Ralphs Supermarket Chain Caught Overcharging Customers

THE PRICE IS WRONG: Ralphs Accused Of Overcharging

Los Angeles County Officials Tuesday charged Ralphs Supermarket Chain with overcharging customers, false advertising, and false labeling, after an ongoing undercover investigation between January 20 and March 9. Throughout the course of the investigation, officials inspected 14 Los Angeles Ralphs locations and discovered 27 individual cases of overcharging.

Meghan Glynn, spokeswoman for Ralphs parent company Kroger Co. said that the company "takes allegations such as these seriously. We are conducting our own investigation and will take corrective actions as necessary." If found guilty, Ralphs and Kroger Co. will have to pay as much $256,000 each in fines.

Among the fraudulently marked items were pre-packaged basics like fried chicken, salads, fish, and coffee, which were both overpriced and found to weigh less than was advertised on the packaging label.

At a press conference in downtown Los Angeles yesterday, spokesperson Kendra Doyel assured press that any discrepancies or suspicious findings were unintentional and nothing more than an accidental "oversight." In both 2008 and 2009, Ralphs was scrutinized for similar allegations.

WATCH KTLA report on the investigation:

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