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Washington AG Sues Albertsons Over Alleged Deceptive BOGO Pricing

The filing signals tougher scrutiny of grocery discount tactics in the state.

Overview

  • Washington Attorney General Nick Brown filed the lawsuit Monday in King County Superior Court against Albertsons, which operates Safeway and Haggen stores in the state.
  • The complaint alleges stores raised prices before buy-one-get-one promotions and then dropped them afterward, leaving shoppers paying an inflated price for the first item.
  • State investigators say more than 3.19 million transactions from October 2019 to May 2024 brought in about $19.7 million in extra revenue for the banners.
  • Brown asks the court to block the pricing practice and to order restitution for affected customers along with civil penalties and pre-judgment interest.
  • Albertsons disputes the claims as based on flawed analysis and data errors, and the company has previously settled BOGO cases in Oregon and in a 2023 Washington suit.