Shoppers at King Soopers and City Market stores throughout Colorado, as well as other Kroger-owned supermarkets in different states, have reported significant inconsistencies between shelf prices and checkout prices. This situation has led customers to spend more on groceries than expected, contributing to concerns about inflation, especially as prices on many food items remain elevated and increased tariffs loom.
In March, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union conducted price checks across 50 stores in Colorado, discovering that their grocery bill totaled $3,921.11, while it should have been around $3,297.26 based on the shelf tags, reflecting a near 16% discrepancy. Kristi Bush, the union’s associate general counsel involved in the shopping initiative, highlighted that these inconsistencies are compounded by the staffing shortages affecting the stores.
The findings align with investigations from media organizations such as The Guardian and Consumer Reports, which uncovered a pattern of overcharging at Kroger stores nationwide. They identified over 150 items with expired sale prices, resulting in an average overcharge of approximately $1.70 per item — about 18% over the supposed discounted prices.
The union has made these price discrepancies a core issue in ongoing contract negotiations, which began late last year and were briefly interrupted by a strike in February. Jim Hammons, the UFCW retail director, indicated that outdated price tags are symptomatic of broader staffing issues at King Soopers, stating that fewer employees mean critical tasks like updating prices don’t get done as often.
King Soopers has contested the union’s claims of being understaffed and characterized the price discrepancy issues as isolated incidents, stating that they take pricing accuracy seriously. Meanwhile, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has initiated its own investigation into the pricing concerns, with the Inspection and Consumer Services Division looking into the discrepancies.
The concerns over pricing integrity aren’t isolated to Colorado. This past year, the Attorney General’s office in Colorado reached a settlement with Walmart over similar pricing issues, highlighting a broader trend in the retail sector focusing on price transparency and fairness.
The union aims to not only address customer grievances but also to improve working conditions for its members by advocating for the establishment of a pricing-integrity department at King Soopers. This approach is seen as a pathway to enhance customer experience while supporting the employees who maintain those standards.
It’s a crucial time for both consumers and employees as they advocate for fair practices in the face of rising costs and economic uncertainty. As people push for transparency and accountability from major retailers, there’s hope that these efforts will lead to positive changes in pricing practices that benefit shoppers and workers alike.