Kroger Faces Hidden Price Overcharges: Here's How to Be Savvy

Consumer Reports has uncovered significant pricing discrepancies at Kroger, with many outdated sale tags leading shoppers to overpay by an average of 18.4%. Current and former employees along with investigators suggest Kroger is aware of these issues, but staff reductions have hampered efforts to rectify them, especially in stores with a high incidence of errors. Shoppers are encouraged to thoroughly review their receipts, take photos of shelf prices, and report any issues to store managers or consumer protection agencies.

In May, Consumer Reports collaborated with The Guardian and the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) to publish a report highlighting these pricing inaccuracies at the grocery behemoth, which caused an average overcharge of 18.4% for consumers.

The problem was brought to attention when Kroger workers in Colorado revealed that outdated sale tags remained on shelves long past their expiry, leading to higher charges at checkout. According to Consumer Reports, these employees claim the head office is well-aware of the problem. Previously, Kroger has faced similar accusations in several class-action lawsuits across California, Illinois, Ohio, and Utah.

“Everyone knows about it,” Derek Kravitz, an investigative journalist for Consumer Reports, told Food & Wine. “This issue is not new for supermarkets, especially dollar stores. They’ve been criticized for this repeatedly over the years.”

To measure the scale of this issue, Consumer Reports enlisted volunteers to shop at 24 Kroger or Kroger-owned locations across 14 states over a period of three months. These volunteers uncovered more than 150 items with expired sale labels, some of which had expired at least 90 days earlier, leading to an average overcharge of $1.70 per item, amounting to 18.4%.

“Shoppers should be charged the price they see on the shelves—that’s a fundamental consumer right,” Edgar Dworsky, a consumer rights advocate and founder of Consumer World, remarked to Consumer Reports. “The core problem is the unreliability of shelf prices, and that’s unacceptable.”

Though employees are making efforts to correct these inaccuracies, it seems Kroger’s recent staffing cuts, despite the company’s record profits, are hindering progress. Consumer Reports noted that in stores where numerous errors were discovered, staff numbers dropped by 10.3% from 2019 to 2024, while reductions in stores with fewer errors stood at 6.2%.

“It makes me feel bad because some of our customers, especially those on fixed incomes or older, don’t notice these discrepancies,” Joy Alexander, a Kroger employee, shared with Consumer Reports. “They believe an item is $2.50, not realizing it’s now $3.75.”

Kroger has responded by stating their commitment to “affordable and accurate pricing,” dismissing the portrayal of frequent errors as inaccurate. “Any error is unacceptable, but saying these issues are widespread is simply not true,” a spokesperson said.

For consumers, Kravitz advises them to “capture a photo or jot down the price you see when you place items in your cart and compare it with the receipt at the checkout or shortly after.” It’s important not to delay, as obtaining a refund later could become complicated.

“Kroger does have a ‘Make it Right’ policy, utilizing an internal system to correct errors,” Kravitz explained. “However, they address issues individually, which is problematic since many shoppers overlook or are too pressed for time.”

If this approach fails, Kravitz recommends lodging a complaint with your local or state attorney general. “Each state generally operates a consumer protection division that handles these issues,” he stated. Addressing this problem early could lead to savings for yourself and the community. For a comprehensive overview, visit consumerreports.org.