May 27, 2008 — The owners of two Pueblo supermarkets on St. Croix were fined after inspectors from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs found instances where the stores had engaged in what they term "deceptive pricing."
Fines totaling more than $23,000 were assessed against Pueblo Supermarket for violations of the V.I. Code, specifically Title 12 A, Section 102, said DLCA Commissioner Kenrick Robertson.
"Members of the Division of Consumer Protection Services scanned 403 items at the Pueblo supermarket at Villa La Reine and discovered that the scanner price was different than the advertised price," Robertson said. "At the Pueblo supermarket at Golden Rock Shopping Center, 529 items were scanned and it was discovered that the scanner price was different than the advertised price."
The store at Villa La Reine was fined $10,075 for its violations, while DLCA imposed a $13,255 fine for the violations uncovered at the store in Golden Rock Shopping Center. Recently DLCA had received complaints from consumers about supermarkets prices throughout the territory, Robertson said.
"The department responded by sending its inspectors to verify scanner prices and prices offered to consumers," he said. "DLCA will continue to monitor price of goods offered for sale throughout the territory to ensure that merchants refrain from deceptive trade practices."
Robertson advises all consumers to be sure to check the advertised price of products they buy against the scanner price on their receipt, and to keep their receipts for a period of time to monitor price changes in these products.
Messages left at Pueblo headquarters in St. Thomas Monday asking for comment on the fines were not returned by press time.
For more information, contact the DLCA at 773-2226 on St. Croix or 774-3130 in the St. Thomas district.
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