses and using that complaint
information, along with other relevant information such as customer reviews, to forecast business reliability. With community support, BCA can identify trustworthy and ethical businesses and warn the public to avoid unscrupulous businesses whose purpose is
to defraud the marketplace. BCA also helps businesses promote themselves by providing services and tools to protect their business and reach out to their customers. BCA obtains its funding from member businesses who support the mission and purpose of the organization
and who agree to abide by high standards of ethical business practices.