The New York State Attorney General’s Office announced an agreement with Price Chopper today that will require the grocery store chain to change some advertising practices and pay a $100,000 penalty.
The agreement is the result of an investigation launched after the attorney general’s office said it received complaints about Price Chopper coupons that failed to disclose restrictions. The investigation found that the chain advertised it accepted double coupons without disclosing important restrictions on the policy.
“Price Chopper used deceptive business practices to mislead price-conscious consumers and extract hard-earned money from them by hindering their ability to shop competitively and save on groceries,” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a news release.
The chain implemented a company-wide policy that limited the doubling of coupons up to 99 cents, according to the attorney general’s office. Price Chopper didn’t disclose that restriction, leading consumers to believe $1 coupons would be doubled.
Under the agreement, Price Chopper must clearly disclose any limits on coupon redemption and pay $100,000 in civil penalties and costs to the state.
In New York, the chain has 79 stores, with locations in the Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Binghamton, North Country, and Mid-Hudson Valley areas.
Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com