Whole Foods fires back at claims of overcharging
Whole Foods fires back at claims of overcharging
Whole Foods has denied an allegation by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs that it was knowingly overcharging customers via improper price labeling.
In a June 30 email to its customers and a post on its website, the retailer said that any errors were unintentional and that the claim that it was “systematically overcharging” its customers is “completely inaccurate.”
“The reason for many of these inadvertent errors is because Whole Foods Market packs many of its fresh products in our stores instead of in factories or distribution centers,” the company said in its email. “This involves team members handling, weighing and labeling containers of products, such as with cut produce and fresh squeezed juices. This is who we are and how we deliver the freshest products to customers, but this also means there will be some unintentional human errors.”
Whole Foods said possible reasons for errors in pricing include mislabeled content weights due to improperly calibrated scales and not deducting the proper amount for a container or moisture loss in the product over time. Also, price discrepancies such as a price change not being entered into the system or a sale sign that has not been taken down in time are also potential reasons.
“Our goal is always 100 percent accuracy,” the email added. “While some of our audits reflect 100 percent accuracy rates, in others, our scores have reflected errors in the weighing and price labeling of our products in a small percentage of instances.”
The retailer said it is taking steps to prevent future price discrepancies, including improving training regarding in-store packaging, weighing and labeling processes. It has also implemented a companywide third-party auditing processes.
“Our number one priority is to ensure that our customers have a great experience every time they shop at Whole Foods Market,” the email said. “Falling short of a great experience is not acceptable to us, and we are committed to doing better.”
